‘The Hero’Siegfried Sassoon

'Jack fell as he'd have wished,' the mother said,And folded up the letter that she'd read.'The Colonel writes so nicely.' Something brokeIn the tired voice that quivered to a choke.She half looked up. 'We mothers are so proudOf our dead soldiers.' Then her face was bowed.

Quietly the Brother Officer went out.He'd told the poor old dear some gallant liesThat she would nourish all her days, no doubtFor while he coughed and mumbled, her weak eyesHad shone with gentle triumph, brimmed with joy,Because he'd been so brave, her glorious boy.

He thought how 'Jack', cold-footed, useless swine,Had panicked down the trench that night the mineWent up at Wicked Corner; how he'd triedTo get sent home, and how, at last, he died,Blown to small bits. And no one seemed to careExcept that lonely woman with white hair.

‘The Hero’Siegfried Sassoon

CONTENT AND THEME

Activities

1. What has happened to this soldier?2. What is his name?3. How has his mother been informed? How does she react?4. What has the son’s officer told her?5. What is his real opinion of her son?

IMAGERY

Look at some of the imagery surrounding the mother. How does this reveal her grief at his death?

• “something broke”• “quavered”• “lonely woman with white hair”

Now look at the imagery used for the son,

• “cold-footed, useless swine”

Why is the imagery here so harsh?

Why is the soldier’s place of death called ‘Wicked Corner’?

LANGUAGE

Sassoon’s poem is satirical, so you have to think about the implications of the words he has chosen to use. They may mean the opposite to their literal meaning. Look at the following quotations and say what you think he really means:

• “nicely”• “some gallant lies”• “her glorious boy”• “her weak eyes”

Why did he choose the word “nourish” in line 9?What is the effectiveness of the alliteration in “Blown to small bits”

STRUCTURE

• The poem traces the story in each stanza, it takes us through the incident.

• Why does Sassoon use direct speech for the mother but not the officer?

• How effective is the use of rhyming couplets in the poem?

PERSONAL RESPONSE

• Is Sassoon on the side of the brother officer or criticising him?