Perspectives

Historical period

The author of the poem “The Hero”, Siegfried Sassoon, is considered one of the leading poets of the First World War. Sassoon served on the Western Front and was even decorated for bravery. His acts of bravery were sometimes so extreme, that they were described as suicidal, earning him the nickname “Mad Jack”. As a company commander, he was ruthless and efficient. 

The poem “The Hero” was written in 1917, when Sassoon was wounded and sent back to England. Most of his anti-war poetry was written while he was in hospital, recovering from his injuries. By then, Sassoon firmly believed that the war was deliberately prolonged by the people in power who could just as easily end it.

After recovering from his illness, Sassoon refused to return to the front, making his opposition to war clearly known by a public letter entitled “...