Base Details Flashcards
Poet
Siegfried Sasson
Line 1 - Line 2
If I were fierce, and bald, and short of breath, I’d live with scarlet majors at the Base
Line 3
And speed glum heroes up the line to death
Line 4 - 5
You’d see me with my puffy petulant face, Guzzling and gulping in the best hotel
Line 6 -7
Reading the Roll of Honour ‘Poor young chap’, I’d say - ‘I used to know his father well’
Line 8
Yes we’ve lost heavily in this last scrap
Line 9 - 10
And when the war is done and youth stone dead I’d toddle safely home and die - in bed
Theme
War
Tone
Bitter, anger
If I were fierce, and bald, and short of breath,
I’d live with scarlet majors at the Base
The poet describes his view of a Major in WWI. Short of breath could mean he is unfit. Majors described are the kind of people who would cower at the base instead of fight
And speed glum heroes up the line to death
Majors send soldiers to the trenches where they would die. He calls soldiers glum heroes. The soldiers were carelessy sent to war like they were unwanted but they were heroes because they fought for their country
You’d see me with my puffy petulant face, guzzling and gulping at the best hotel
Means poet would have a puffy childish face and eating as much as he wants not in any hotel but in the best hotel living in luxury if he was a major
Reading the Roll of Honour ‘Poor young chap’ I’d say - ‘I used to know his father well
The major doesn’t show remorse for the soldiers.
He doesn’t understand how serious the situation is or how climatic it is.
He is very dismissive and doesn’t care
Yes we’ve lost heavily in this last scrap
Uses the word ‘scrap’ when he is talking about world war. Majors in WWI didn’t have horrifying experiences of thr soldiers.
Very insensitive the word ‘scrap’ is an understatement
And when the war is done and youth stone dead I’d toddle safely home and die - in bed
Major is living a better life than the soldiers. They would have a peaceful death unaffected by war
