There was a certain point in my life where I came up with the great idea of writing poems! I was really excited, always jotting down ideas out of anything really, it made very happy and I thought then, that I could make something out of it (to be honest, I thought I was going to be famous haha... But maybe I will, who knows?). As time goes by though, I'm realizing that poems are big deals, that behind every one of them a lesson is taught, a new feeling is emerged; and I somehow find that soothing.
Poems can be hard to understand at times (yes! They can be complicated, but if we choose to ignore the structures or poetic devices used within the poems, we will never understand what the authors are trying to convey and we might then hate poetry itself!). In the poem Base Details written by Siegfried Sassoon, the author uses different poetic devices such as visual imagery, sarcasm maybe and others. However, one of the devices I would like to focus on is allegory. This literary device is quite new to me, and might be to you as well so let me shed some light!
Allegory is used through either a picture or poem to demonstrate a hidden meaning. Through allegory, Sassoon talks about the unfairness towards the soldiers who were less experienced or did not possess great titles or any characteristics of a great soldier. He used allegory from the very first line to the last “...I'd live with Majors at the Base, and speed glum heroes up to the line to death.(2)” Sassoon described the privileged majors as wealthy men who cared little about the unprivileged ones, and their lives which is the reason why they were to stand in the front line. The author then continues to describe the Majors as men who later after a fight meet to read the list of the dead young soldiers commenting “poor young chap...we've lost heavily in this last scrap” at the mention of their names, as if they were unaware of their wrongdoing. In his poem, Sassoon brings awareness to the young soldiers who sacrifice their lives, and taken for granted by the Majors who stand far from to front line and “toddle safely home and die - in bed. (10)” while the less fortunate lose their lives fighting, the privileged soldiers go home, continue living a pleasant life and putting the others who did not make it far from their minds, after all they did not matter much. Their deaths induced a chance for them to live.
I believe this poem gave me a great understanding of an allegory work, I was able to understand clearly what the author was trying to convey from his work which is how people at times take advantage of others whom they believe are below them. Without taking the time to know them or without caring about their battles, the takers rest assured while the unprivileged ones lose what matters to them if not themselves (their lives).
