The Death of a soldier Wallace Stevens

The poem focuses on the idea that the death of a solider is an uncelebrated event, this could be due to the large numbers of deaths that occurred during the time of the war.
A main area of focus is the simile 'As in a season of summer' this reiterates how they believe death is as inevitable as the falling of leaves and the change in seasons throughout the years as there is no doubt they will  occur.
Time is important throughout this poem.
'Life contracts' could be used to imply how life shortens  throughout the war in the lead up to their inevitable deaths as the verb 'expected' shows the soldiers were fully aware of their position and that death was never far away from them.
'As in a season of Autumn' is repeated in stanzas 1 and 3 and can be used to represent the similarity between repetitive lives of soldiers as they were predictable just like the seasons of the year. As well as this It could be used to show the slow decrease in their life as it shortens day by day and is slow just like the changes between the seasons in the year.
'does not become a three day personnage'  the solider only had 3 days to express himself and make himself known on the front line, this reiterates the idea of only a short amount time between events.
'Death is absolute and without memorial' personification of death as if it is tangible
Presents how death is inevitable for the soldiers and is a forgettable and uncelebrated event. Also looks at philosophy and how as humans we cannot talk about what is beyond life as we have no real knowledge of it due to us not having experienced it.
'when the wind stops' this imagery could be used to represent when a solider dies due to it being inevitable and a regular occurrence. '...and over the heavens' this could represent how death is a quick and forgettable event as it is only a quick passing over a short period of time. 'The clouds go nevertheless' Death is similar to clouds moving overhead as it moves on quickly and is forgotten about.

The poems structure is 4 short, 3 line stanzas, each ending with a short line cut off as if a solider had died as it was quick but then the start of the next stanza represents how the war would still continue.

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Birdsong 'Jack firebrace stood with Arthur Shaw... There was no movement from the bodies' 229-239

Faulks presents the idea of religion in Birdsong when Jack and Arthur Shaw were on one tree hill observing the battle beneath them and they watched as ‘Horrocks pulled the silver cross from his chest and hurled it from him.' Faulks uses this to present the effect witnessing the mass violence has had on Horrocks as he appears to be desperate to remove his faith from him. The verbs 'pulled' and 'hurled' are used by Faulks to present how he exerted force and appeared to be desperate to remove this cross from him and to rid himself of all faith. This also shows more of an angry side to Horrocks as he cannot believe that the fighting he is witnessing is being allowed to take place, this also presents the loss of humanity conveyed through the soldiers behaviour. Faulks uses the noun phrase 'silver cross' as a method of symbolism for religion however Horrocks now appears to have lost all faith as he believes if there was a God he would not allow these atrocities to take place. Also in this extract Faulks uses the simple sentence 'Jack knew what had died in him.' This is used to show Jack's immediate understanding of Horrocks' loss of faith as he didn't even need it to be confirmed to him. An alternative interpretation of this could be that during the war many soldiers lose their faith due to the extreme conditions they have endured and the horrific events they have witnessed. In addition Faulks uses personification in 'what had died in him.' This is used to imply that Horrocks religion was previously alive inside of him due to it being a huge aspect of his life prior to the war.

Faulks also references religion in the extract through Jacks' desperation as shown in 'Please God, let it stop.' The adverb 'please' is used to implying a begging tone in Jack's voice as he is desperate for this fighting to stop and is asking God to help as he believes he is the only one that can end this mass destruction. Jack is desperate to escape his situation and can't bare to watch this fighting take place which emphasises soldiers reliance on God throughout the war. As well as this 'let' is used by Faulks to present how God is an authoritive figure and has the power to end the war. In this extract Jack appears as if he is pleading with God to help these soldiers escape these events. Also Faulks uses personification in 'let it stop.' This is used to present the war as if it were alive and needs to be stopped due to the on-going suffering and deaths it is causing.

