Aftermath

1. Aftermath Written by Siegfried SassoonPresented by Jess and Helen

2. Background info • Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) was born into an wealthy family, he was educated but did not graduate university. • He lived as a country gentleman before he joined the army, playing cricket and golf, hunting and writing romantic poetry. • Sassoon was openly gay and his most significant relationship was with the aristocrat Stephen Tennant • Married Hester Gatty, and had a son named George • Divorced after the Second World War

3. During the War • Enlisted when 28, but broke his arm and didn’t join the war until a year later. • Second lieutenant in the Third Battalion of Royal Welch Fusiliers • Nickname ‘Mad Jack’ for his courage on the Western Front • Met Robert Graves, fellow poet and good friend • Awarded the Military Cross on 27 July 1916

4. After the war • After being wounded, Sassoon wrote to the war department refusing to fight anymore. “I believe that this War is being deliberately prolonged by those who have the power to end it.” • He expected to be sent to the court martial, instead Robert Graves convinced them that Sassoon was suffering from shell-shock and needed treatment • Sassoon was sent to Craiglockhart where he met Wilfred Owens

5. About Aftermath • Written in 1919, after Sassoon was taken off active duty • Sassoon had grown to hate the war and the horrifying experiences he had, however he still held great affection for the men he served with • Broadcasted on Armistice Day in the years immediately after the war

6. Poem’s Message • Begs for people to remember the effects of War. • Despite the world moving on with time, its events must never be forgotten. • To forget would be both dangerous and disrespectful to those who fought and laid down their lives. • It is a message applicable to everyone, not just ex- soldiers.

7. Punctuation • Question marks:‘Have you forgotten yet?’, “Is it all going to happen again?” • Implores reader to actually think about an answer; to pick a view point on the message, rather than just listening to it. Makes it more personal. Basically the whole poem is one big question. • Ellipses:‘Have you forgotten yet?...’, ‘and War’s a bloody game…’ • Pause for contemplation, allowing reader to think. Implies Sassoon also wants a real answer to his question i.e. not fully rhetorical. • Hyphen & semi colon: ‘…hour of din before the attack-’, ‘… heavens of life;’ • Gives room for pause, before continuing, giving the feeling that, like the war, it goes on and on. (Emphasised with continuous use of ‘and’). • Dialogue: ‘Do you ever stop and ask, ‘Is it all going to happen again?’’ • Links both question and dialogue at the same time, again, making it more personal.

8. Sound Devices • Rhyme:‘Stench… trench’, ‘ rain… again’, ‘gray… gay’, ‘share… spare.’ • Gives the poem a flow and rhythm. Makes it more memorable and forges connections between different lines with corresponding meanings. • Alliteration/ assonance:‘Lit… life’, ‘dawn… dirty’, ‘remember… rats’, ‘watched… wired… piles’ • Sound device such as these could allude to the repetitive noises both heard and remembered from the war e.g. the guns, bombs, soldiers footsteps etc. It also makes the poem more memorable. • Letter sounds: ‘Do’, ‘dirty- white’, • Hard, harsh sounds convey a sense of brutality and bluntness, like war itself. It creates a less passive tone of the poem overall.

9. Figurative Language • Similes:‘… gagged days, like traffic checked a while at the crossing of city ways.” • This e.g. demonstrates the passing of time, how the world has moved on and forgotten the war. Other metaphors aid the visual depiction of the war and make it more relatable to the audience. • Adjectives:‘doomed’, ‘haggard’, ‘’lolling’, contrasting to ‘keen’, ‘kind’, ‘gay’ • These descriptions portray the war’s reality with harsh adjectives, especially when compared to the adjectives describing the soldiers before the war. Appealing to the senses with description of smell, touch and sight also make the war seem more present, something Sassoon wanted on everyone’s minds. • Allusion:‘and War’s a bloody game…’ • Reference to Jessie Pope’s poem in a sarcastic tone, pointing out just how wrong her portrayal was, especially evident after the war had ended.

10. Language • Repetition:‘Have you forgotten yet?’ • Reminds reader of the reason for the poem and allows them to consider the change in their answer since the beginning. Reinforces the poem’s message to be remembered after its reading. • Imperatives:‘Have you forgotten yet?, ‘Look up… swear by’ • Orders reader to do what is asked. This portrays the seriousness of Sassoon’s message and the heat behind it. • Personal Pronouns: ‘Do you…’, ‘Have you’, ‘you’ll’, ‘your peaceful share’ • Makes the poem a direct question to the reader, not just a generalisation. Gives the reader reason to consider its content. Means a non-solider does not discard the poem’s message thinking it doesn’t apply to them; rather, it has a message for everyone. • Capitalisation: ‘War’s’, ‘Time’ • Identifies War and Time as bold figures which have disrupted life, and War should not be wished for again, it is a threat which must never be forgotten.