War Experience, By Siegfried Sassoon And The Song Hero Of...

There have been many ways authors have addressed the theme of war in literary texts. Some texts that attempt to represent war are patriotic or nationalistic. Others will focus on courage and sacrifice, and some might even be critical of governments that commit to wars or be sympathetic to the people involved in them. The authors values and beliefs are underlined in every text no matter how war is being portrayed. It is necessary to explore the author to see what has shaped these values and beliefs so the text can be analysed and evaluated effectively. Two texts that portray such things are the poem, ‘Repression of War Experience’ by Siegfried Sassoon and the song ‘Hero of War’ written by Tim Mcllrath. The values and beliefs of the†¦show more content†¦As the poem progresses the reader develops a sense of connection with the soldier and identifies with the challenges they face trying not to think of war. It starts off by the character getting distrac ted by a moth and refers to it all through the poem. But quickly after describing the moth as a â€Å"liquid flame,† he rethinks and remembers â€Å"it’s bad to think about war.† The moth is used as a distraction for the character and keeps pulling his focus to different things. He relieves himself by lighting a pipe and trying to think of rain but then questioned â€Å"why won’t it rain?† This line is a way of expressing the fact that he wants the world to be cleaner and prettier and creates imagery for the reader. Then he thinks of books and tries to get himself to read one but instead he tells himself, â€Å"yet you sit and gnaw your nails, and let your pipe out, and listen to the silence: on the ceiling.† the moth then draws his attention outside and he imagines ghost out in the garden, â€Å"old men with ugly souls,† is what he sees. But tries to redirect himself to the fact that he is safe at home, although he can still hear g un sounds in his head and describes himself as â€Å"going crazy,† and â€Å"going stark, staring mad because of the guns.† Sassoon right through the entire poem effectively conveys