To what extent was World War One a tragic event? Consider the methods used in two poems.

A tragedy is an event causing great suffering destruction and distress; as defined in the Oxford dictionary. World War One is a very tragic event from human history. Plantos’ After the Speeches About the Empire and Sassoon’s Suicide in the Trenches portray the tragedy of World War One in two different ways. After the Speeches About the Empire is tragic because the soldiers are still innocent and excited for the war, but the reader knows how horrible it was; where as Suicide in the Trenches tells the story of a soldier’s death in order to convey the tragedy. After the Speeches About the Empire seems to be positive and convey the happiness of the people described, while also foreshadowing future tragedy. It is about the mindset and the innocence of people who have not yet been to war. Suicide in the trenches, however, tells the story of a boy immersed in the war. It is about what happens to a soldier, once he has experienced the fighting and misery of war. Both poems convey the tragedy of war, but Sassoon is bitter, and encourages the reader to be as well, whereas Plantos seems almost happy which makes readers feel pity for the people, in their naivety.

Many soldiers enlisting for combat in World War One did not understand the seriousness of war, and genuinely wanted to fight for their country. After the Speeches About the Empire uses a positive tone to convey happiness and excitement, but also hints towards the loss of that happiness, thereby portraying the war as a tragic event. “I’d likely not see any action” (Plantos, 2008, 20). This quote sounds positive, but readers know that the soldier is being lied to and manipulated, which makes the story all the more tragic. They did not know how dangerous or miserable their circumstances would be, so they were not prepared for what they were about to face. The soldiers were happy because they believed the propaganda and lies that they were told. “August of ’14 it was, and we were handsome then” (Plantos, 2008, 20). At first glance, the tone of this line is positive, but upon further inspection, it is clearly foreshadowing negative events to come that will change them tremendously. The quote recalls a better time when the soldiers felt positively about themselves but the quote is written in past tense, signifying to the reader that this handsomeness will be lost in the war. This use of the word “handsome” represents not only their physical appearance, but also the handsomeness of their personalities. It represents the innocence that they had back then. This poem uses imagery to convey a positive energy. The imagery of flags, and groups of people gathered, conveys the pride and patriotism that was present surrounding the war. The people described in the poem were happy and positive. This works to further support the idea of joy and innocence before the war, which in turn conveys tragedy, since that joy will be lost. The structure of the poem also affects how the reader interprets it. The poet mostly uses enjambment throughout the piece. This conveys that it is not the end: it is only the beginning of the soldier’s story. The tragedy is still to come. The poem also seems tragic to the readers because although the soldiers enlisted voluntarily, it cannot really be considered their choice since they were manipulated. They did not nobly decide to go and face all of the horrors: they did not even know how it would be. This makes it very hard for the reader to rationalize what happened to the soldiers. The poem reflects how people were fooled by the propaganda during the war. Men did not know what to expect when going to war because it was always portrayed as a positive thing. The horrors of war were not acknowledged because of the expectations that were put on men in society, and enforced by propaganda.

