The Common Theme Of Tragedy
All soldiers endure traumatic experiences that have a similar effect on them for the rest of their lives. The themes of horrors of war and how the young soldiers lives are changed for the worse are both prevalent in both Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front and Sassoon’s “Suicide in the Trenches.” The soldiers lost their youth while away in the trenches. While both Remarque and Sassoon exemplify the horrors of war and the theme of the lost generation, Sassoon explores the idea of nationalism more dramatically, making it a more grim portrayal of war.
Like All Quiet on the Western front, the soldiers in "Suicide in the Trenches" endure similar emotional pain while fighting because of the horrors they witness. Sassoon’s poem tells the story of a young soldier who commits suicide while serving in the war. In Remarque’s story, the soldiers are forced to witness countless horrors, such as men dying unusual deaths and experiencing uncomfortable living situations. In Suicide in the Trenches, the soldier who is described as being “cowed and glum” after being in the frigid winter trenches …show more content…
The soldier’s life and happiness in “Suicide in the Trenches” is slowly taken from him as the war goes on. The poem starts with him being someone who “grinned at life in empty joy” (Sassoon). As the poem continues into the frigid winter months, the mood changes and the soldier catches lice and a lack of rum which was used to calm nerves. He decides to shoot himself because his youth was stolen from him. In All Quiet on the Western Front, the trenches have also taken away the men’s youth. Paul describes them as being “forlorn like children, and experienced like old men...sorrowful and superficial” (Remarque 123). As time goes by on the trenches, Paul and the men lose more and more hope, and become lost. Similar to “Suicide in the Trenches,” the mood changes as the story
All soldiers endure traumatic experiences that have a similar effect on them for the rest of their lives. The themes of horrors of war and how the young soldiers lives are changed for the worse are both prevalent in both Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front and Sassoon’s “Suicide in the Trenches.” The soldiers lost their youth while away in the trenches. While both Remarque and Sassoon exemplify the horrors of war and the theme of the lost generation, Sassoon explores the idea of nationalism more dramatically, making it a more grim portrayal of war.
Like All Quiet on the Western front, the soldiers in "Suicide in the Trenches" endure similar emotional pain while fighting because of the horrors they witness. Sassoon’s poem tells the story of a young soldier who commits suicide while serving in the war. In Remarque’s story, the soldiers are forced to witness countless horrors, such as men dying unusual deaths and experiencing uncomfortable living situations. In Suicide in the Trenches, the soldier who is described as being “cowed and glum” after being in the frigid winter trenches …show more content…
The soldier’s life and happiness in “Suicide in the Trenches” is slowly taken from him as the war goes on. The poem starts with him being someone who “grinned at life in empty joy” (Sassoon). As the poem continues into the frigid winter months, the mood changes and the soldier catches lice and a lack of rum which was used to calm nerves. He decides to shoot himself because his youth was stolen from him. In All Quiet on the Western Front, the trenches have also taken away the men’s youth. Paul describes them as being “forlorn like children, and experienced like old men...sorrowful and superficial” (Remarque 123). As time goes by on the trenches, Paul and the men lose more and more hope, and become lost. Similar to “Suicide in the Trenches,” the mood changes as the story