Speaker and characters

Apart from the speaker, two important characters stand out in the poem “Does It Matter?” by Siegfried Sassoon – the soldier (or the three different soldiers) and the collective character of the outsiders (which are, in fact, the members of society who have not fought in the war).

The speaker

The speaker, or the lyrical I, of the poem uses rhetorical sarcasm to speak on behalf of the soldier and ask rhetorical questions about the consequences of losing legs, sight or dreams in the war. As Siegfried Sassoon wrote about war and was involved in World War I himself, we can say that the speaker might be a persona of the poet himself. Speaking on behalf of the soldier, the speaker shows his sadness and bitterness upon seeing how they are treated once they are back home. For example, “And you need not show that you mind” (l. 3) or “There's such splendid work for the blind;” (l. 7) are markers of irony showing the soldiers are victims of both war and society.

The soldier

The soldier is definitely se...