Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967)

2. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) “A Working Party” “Trench Duty” “Repression of War Experience”

3. Background– Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967)

4. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography

5. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • born to a well-to-do family (Jewish)

6. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • born to a well-to-do family (Jewish) • lived pastoral life of a young squire

7. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • born to a well-to-do family (Jewish) • lived pastoral life of a young squireRECALL:

8. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • born to a well-to-do family (Jewish) • lived pastoral life of a young squire RECALL: • pastoral = of/relating to the countryside

9. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • born to a well-to-do family (Jewish) • lived pastoral life of a young squire RECALL: • pastoral = of/relating to the countryside • squire = a country gentleman, esp. chief landowner

10. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • born to a well-to-do family (Jewish) • lived pastoral life of a young squire • fox hunt, play cricket, play golf, write poetry

11. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • born to a well-to-do family (Jewish) • lived pastoral life of a young squire • fox hunt, play cricket, play golf, write poetry • rode bicycle to recruiting office to join army

12. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • born to a well-to-do family (Jewish) • lived pastoral life of a young squire • fox hunt, play cricket, play golf, write poetry • rode bicycle to recruiting office to join army • 28 years old at start of war –

13. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • born to a well-to-do family (Jewish) • lived pastoral life of a young squire • fox hunt, play cricket, play golf, write poetry • rode bicycle to recruiting office to join army • 28 years old at start of war – Sassoon was especially unprepared for its horrors

14. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • born to a well-to-do family (Jewish) • lived pastoral life of a young squire • fox hunt, play cricket, play golf, write poetry • rode bicycle to recruiting office to join army • 28 years old at start of war – Sassoon was especially unprepared for its horrors • was a naïve squire eager to enlist

15. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • was a fearless, courageous soldier

16. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • was a fearless, courageous soldier • often volunteered to lead dangerous raids and missions

17. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • was a fearless, courageous soldier • often volunteered to lead dangerous raids and missions • awarded Military Cross for assisting a wounded man back to British lines while under heavy fire (1916)

18. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • was a fearless, courageous soldier • often volunteered to lead dangerous raids and missions • awarded Military Cross for assisting a wounded man back to British lines while under heavy fire (1916) • was severely wounded 1917; sent to Craiglockhart (England) to convalesce

19. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • his reaction to the war’s realities was bitter, violent, ironic, satiric, contumely

20. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • his reaction to the war’s realities was bitter, violent, ironic, satiric, contumely • contumely = rudeness or contempt arising from arrogance; insolence

21. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • wrote a letter to the editor of The Times (London) declaring that the war was being deliberately and unnecessarily prolonged by insensitive political leadership (the king, Parliament), which he called a “greater enemy than the Germans”

22. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • wrote a letter to the editor of The Times (London) declaring that the war was being deliberately and unnecessarily prolonged by insensitive political leadership, which he called a “greater enemy than the Germans” • narrowly avoided court martial because a friend convinced the review board that he suffered from shell shock

23. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • wrote a letter to the editor of The Times (London) declaring that the war was being deliberately and unnecessarily prolonged by insensitive political leadership, which he called a “greater enemy than the Germans” • narrowly avoided court martial because a friend convinced the review board that he suffered from shell shock • shell shock = PTSD which includes loss of sight, memory, muscle control; insanity; persistent nightmares; etc.

24. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • began writing similar themes as Brooke (that is, pro-war themes)

25. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • began writing similar themes as Brooke (that is, pro-war themes) • met other war poets in hospital whose styles influenced him, especially as his feelings about the war changed

26. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • began writing similar themes as Brooke (that is, pro-war themes) • met other war poets in hospital whose styles influenced him, especially as his feelings about the war changed • became a public detractor of war, especially the “little men with too much power” running it

27. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Biography • began writing similar themes as Brooke (that is, pro-war themes) • met other war poets in hospital whose styles influenced him, especially as his feelings about the war changed • became a public detractor of war, especially the “little men with too much power” running it • became a mentor to Wilfred Owen (next poet)

28. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Poetic Terms

29. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) • poetic terms (for discussion):

30. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) • poetic terms (for discussion): • sonnet (Italian, Shakespearean)

31. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) • poetic terms (for discussion): • sonnet (Italian, Shakespearean) -- poet -- speaker -- stanza

32. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) • poetic terms (for discussion): • sonnet (Italian, Shakespearean) -- poet -- speaker -- stanza • new terms:

33. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) • poetic terms (for discussion): • sonnet (Italian, Shakespearean) -- poet -- speaker -- stanza • new terms: • narrative poem (“A Working Party”)

34. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) • poetic terms (for discussion): • sonnet (Italian, Shakespearean) -- poet -- speaker -- stanza • new terms: • narrative poem (“A Working Party”) • includes all basic elements of a narrative (plot)

35. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) • poetic terms (for discussion): • sonnet (Italian, Shakespearean) -- poet -- speaker -- stanza • new terms: • narrative poem (“A Working Party”) • includes all basic elements of a narrative (plot) • note setting, tone, mood, characterization, imagery, sensory language, foreshadowing, etc.

36. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) • poetic terms (for discussion): • sonnet (Italian, Shakespearean) -- poet -- speaker -- stanza • new terms: • narrative poem (“A Working Party”) • includes all basic elements of a narrative (plot) • note setting, tone, mood, characterization, imagery, sensory language, foreshadowing, etc. • dramatic monologue (“Repression…”)

37. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) • poetic terms (for discussion): • sonnet (Italian, Shakespearean) -- poet -- speaker -- stanza • new terms: • narrative poem (“A Working Party”) • includes all basic elements of a narrative (plot) • note setting, tone, mood, characterization, imagery, sensory language, foreshadowing, etc. • dramatic monologue (“Repression…”) • stream-of-consciousness (“Repression…”)

39. Sassoon – “A Working Party”

40. Sassoon – “A Working Party” • a narrative poem (tells a story):

41. Sassoon – “A Working Party” • a narrative poem (tells a story): Three hours ago he blundered up the trench…

42. Sassoon – “A Working Party” • a narrative poem (tells a story): Three hours ago he blundered up the trench… • introduction (begins narrative)

43. Sassoon – “A Working Party” • stanzas 1-2 establish setting, mood

44. Sassoon – “A Working Party” • stanzas 1-2 establish setting, mood • setting = obviously WWI in a trench… what else can we figure out?

45. Sassoon – “A Working Party” • stanzas 1-2 establish setting, mood • setting = obviously WWI in a trench… what else can we figure out? • “Three hours ago…” (ln. 1, ln. 26) – three hours ago… from what time?

46. Sassoon – “A Working Party” • stanzas 1-2 establish setting, mood • setting = obviously WWI in a trench… what else can we figure out? • “Three hours ago…” (ln. 1, ln. 26) – three hours ago… from what time? • “…puffing a point of red” (ln. 11), “A flare went up…” (ln. 16)  lights at night

47. Sassoon – “A Working Party” • stanzas 1-2 establish setting, mood • setting = obviously WWI in a trench… what else can we figure out? • “Three hours ago…” (ln. 1, ln. 26) – three hours ago… from what time? • “…puffing a point of red” (ln. 11), “A flare went up…” (ln. 16)  lights at night • “He thought of getting back by half-past twelve” (ln. 42)

48. Sassoon – “A Working Party” • stanzas 1-2 establish setting, mood • setting = obviously WWI in a trench… what else can we figure out? • “Three hours ago…” (ln. 1, ln. 26) – three hours ago… from what time? • “…puffing a point of red” (ln. 11), “A flare went up…” (ln. 16)  lights at night • “He thought of getting back by half-past twelve” (ln. 42) • “The wind came posting by with chilly gusts” (ln. 20) and other context clues (lns. 40-41, 43) indicate a cold night at that

49. Sassoon – “A Working Party” • stanzas 1-2 establish setting, mood • setting = obviously WWI in a trench… what else? 

50. Sassoon – “A Working Party” • stanzas 1-2 establish setting, mood • setting = obviously WWI in a trench… what else?  contributes to mood