‘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 broke
In the tired voice that quivered to a choke.
She half looked up. 'We mothers are so proud
Of our dead soldiers.' Then her face was bowed.
Quietly the Brother Officer went out.
He'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 he'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 he'd tried
To get sent home, and how, at last, he died,
Blown to small bits. And no one seemed to care
Except that lonely woman with white hair.
‘The Hero’
Siegfried Sassoon
CONTENT AND THEME
Activities
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What has happened to this soldier?
What is his name?
How has his mother been informed? How does she react?
What has the son’s officer told her?
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?