"Base Details" by Siegfried Sassoon

The poem "Base Details" by Siegfried Sassoon uses several literary devices that include but are not limited to diction, irony, diction, and point of view. In this blog post I will be focusing on the authors use of point of view to convey the speaker's attitude. The author writes this poem in first person point of view meaning he is telling a story and is a character in the story as well. Throughout the poem he compares himself to a major by saying if he was one, this is how he would act or this is what he would say. Through this we get to see the truths of what being a major really implies. The beginning of “Base Details” starts off with, “If I were fierce, and bald and short of breath, I’d live with scarlet majors on the base (lines 1 and 2).” He is saying if he were a major he would be bald, fierce, and short of breath. Based on the next line he would also have blood on his hands along with the other majors he would be living with if he were one. With the aid of diction and imagery the author plays off of the stereotype of what a major would look like and where they would live. As the poem continues the next lines read, “And speed glum heroes up to the line to death (line 3).” The majors are the ones who have the power to command a soldier to fight in the line. But what Sassoon is saying is they speed up their time of death by putting them on the fighting line. This shows the power of the major when it comes to a soldier’s life and death. Next he says,” You’d see me with my puffy petulant face… (line 4).” For those who do not know petulant means childishly sulky or bad tempered. Again he is describing another trait of a major. They have puffy faces and are bad tempered. If Sassoon was a major, he would have the same face. In addition, he would also be, “Guzzling and gulping in the best hotel (line 5).” The majors are quickening their men to death while they enjoy the luxuries of eating and drinking in the best hotels. Not only do they have the power of putting men to death but they are also extremely wealthy because they can afford to reside in these hotels. “Reading the Roll of Honour. ”Poor young chap”, I’d say- “I used to know his father well; Yes we’ve lost heavily in this last scrap” (line 6-8).” The Roll of Honour is a list of people whose death or achievements are honored or have died in the battle. In this scenario they people who are now dead are the men of the majors who gave them the order to fight in the line. Normally when someone dies one becomes sad or at least shows that they care about what happened. Even though the majors are partly responsible for the tragedy all they say is poor thing I used to know his father. It is clear that majors do not care about the death of their soldiers. Sassoon in these lines is showing when men who fight in war die, this is how he would react if he were a major. The poem ends with “And when the war is done and the youth stone dead, I’d toddle safely home and die- in bed (line 9 and 10).” As the youth lie dead, the majors go home safely and rather than dying alongside their men on the battlefield they die in bed. Using first person point of view shows the speakers true thoughts about majors. He does not want to be like them. He sets up the poem writing as someone who if they were a major to highlight how corrupt they are. They put their men up to die and when they die they do not care. All that they care about is having power and money. They have the power to dictate a soldier’s life in terms of life and death and they eat and drink in the best hotels.