Journeys End extract 'now look here Hibbert...i can't' pages (55-57)

Sheriff presents the mental effects of war in the extracts by emphasising Hibbert's desperation. Hibbert is pretending to be suffering from neuralgia in the hope he will be sent away from the fighting however Stanhope presents the hardship of their environment through the conditional clause, 'if you went I'd have you shot for deserting.' This is used by Sheriff to convey the consequences Hibbert would face if he attempted to leave the front line and it also illustrates how Stanhope has a lack of compassion for Hibbert's wellbeing as he ignores the suffering Hibbert is enduring. However Hibbert's poor mental state is also presented through Sherriff's usage of an exclamative in ''Go on then, shoot.' This demonstrates how Hibbert can no longer control his feelings against the war and he cannot cope with his current mental state. His drastic decision presents to the reader how Hibbert would rather be killed for deserting then go back to the front line. This conveys how soldiers were suffering due to the hardship of war as they found themselves to have no escape from their inevitable deaths as they had no opportunity to leave due to their superiors lack of consideration. This also shows how during WW1 if soldiers were not prepared to fight they were of no use in the war and their only way out was through their death.


Sheriff also illustrates the idea of coping mechanisms through the elements of belonging and friendship. Sherriff uses a rhetorical question in, 'Why didn't you tell me instead of talking about neuralgia?' This is used to show a more compassionate side to Stanhope as he is making Hibbert feel as if he can talk to him about how he is feeling and he can confide in him. As well as this Sherriff states 'we all feel like you do.' The quantifier 'all' is used by Stanhope to present the ideas that these feelings of fear and desires to leave occur within all the soldiers and they all share this hidden thought. Stanhope uses this to help Hibbert feel as if he isn't alone with his damaged mentality and that all soldiers share the same feelings. Sheriff also uses the inclusive pronoun 'we' to present the soldiers as a unit and to help Hibbert feel as if he isn't alone and he has others to help him through this experience and hardship. In addition, this pronoun usage also conveys that even superiors share these ideas and desires to leave due to the tough proximity in which they find themselves and their poor mental states. An alternative interpretation of this could be that Stanhope is only saying these things in order to stop Hibbert from leaving and to return to the front line.

Finished with the war: A soldiers declaration and The Last Meeting

Siegfried Sassoon uses assonance in 'as an act' he uses this in order to portray to the reader why he believes himself to be writing this declaration. We learn through this extract how he believes it to be right that the people back home understand how the war has changed and how there is no longer a purpose for him and the other men to be enduring this on-going suffering. As well as this, through his extensive usage of emotive language including 'I have seen and endured the suffering of the troops,' from this we learn how he believes he is the voice of the collective as he is speaking out on behalf of all the men that remain with him in the war.

The consistent usage of personal pronouns including 'I' remind the reader how he has experienced these conditions and is speaking from experience. This may come as a shock to the people back home as they have been fooled into believing the propaganda about how the war is good and this may be the first time they learn the truth behind the war from someone that has actually being involved in it. The repetition in this extract show 'suffering' to be continuous as it is repeated throughout several points in the text. This highlights to the reader how the suffering these men were enduring was on-going and continuous as there was no break from the pain in which they were  enduring.

Siegfried Sassoon also uses the adjective 'callous' in order to emphasise his belief of the war as he views it as instinctively evil as there are no winners from it. Tis adjective is used as it present's a harsh sound from the consonant 'c' and connotes to the reader the harshness and brutality of these conditions in which they were living. An alternative interpretation could be that the consonance shown through 'callous complacence' is directed towards the people back home as they don't understand how lucky they are to not be at war and he is directing this at them as he believes them to be ungrateful as they do not appreciate their position which annoys Sassoon due to the comparison with the soldiers current reality.
The Last Meeting