Millions of lives were lost in World War One, and those who survived were still affected in different ways. Suicide in the trenches helps the reader understand how tragic World War One was, using the story of a single young soldier, to represent the innocence lost by soldiers. Sassoon describes a soldier that dies as a “simple soldier boy” (Sassoon, 2008, 15). This conveys to the reader that this soldier was young and innocent. When the soldier then dies, this knowledge makes it more tragic. Readers are forced to face the fact that many of the men affected were actually just boys. Additionally, describing the boy as “simple” makes him seem unimportant in the war. He is just an average person who was dragged into a situation that is so horrible, he could not bear it and took his own life. This makes the reader realize that this “simple soldier boy” could have been anyone, even someone in their lives, and therefore is all the more tragic. The boy is described to have “grinned at life in empty joy,” (Sassoon, 2008, 15). This statement leads the reader to understand that something is amiss. Joy is supposed to be fulfilling, not empty. The war has taken true joy away from this soldier. “He put a bullet through his brain.” (Sassoon, 2008, 15). This line in the poem is sudden and shocking. It makes the reader uncomfortable and sad, and instantly drives home the truth of how tragic the war could be. Sassoon also uses direct address, to call out the reader: “Sneak home and pray you'll never know“ (Sassoon, 2008, 15). This language feature makes the tragedy of the war more seem more real because it gets the readers to relate the events to themselves. The poem’s rhyming structure also heightens the awareness of the tragedy. The poem, the war, and life keep marching on: things continue and people move on even through horrible tragedy. The boy's death is not significant enough to stop anything so he is left behind as things and people move on. The suicide of the once innocent boy does not only portray how tragic the war was but also how terrible the psychological effects must have been. The reader is made to realize that all of the soldiers were in a similar situation and the war will have broken all of their spirits. The tone of the poem is bitter and angry. The propaganda of the time was positive and uplifting, and portrayed dying at war as honourable and noble, whereas this poem reveals a devastating, senseless death of a young soldier who is never spoken of again. His death was not honourable and it is likely that the soldier would even have been maligned, for taking his own life, due to the expectations of men, at that time in history.

There are many methods that poets can use to convey the same message or emotion. Both Plantos and Sassoon use the idea of innocence to portray tragedy; however, Sassoon comes across as bitter about the loss of innocence, while Plantos portrays positive emotions and naivety that will not last. While After the Speeches About the Empire describes the day that the soldiers went to war, there are a few lines that hint towards what is to come. For example, the poet writes “That choked their gaiety” (Plantos, 2008, 20), foreshadowing that something will happen to end or interfere with their happiness. The poem has a mostly positive tone, but quotes like this hint towards the loss of that positivity. The soldiers that seem so excited will soon experience the tragic reality of war. In Suicide in the Trenches, on the other hand, Sassoon uses negative language to convey how upset he is about the tragedies of the war. One quotation where he sounds particularly bitter is when he describes those who cheer for the soldiers as “smug-faced crowds”(Sassoon, 2008, 15). He seems to hold resentment towards people that are happy about the war but do not have to experience the pain of fighting in it. His negative emotions help the reader realise how horrible the war is. The two poems use different language features to bring about the desired effect on the reader. The main language feature in After the Speeches About the Empire was imagery. The imagery helps the reader picture the setting, which makes the event seem more real, and thus more emotional and more upsetting. In the third stanza of Suicide in the Trenches, Sassoon uses direct address to get the readers thinking and to force them to face the reality of the tragedy of war. The structure of each poem is also effectively used to drive home the poet’s point. After the Speeches About the Empire has no periods, and only a few commas. Plantos uses mostly enjambment. Because there are no periods at the end of any lines, it does not feel like it ends. It is only the beginning of the soldier’s story. Suicide in the Trenches is a rhyming poem. Sassoon uses this technique to represent how people keep marching on and often move on even through horrible tragedy. forgetting or ignoring the devastation encountered along the way. The end of someone’s life is crushing but only to a few and one soldier’s death does not stop the war or the endless tragedy.

In conclusion, After the Speeches About the Empire portrays tragedy to the reader by depicting the naivety and excitement of soldiers preparing for the war, not understanding how dangerous and scarring it is; and Suicide in the Trenches portrays the tragedy of the First World War through the horrific experience of an individual soldier. Plantos uses a positive tone, in After the Speeches About the Empire, to lead the reader to understand that many soldiers were innocent and naive about the war, making the reader more upset with the knowledge of how horrible it truly was. This is reinforced with repetitive hinting towards what will actually happen. Sassoon leads the readers to understand that the war broke people’s spirits and the tragic truth of how many soldiers took their own lives. The poems compliment each other. Plantos talks about the innocence before the war and Sassoon tells readers of the loss of that innocence. Plantos uses a happy tone and Sassoon uses a bitter tone. The way in which both poems use innocence to portray tragedy gives the message that events are more tragic when the people involved are naively blind to what will come.