Analysis

The analysis of the poem "The Hero” by Siegfried Sassoon shows that its outer composition is simple and straightforward. The overall tone is somber and solemn. The structure of the poem, however, resembles a narrative with its own plot. The last stanza overthrows the expectations created in the first two stanzas, contradicting what the reader knows so far.

The speaker of the poem is the officer. The poem is written in the third-person, and it is used to express the poet's thoughts regarding war.

The setting of the poem is at the mother's house. After the officer leaves the house he thinks about the battlefield, especially the place where a mine exploded making Jack lose his courage. In this way, the battlefield becomes an important part of the physical setting. .

The language is simple and straightforward. The message is expressed with the use of irony, antithesis and other poetic devices.

You can read a more detailed analysis in the following pages.