• 'I will go up the hill once more'- personal pronouns highlight this is first person as he is talking about his personal experiences- highlights how he believes this will be his final battle
• 'To find the face of him that I have lost'- metaphor- an alternative explanation could be that he sees this final battle as payback for the loss of his friend David Thomas
• 'Far from the earth that might not keep him long'- Imagery- either he could be hinting at him going to heaven/hell or another explanation could be that the body will be destroyed due to the on-going fighting
• 'He was old.' A simple sentence used to draw attention to this specific point as it is unusual for many old people to be in the war due to it being full of young recruits. An alternative explanation could be that his life was dragging on longer than expected. This could be due to the quote being followed by 'his days went round with the unhurrying wheel' this emphasises how his life is a long and continuous repetitive cycle 
• 'Strong, grizzled men' These adjectives could be used to imply the differences in the soldiers when they return from war in comparison to their earlier personalities
• Enjambment is used throughout the poem to show there was few breaks in the war as it was continuous
• 'I heard the treble cries of bursting life' - This metaphor is used to present the slaughter that was the deaths during the war
• 'But he will loom above me like a tree'  - simile- he will be in heaven but Sassoon believes he will be watching over him individually
• 'Quick shattering war leapt upon France and called her men to fight' - used to emphasise how quick the outbreak of war was as people were forced into going to war immediately and left their lives behind
• 'Crunching'- onomatopoeia
• 'An owl flew out from under the high eaves to vanish secretly among the firs.' - Imagery to present how quickly the men left their jobs and home lives to enter the war without a second thought. The adverb 'secretly' could be an alternative interpretation for the men going to war as they might not have told their families
• 'But now they slept; I was afraid to speak' - semi colon is used to separate the deaths and how they later lead to fear against the other troops
• 'I called him, once; then listened: nothing mixed:' repetitive usage of colons to give pauses in the sentence and to show Sassoon's uneasiness as he didn't want to admit his friend had died
• ' I sought the woods that I had known'- past tense- could be used to indicate shock as he looks for an escape
• 'He was beside me now'- friend is a ghost and he believes him to stay with him
• 'My body is the magic of the world' - metaphor
• 'The innocence that strives me'- imagery of the naivety of the soldiers due to their ages
• 'Gathers naked children to her knees'- metaphor for the war as it attracts the young 'children' to join up due to their innocence and naivety. 'naked is used' to imply how they are vulnerable and have nothing to protect them
• ' I Triumph in the choruses of birds'- happy to be involved fighting for his friends and county
• 'I know that he is lost amongst the stars' - metaphor as his friend is only one of many fallen soldiers
• 'can win no meaning from the talk of birds- - could be used to imply there is no purpose of the war
• 'And youth that dying, touched my lips so strong' - imagery- deaths made him fully understand the reality of war and how the young boys are suffering catastrophically

WW1 Diary of A W Miller

This extract is the diary of a solider which is important as it shows their first hand experience of the on-going suffering and traumatic situations in which they were continuing to endure. 'This has been a day of violence and death.' This simple sentence is the opening line of the extract and is used to present the writer's first thought of the events which had only previously occurred. This is important as when writing a diary people commonly sum up their overall message in the first line and this shows the day in which this was wrote was one of mass destruction and devastation. 'we took up our position...' These 2nd person pronouns are used to highlight how he viewed his fellow soldiers to be a unit as they were all in this same situation together and despite the horrific brutality they were living amongst they continued to battle through as a team. ' The Germans had put up a terrific counter barrage and I was caught in the open.' The usage of personal pronouns in this show the soldiers first hand experience of this horrendous experience. This connotes to the reader how alone these men felt and how vulnerable they were to attack at all times. As well as this it shows when they are alone nobody can save them but themselves, it also indicates how the opposing teams were always ready to attack despite your current disadvantage. The amount of events included within this small extract is important due to the date it was written on 29th September 1918 as this was only 6 weeks before the end of the war and the armistice was signed. Throughout the extract an underlying message of the difference between the soldiers current situation and reality in which they live at home is portrayed. 'Muttering half a forgotten prayer.' The word 'forgotten' could be used to explain how these men have become so accustomed to life in the war they have forgotten normal things that would occur at home including praying. Although, an alternative interpretation could be the word 'forgotten' indicates how this could be implying how this soldier has lost his faith whilst in the war due to the on-going deaths and trauma he has faced, but has decided to return to God for help in what he believes could be his final moments.