The Hero by Siegfried Sassoon

Overview

One of Sassoon’s most famous poems, The Hero is a narrative piece in which an officer delivers a handwritten note, from a colonel on the front line, to a mother of a soldier explaining that her son has been killed.

The title and first stanza give the impression that he died a heroic death but then the second and third stanzas reveal through the officer's thoughts that in fact he panicked and was killed as he tried either to run away/get himself injured in order to be sent home.

Overview

However in WWI the families of men who deserted were not told the truth about how they died, as it was thought to be kinder to let them think that they had died heroes.

Sassoon implies criticism of the officer, who represents high-ranking officials in the army, who has a callous disregard for the boy's death, and creating sympathy for both Jack and the mother, who represent the ordinary soldiers of the war and their families.

Subject & Theme

Make a list under each heading.

Form and Structure

What is the poem’s form and structure?

Language

In pairs, pick three key quotes.

Explain very carefully why you have chosen them.

Context

Pick out at least one thing that satisfies AO4 – contextual detail.