The Hero (A Poem)
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The Hero
‘Jack fell as he’d have wished,’ the Mother said,
And folded up the letter that sheÂ’d read.
‘The Colonel writes so nicely.’ Something broke
In the tired voice that quavered to a choke.
She half looked up. ‘We mothers are so proud
Of our dead soldiers.Â’ Then her face was bowed.
Quietly the Brother Officer went out,
HeÂ’d told the poor old dear some gallant lies
That she would nourish all her days, no doubt.
For while he coughed and mumbled, her weak eyes
Had shone with gentle triumph, brimmed with joy,
Because heÂ’d been so brave, her glorious boy.
He thought how ‘Jack’, cold-footed, useless swine
Had panicked down the trench that night the mine
Went up at Wicked Corner; how heÂ’d tried
To get sent home, and how, at last, he died,
Blown to small bits. And no one seemed to care
Expect that lonely woman with white hair.
Siegfried Sassoon
‘War is a painful thing to a mother when her son is killed fighting in it. But the pain is lessened when she knows that he dies a hero’s death. Her pride in him overcomes her sorrow. In this poem, the mother receives a letter about her son, Jack, a soldier who has been killed. The letter is from her son’s commanding officer. She is filled with pride about the heroic way her Jack has died. But that is not the truth. She has been spared the truth which would probably be more painful to her than her son’s death itself.’
Federal Anthology of Poetry 2
My comments:
A mother knows her son best. Since she is so convince that her son died a heroic death, there is a high chance that Jack was not as cowardly as he was described by the author.
I am also very uncomfortable of the very harsh words used to describe Jack. He was called a ‘useless swine’, and was ‘blown to small bits’ and ‘no one seemed to care’. Maybe that is the reality of war, but it seems that the author can’t wait for Jack to die, ‘and how, at last, he died,’
I think this author is a bit too harsh.
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Originally posted by DeadPoet:
I'd disagree... I think parents often will tend to see more than what is really there... Besides, in those circumstances, i'd believe that the mother could only see and remember what she chooses too- which would be the ever courageous side of her dear child.
My comments:
A mother knows her son best. Since she is so convince that her son died a heroic death, there is a high chance that Jack was not as cowardly as he was described by the author.
I am also very uncomfortable of the very harsh words used to describe Jack. He was called a ‘useless swine’, and was ‘blown to small bits’ and ‘no one seemed to care’. Maybe that is the reality of war, but it seems that the author can’t wait for Jack to die, ‘and how, at last, he died,’
I think this author is a bit too harsh. [/b]
I see the author as trying to express anger with the use of those terms, coz it seemed to me that the author feels unjust coz while others sacrificed for the country, this guy tried to "act farnie"
to escape from the war... although i can definitely see where you're coming from...
I like the 2nd stanza, think it's very very nice...
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Hmm.... I also see your point. But although the author have the right to be angry, (for whatever reasons) but to call a dead person a swine is still a bit too harsh for me.Originally posted by En':I'd disagree... I think parents often will tend to see more than what is really there... Besides, in those circumstances, i'd believe that the mother could only see and remember what she chooses too- which would be the ever courageous side of her dear child.
I see the author as trying to express anger with the use of those terms, coz it seemed to me that the author feels unjust coz while others sacrificed for the country, this guy tried to "act farnie" to escape from the war... although i can definitely see where you're coming from...
I like the 2nd stanza, think it's very very nice...
Same here, I also prefer the 2nd stanza.