Siegfried Sassoon was a British poet and soldier who is best known for his works that were critical of the First World War. One of his most famous poems is "The Glory of Women," in which Sassoon reflects on the role of women in society and the ways in which they are often reduced to mere objects of beauty and desire.
In "The Glory of Women," Sassoon paints a bleak picture of the expectations placed on women. He writes, "You love us when we're heroes, home on leave, / Or wounded in a mentionable place." The poem suggests that women are only valued when men are able to showcase their masculinity and bravery, and that they are only seen as worthy of love and attention when they are able to fulfill certain societal roles.
Sassoon also highlights the ways in which women are objectified and sexualized, writing, "You worship decorations; you believe / That chivalry redeems the war's disgrace." Here, Sassoon suggests that women are drawn to men who are decorated for their military service, and that they see these decorations as a sign of a man's worth. He also implies that women are willing to overlook the horrors of war because they believe that chivalry can redeem it.
In addition to critiquing the societal expectations placed on women, Sassoon also reflects on the ways in which women are often denied agency and autonomy. He writes, "You have defined a good wife, and a good mother; / A good wife is one who is always there, / And a good mother's one who does not bother." Here, Sassoon suggests that women are expected to be constantly available and to prioritize the needs of others over their own desires.
Overall, "The Glory of Women" is a powerful and thought-provoking poem that challenges the traditional roles and expectations placed on women in society. Sassoon's critique is still relevant today, as many women continue to face pressure to conform to certain roles and to prioritize the needs of others over their own.
Glory of Women by Siegfried Sassoon
You worship decorations; you believe? If they stayed, they were still heroes, warriors, and victims. Through this reference, the poet is not going against Germany, but just exposing the horrors of war. The use of irony in this poem exposes the gap between what the women think of the soldiers and what the soldiers actually are. For example, there are two personifications. Sassoon speaks straight to the readers by composing in 2nd individual You. There is a period in the middle of the line, which is strange, but does persuade an emphatic effect because the line is so terse and abrupt. In sestet, the poet informs women of what they had never understood of: that war itself is not about honor and glory; pain, loss, and death are the ultimate result of war.
Siegfried Sassoon's Glory Of Women
Treading the awful cadavers — blind with blood. But in the sestet, the previous idea of glory is opposed by the use of words like retire, dead, hell, horror, breaks, trampling, terrible corpses, blind with blood, fire etc. There is also, unconventionally, an even more pronounced turn that occurs in the final three lines, as the shocking ending turns from British women to the German mother. By emphasizing certain words as being related, Sassoon forces associations between words in order to further demonstrate his negative feelings toward the women of World War I. This imagination shows the ignorance and how much cognition and experience adult females have about the truth of war. His face is trodden deeper in the clay. The irony is in the title what they think to be a glory is in fact an illusion.
Glory of Women (Siegfried Sassoon)
You listen with delight, 5 By tales of dirt and danger fondly thrilled. Women were stereotyped to perform traditional tasks such as nursing, selling war bonds, munitions and factory working, which however changed. Then, the soldier is interrupted and forced to go fight and eventually die. You can't believe that British troops 'retire' When hell's last horror breaks them, and they run, Trampling the terrible corpses--blind with blood. Sassoon actually speaking what the reality of the war actually was is an act of a hero. They were discredited, such as their help during the first Great War and described unfavorably by men in literature and even some women in society. This imagination is besides a contrast of adult females and work forces functions during The Great War.
