PowerPoint Analysis of Siegfried Sassoon Poem, 'Suicide in the Trenches'

1. {
Suicide in the Trenches
Siegfried Sassoon

2. Discuss with your partner:
• What are the similarities
between these two
pictures?
• What are the differences?
• What emotions are being
portrayed in these
images?

3. Making progress by:
• Showing empathy toward soldiers;
• Understanding the chronology of the poem;
• Creating PEA paragraphs about emotions from
within the poem.

4. War Sounds
Shouts of 'Man Down'
Home Coming - Advert

5. Suicide in the Trenches
I knew a simple soldier boy
Who grinned at life in empty joy,
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,
And whistled early with the lark.
In winter trenches, cowed and glum,
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,
He put a bullet through his brain.
No one spoke of him again.
You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.
Siegfried Sassoon
1917

6. 1) Read the poem to yourself.
2) Then, with a partner take it in turns to read a stanza each.
First Impressions
What is the poem about? Write your ideas down in
your exercise book.
Sharing your ideas…
On your post-it note, write down:
• How the boy felt before being sent to war (point)
• During the war (point)
• Choose a quote for both (evidence)
Now, travel the room sharing your ideas with two other
people.

7. Stanza One
• Young soldier boy signs or is signed up for military action in WW1.
• He was happy to be serving his country.
• He has no life experience – although he thinks this will provide him with a
future in the Army once he’s returned from war.
Stanza Two
• War is not what he expected.
• Conditions are awful; unhygienic, loneliness, surrounded by death.
• He commits suicide.
• He was forgotten.
Stanza Three
• Sassoon criticises the crowds who welcome the soldiers home – they have
no idea of the suffering, pain and horror of war.
• They have no idea what young men of Great Britain gave up for their
freedom.
• Annoyed that serving your country is seen as a glamorous responsibility –
in fact it destroys life.

8. Using your ideas from the starter you are going to create two
PEA paragraphs on the young soldier’s emotions.
Look at the adjectives you used to describe how he felt before
and during his experience of war. Use a thesaurus to locate
more ambitious vocabulary to describe these emotions.
Some adjectives to describe
prior to war
• Hopeful
• Positive
• Genuine
• Willing
• Patriotic
• Inexperienced
• Buoyant
• Confident
Some adjectives to describe
during war
• Desperate
• Desolate
• Pessimistic
• Bleak
• Dismal
• Severe
• Rigorous
• Sombre

9. P
E
A
Before enlisting the young soldier is buoyant and
patriotic. A quote to show this is, “knew a simple
soldier boy, Who grinned at life in empty joy”.
The word ‘simple’ highlights his inexperience in
life – he doesn’t have prior knowledge of this
situation, therefore he is buoyant and confident he
will be able to make a difference serving his
country. ‘Grinning at life in empty joy’ shows how
he feels proud and because of this lack of
experience, he is patriotic and determined to
succeed.

10. The experience of war for the young soldier is a
sombre affair., ‘In winter trenches, cowed and
glum’. This quotation shows how even the seasons
are against him. He is perishing in the cold, in
awful conditions – the mood is glum. Nothing can
raise his spirits, although we imagine other, more
experienced soldiers may try. He is too young to be
exposed to the harsh realities of war.
P
E
A

12. Siegfried Sassoon Research Project
Your project must include the following:
• A biography of his life; where did he grow up? Family?
Children? Where did he live before enlisting?
• His role in the war – what did he do? Regiment?
• His reputation – why?
• Medals – what for and why?
• Other work he is famous for.
• In your opinion, what motivated these works?
• Deadline….
• Written or typed (and printed)! Presented in a plastic wallet
with your name on!

13. Making progress by:
• Knowing why Sassoon wrote this poem (purpose);
• Evaluating how war is portrayed through ‘Suicide
in the Trenches’.

15. • Born to a wealthy Jewish family and had a good life.
• Very innocent about war, which people think made his reaction to it even
stronger.
• His brother died at Gallipoli (where Brookes also died) and this had a
very strong affect on him.
• Was called ‘Mad Jack’ in the trenches because of his near suicidal acts
during war.
• Out-spoken about horror of war. He showed his anger at the war and the
British Government through poetry.
• Thought to be suffering from ‘shell (bombs) shock’ so sent to military
hospital.
• Met Wilfred Owen in hospital, and mentored (taught) him. Owen is also a
very famous WW1 poet.
• When he was older, religion helped him cope with the horrors of war.
Which of the bullet points do you think links with the
final stanza of the poem and why?

16. You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.
P: The poet uses the second person; he addresses the reader.
E: ‘You smug-faced crowds’.
A: Can you explain why?
What does the poet want us to feel?
Why is it influential?

17. P: The poet uses the second person; he addresses the reader.
E: ‘You smug-faced crowds’.
A: Can you explain why?
What does the poet want us to feel?
Why is it influential?
In the final stanza, Sassoon reveals his purpose for writing
the poem. He uses the second person – he is directly
addressing the reader, “You smug-faced crowds”. This quote
highlights Sassoon’s anger directed towards the Government
and the Great British public. ‘Smug-faced’ indicates that the
people at home, away from the immediate danger of being
on the front line, have no idea what horrors soldiers’ have
seen during combat. He is showing his anger and frustration
at being so affected by war. He is frustrated that these
‘crowds’ think war is a glamorous thing.
P
E
A

18. You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.
P – An imperative command is used when the poet is speaking
directly to the reader:
E – ‘Sneak home and pray you’ll never know ’.
A - Can you explain why?
What does the poet want us to feel?
Is it effective?

19. P – An imperative command is used when the poet is speaking directly to
the reader:
E – ‘Sneak home and pray you’ll never know ’.
A - Can you explain why?
What does the poet want us to feel?
Is it effective?
Additionally in the final stanza, Sassoon uses an imperative
command. Here he is clearly directing his final thoughts
towards the Government and the public. ‘Sneak home and pray
you’ll never know’. The word ‘sneak’ indicates that perhaps the
supporters of war should be ashamed that the war had been
allowed to continue for so long, putting millions of soldiers in
horrendous situations with devastating consequences. Sassoon
also suggests that the majority of people wouldn’t be able to
cope with the reality of war, ‘pray you’ll never know’.