2_elejarza_yvette

Yvette Elejarza

English Literature

May 1, 2001

An Escape from Reality

Siegfried Sassoon is an English poet who participated in World War I. He observed many cruel events during the war. Trenches the soldiers lived in were dirty, muddy, and often smelly because of the dead bodies that lied in them. After being wounded, Sassoon was sent home and was to return after healing. In time, he became disgusted with and objected to the war. Sassoon expresses pity for soldiers in his war poem "Dreamers." He explains how they would dream to escape reality. Sassoon's style of writing was not of an angry or fierce tone that would have been expected of war poetry. Instead, his war poems, such as "Dreamers," were presented in a smooth and mellow tone of voice. Sassoon's war poems may not have received the approval of many in his time, but they definitely deserve to be examined and paid closer attention to.

"Dreamers" uses short and forceful words in a smooth way to express the how soldiers felt during the war. Sassoon was an observer and paid careful attention to conversations. As writer Arthur E. Lane states, "Sassoon described the war as it was, and not as dreamers would have had it" (285). Sassoon's writing enables one to visualize the evil and injustice soldiers often experience: "I see them in foul dug-outs, gnawed by rats, And in the ruined trenches, lashed with rain (9, 10). His need for exactness leads him to observe and inspect everything he saw during the war. As Sassoon is writing "Dreamers," he imaginatively returns to the combat scene and takes the reader along with him. Sassoon's vividness of trenches and dugouts allows the reader to create in the mind the particular place where soldiers are either dead or in a daze: soldiers so far gone in a dream that they are unaware of what is happening around them. Dreaming was their escape.

The soldiers dream to flee reality. They dream to keep from thinking about the bad things around them. Psychologist, David G. Myers states that "dreams release tension and may also substitute for impulsive behavior" (171, 172). Soldiers were exposed to conditions of extreme stress. Instead of going crazy or maybe committing suicide, they would dream. The soldiers dream of their childhood years: "Dreaming of things they did with balls and bats" (11). They also dream about their families while in the trenches: "when the guns begin they think of fire lit homes, clean beds, and wives" (7, 8). The soldiers are not thinking so much of fighting to win. Instead, they fight to get out alive, so they can live an ordinary life they were used to. Although the soldiers find themselves being deceived by their thoughts, "And mocked by hopeless longing to regain Bank-holidays, and picture shows, and spats, and going to the office in the train," they continue to dream to satisfy their desire of returning home.

According to Myers, "dreams are so vivid we may confuse them with reality" (181). Dreaming about fun times as a child and normal everyday life was a perfect escape for the soldiers who did not know whether they were going to live another day. Dreaming relieved stress and tension the soldiers experienced during the war. It may have also prevented the soldiers from releasing anger towards one another. One must keep in mind the conditions in which the soldiers lived. Imagine an average day at home watching T.V., eating a hot meal, taking a warm shower, and sleeping in a comfortable bed. Now compare that day to one of a soldier in the trench. What they watched were other soldiers dying. Their meals were cold and they went weeks before being able to take a shower. As for sleeping comfortably, a soldier's dead body may have provided that comfort. The life of a soldier in combat is not enjoyable, and the way of freeing themselves from the unpleasant situation is to dream. Sassoon's war poem "Dreamers" is definitely a poem that represents the true feelings of soldiers in the trenches and dugouts.

Sources Cited

Lane, E. Arthur. "Dreamers." Poetry Criticism. Ed. Jane K. Kosek. Vol. 12.

Detroit: Gale, 1972. 284-286.

Myers, G. David. Exploring Psychology. New York: Worth, 1999.

Sassoon, Siegfried. "Dreamers." 26 Feb. 2001

<http://www.bartleby.com/103/143.html>.









			Yvette Elejarza English Literature May 1, 2001 An Escape from Reality Siegfried Sassoon is an English poet who participated in World War I. He observed many cruel events during the war. Trenches the soldiers lived in were dirty, muddy, and often smelly because of the dead bodies that lied in them. After being wounded, Sassoon was sent home and was to return after healing. In time, he became disgusted with and objected to the war. Sassoon expresses pity for soldiers in his war poem "Dreamers." He explains how they would dream to escape reality. Sassoon's style of writing was not of an angry or fierce tone that would have been expected of war poetry. Instead, his war poems, such as "Dreamers," were presented in a smooth and mellow tone of voice. Sassoon's war poems may not have received the approval of many in his time, but they definitely deserve to be examined and paid closer attention to. "Dreamers" uses short and forceful words in a smooth way to express the how soldiers felt during the war. Sassoon was an observer and paid careful attention to conversations. As writer Arthur E. Lane states, "Sassoon described the war as it was, and not as dreamers would have had it" (285). Sassoon's writing enables one to visualize the evil and injustice soldiers often experience: "I see them in foul dug-outs, gnawed by rats, And in the ruined trenches, lashed with rain (9, 10). His need for exactness leads him to observe and inspect everything he saw during the war. As Sassoon is writing "Dreamers," he imaginatively returns to the combat scene and takes the reader along with him. Sassoon's vividness of trenches and dugouts allows the reader to create in the mind the particular place where soldiers are either dead or in a daze: soldiers so far gone in a dream that they are unaware of what is happening around them. Dreaming was their escape. The soldiers dream to flee reality. They dream to keep from thinking about the bad things around them. Psychologist, David G. Myers states that "dreams release tension and may also substitute for impulsive behavior" (171, 172). Soldiers were exposed to conditions of extreme stress. Instead of going crazy or maybe committing suicide, they would dream. The soldiers dream of their childhood years: "Dreaming of things they did with balls and bats" (11). They also dream about their families while in the trenches: "when the guns begin they think of fire lit homes, clean beds, and wives" (7, 8). The soldiers are not thinking so much of fighting to win. Instead, they fight to get out alive, so they can live an ordinary life they were used to. Although the soldiers find themselves being deceived by their thoughts, "And mocked by hopeless longing to regain Bank-holidays, and picture shows, and spats, and going to the office in the train," they continue to dream to satisfy their desire of returning home. According to Myers, "dreams are so vivid we may confuse them with reality" (181). Dreaming about fun times as a child and normal everyday life was a perfect escape for the soldiers who did not know whether they were going to live another day. Dreaming relieved stress and tension the soldiers experienced during the war. It may have also prevented the soldiers from releasing anger towards one another. One must keep in mind the conditions in which the soldiers lived. Imagine an average day at home watching T.V., eating a hot meal, taking a warm shower, and sleeping in a comfortable bed. Now compare that day to one of a soldier in the trench. What they watched were other soldiers dying. Their meals were cold and they went weeks before being able to take a shower. As for sleeping comfortably, a soldier's dead body may have provided that comfort. The life of a soldier in combat is not enjoyable, and the way of freeing themselves from the unpleasant situation is to dream. Sassoon's war poem "Dreamers" is definitely a poem that represents the true feelings of soldiers in the trenches and dugouts. Sources Cited Lane, E. Arthur. "Dreamers." Poetry Criticism. Ed. Jane K. Kosek. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale, 1972. 284-286. Myers, G. David. Exploring Psychology. New York: Worth, 1999. Sassoon, Siegfried. "Dreamers." 26 Feb. 2001 <http://www.bartleby.com/103/143.html>.