Learning and Writing
  • Blog
  • Services
  • Contact Us
  • Irlen Syndrome

Brief analysis of Siegfried Sassoon's 'Does it Matter?'

9/8/2013

19 Comments

 
Click 'read more' for a brief analysis of Siegfried Sassoon's 'Does it Matter?', which is often studied by students as part of a unit on war of as Close Study of Text. It makes a great related text for anyone studying Wilfred Owen, and it is excellent for English-minded people who are trying to wrap their minds around the physical and psychological effects of WWI on soldiers. If you are the latter, I thoroughly recommend you read Wilfred Owen's poetry, too. Please keep in mind that there is more to this poem - make sure you analyse it in detail yourself if you have an assignment due.

The poem ‘Does it Matter?’ emphasises the lasting physical and psychological effects of war on soldiers in order to challenge society’s propaganda-fuelled view that war was glorious. The title and the repetition of this rhetorical question emphasises the pointlessness of war while leading the responder to question their own attitudes about war. The combination of rhetorical questioning and direct address in the line “does it matter?- losing your legs?” further supports this purpose by shocking the reader and forcing them to confront the horrific outcomes of war.  The reader is forced to turn their attention away from the glory of war to the very real consequences of war – in particular, physical disability. The effects of disability are explored throughout the poem through the use of irony in the repetition of “people will always be kind,” which creates a sense of helplessness that contrasts dramatically/powerfully with the glorious image of the strong soldier presented by the propaganda of the time. 

            Physical disability is further emphasised through the representation of the soldier’s blindness, which is initially introduced by the rhetorical question “Does it matter? – losing your sight?”. This question is followed by the ironic statement “There’s such splendid work for the blind,” which confronts the reader by mimicking and ridiculing society’s ignorance of the psychological effects of becoming disabled. This creates a tone of outrage and evokes an empathetic response from the reader. It also leads the reader to question their own attitudes towards disabled veterans and towards the war itself. The juxtaposition between “blind” and “light” in the poem further emphasises the effects of disability.  Thought the idea of “turning your face to the light” is symbolic of hope – as this reflects the life warmth of the sun – this is juxtaposed with the suggested darkness of “the pit.” As such, the reader gains the impression that even though this man is alive and therefore has some hope of living a good life, he is also limited by his disability and his memories of the war: “you sit on the terrace remembering… dreams in the pit…” This reveals that no matter how far he may be from war, he is constantly haunted by the experience. The audience is confronted here with the lasting psychological effects of war, which contributes to Sassoon’s overall purpose, which is to challenge society’s perceptions of the glorious nature of war. Instead, the reader is forced to engage with the soldier’s ongoing struggle, and his need to escape his memories: “you can drink and forget.” 

19 Comments
Kimy
5/7/2014 01:36:36 am

Thnx. Exactly wat I required

Reply
Elissa link
10/15/2015 10:09:45 pm

I'm glad you found it useful :) More analyses coming up during the Christmas holidays, so keep posted and feel free to make any suggestions!
- Elissa (primary contributer to the LearningandWriting blog)

Reply
Amy
10/15/2015 11:26:08 am

Amazing review. Thanks very much!

Reply
Elissa link
10/15/2015 10:11:45 pm

You're most welcome :) I'm glad you liked it.


- Elissa

Reply
hasn
5/26/2016 02:23:04 pm

good

Elissa link
5/26/2016 08:40:05 pm

Thanks :)

Reply
Breanna
6/21/2016 04:49:20 am

Awesome review! Gave me exactly what I needed for a speech I'm preparing

Reply
Elissa link
7/20/2016 09:40:31 pm

Great! Glad I could help. Good luck, and let us know if there are any other topics we can write about that may help you in future :)

Reply
Sumit
7/20/2016 02:17:29 am

It is very helpful and provides with different insights to look at the poem.

Reply
Elissa link
7/20/2016 09:41:11 pm

Thanks Sumit :) I'm gllad you liked it.

Reply
Narmda
7/22/2016 03:25:29 am

thanks a lot and I did my homework well using this text...

Reply
Elissa link
7/23/2016 06:49:19 pm

I'm glad, Narmda :)
Good luck with the rest of your studies.

Reply
Hermit link
11/21/2016 03:35:14 pm

This is fabulous. Made my day

Reply
Elissa
12/4/2016 11:48:12 pm

:) I'm glad! I hope some of our future reviews will be interesing to you as well :)

Reply
ak8c
11/28/2016 06:52:55 am

thnks so much, absolutely perfects!

Reply
Eve link
12/4/2016 04:54:56 am

helped me so much with homework

Reply
Elissa
12/4/2016 11:48:44 pm

Exactly what I was hoping for, Eve. I'm glad it was useful :)

Reply
brayden jenkins
6/15/2017 12:10:25 am

I am trying to do an assessment for school and I am really trying to find the prober meaning behind the poem

Reply
Ark player link
7/30/2017 04:44:17 pm

Very good poem review. They have clearly stated which ark dino is best. i really like it. do dome more pls?

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Our primary contributor is Elissa, who is a qualified high school teacher and Irlen Screener.

    To follow Elissa on twitter use the handle: @msmillresources

    RSS Feed

    Fund Literacy, Care for the Environment

    Archives

    November 2016
    October 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    June 2015
    December 2014
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    April 2012

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Blog
  • Services
  • Contact Us
  • Irlen Syndrome