Poem PEED PDF - EAL Nexus

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Base Details
Poem PEED
Subject:
English
Age groups:
12–14, 15–16
Topic:
World War I: Poetry
Licence information | This resource is free to use for educational purposes. ©British Council 2014
Source | This resource was originally developed by Nerissa Lea and has been adapted by EAL
Nexus.
Base Details
by Siegfried Sassoon
If I were fierce, and bald, and short of breath,
I’d live with scarlet majors at the Base.
And speed glum heroes up the line to death.
You’d see me with my puffy petulant face,
Guzzling and gulping in the best hotel.
Reading the Roll of Honour ‘Poor young chap,’
I’d say – ‘I used to know his father well;
Yes we’ve lost heavily in this last scrap’
And when the war is done and youth stone dead;
I’d toddle safely home and die – in bed.
©British Council 2014
Poem analysis (PEED)
Point
Evidence (quote)
Explain and Develop
The poet is one of
‘If I
Sassoon uses the
the soldiers and
were
second conditional and
describes the
fierce,
the ‘rule of three’ to
majors as unfit
and bald, and
make fun and
due to their
short of breath,’
stereotype the majors’
lifestyle.
appearance.
‘I’d live with
scarlet
majors
at the
Base.’
‘And
speed
glum
heroes
up the line to
death.’
‘You’d see me with
my puffy petulant
face,’
©British Council 2014
Point
Evidence (quote)
Explain and Develop
‘Guzzling and
gulping in the best
hotel.’
‘Reading
the Roll
of
Honour. “Poor
young chap,” ’
‘I’d say – “I used
to know his father
well;’
‘Yes we’ve lost
heavily in this last
scrap” ’
©British Council 2014
Point
Evidence (quote)
Explain and Develop
‘And
when
the war is done
and youth stone
dead,’
‘I’d toddle safely
home and die – in
bed.’
©British Council 2014
Poem analysis (PEED) – examples and suggestions
Point
Evidence (quote)
Explain and Develop
The poet is one of
‘If I
Sassoon uses the second
the soldiers and
were
conditional and the ‘rule
describes the
fierce,
of three’ to make fun and
majors as unfit
and bald, and short stereotype the majors’
due to their
of breath,’
appearance.
lifestyle.
The majors do not
Base has two meanings in
live with the
the poem: the
soldiers on the
headquarters where the
frontline.
‘I’d live with
majors live their high
scarlet majors at
life, and the basic, poorer
the Base.’
conditions where the
soldiers are. Scarlet
could mean the colour of
the majors’ uniforms,
but it is more likely that
Sassoon means he would
be red in the face from
drinking too much alcohol
if he were a major and
lived the high life at
base. Sassoon also
suggests that the majors
are not with their men
fighting; they are letting
them die.
©British Council 2014
Point
Evidence (quote)
Explain and Develop
When soldiers
Those in charge make
die, others
decisions to send soldiers
replaced them.
to the frontline without a
second thought. Sassoon
‘And speed glum
heroes up the line
to death.’
uses an oxymoron, but
also sarcastically, to say
that soldiers should be
‘heroes’ for fighting but
‘glum’ because the men
know their fate due to
lack of leadership from
their majors.
The majors are
The alliteration shows
angry because
anger because of the
they are losing.
plosive ‘p’ sound when the
‘You’d see me with
words are read out loud.
my puffy petulant
The poet also suggests
face,’
that the majors are
unfit; the onomatopoeia
‘puffy’ means fat faces
with attitude, like spoilt
children.
©British Council 2014
Point
Evidence (quote)
Explain and Develop
The living
‘Guzzling Here both alliteration
conditions of the
and
and onomatopoeia are
soldiers and the
gulping
used to describe the
majors are very
in the best hotel.’
different.
majors eating and
drinking like animals, at
places that are much
better than their
soldiers.
The majors do not
Sassoon uses sarcasm to
really care about
illustrate that the majors
the men who have
show no genuine concerns.
lost their lives.
‘Reading the Roll of
Honour. “Poor
young chap,’’ ’
All they can say is they
knew the dead men’s
fathers and that they
‘I’d say –“I used to
need to replace the lost
know his father
men.
well;’
‘Yes we’ve lost
heavily in this last
scrap” ’
Sassoon shows his
Those who lived a
anger in this
comfortable life during
poem, on how lives
battle could go home and
can be so
‘And when the war
different for men is done and youth
stone dead;’
serving the same
die safely in bed,
presumably at a ripe old
age, while the soldiers
©British Council 2014
Point
Evidence (quote)
country.
Explain and Develop
they were in charge of
had all died young. A
metaphor is used to
‘I’d toddle safely
describe the dead. The
home and die – in
poet uses ‘toddle’ again to
bed.’
mock the majors as
‘childlike’.
©British Council 2014