A Soldier's Declaration commentary

Beginning with a strong opening sentence, Sassoon immediately makes it clear that he is frustrated and perhaps a bit angry at the government, which Sassoon accuses of prolonging the war for “evil and unjust” reasons despite having “the power to end it”. He calls his declaration a “willful defiance of military authority”, which is insubordination, I believe that his cause is worthy and justifies the breach of discipline as soldiers are being sacrificed daily battlefields needlessly, especially when a peace treaty or ceasefire can easily be brokered between the warring nations.

Sassoon claims that he represents his fellow soldiers in his declaration, and believes that the objective of the war should have been set in stone at the beginning and cannot be changed as he feels that the purpose of the war has changed since the start – the war which was supposed to be a war of “defense and liberation” became a war of “aggression and conquest”, which means that the soldiers are now fighting a war they did not sign up for, and dying for it. Moreover, he thinks that peace can be negotiated with Germany as France had been recaptured by the Allies by 1917 and the warring factions would want to find a way to withdraw troops without surrender or retreat, but merely call it a draw.

Sassoon aims to eradicate the “callous complacence” of the general public with his declaration as he feels that they are ignorant of the fact that war is a terrible thing, and they do not share the soldiers’ horrifying experience of war nor do they have “sufficient imagination” to realize the atrocities of war the soldiers’ face everyday so they cannot understand how big a role they are playing by allowing the war to continue.

Sassoon's Declaration

Sassoon’s declaration is bold and defies the beliefs of political leaders of England at the time. The statement is written in first person, which makes it the more personal and confronting. The title of the declaration, ‘Finished with the war’, is extremely concise and makes one want to understand the reasoning behind such a powerful proclamation. Moreover, the title is immediately supported by evidence within the first line. Sassoon suggests that those who had the power to end the war were intentionally prolonging it. Blaming ‘super-powers’ in a declaration portrays the valiant character that Sassoon is and the extent he will go to share such confronting views. He continues by stressing how the war has changed. He says he entered the war trusting that he was defending and liberating, but he questions his role in the war, by saying it has become or always been a war of aggression and conquest.

Sassoon states he has endured and seen the tremendous suffering of troops, however its evident he has suffered much more. He has obviously has been scarred by the horror and consequences of war. Not only has he witnessed loss and suffering but saw the pointlessness of this act, as he states ‘fighting men are being sacrificed’ for political errors and insincerities. This particular quote defiantly challenges the role of soldiers in war. As a society we are lead to believe soldiers are heroes but they are never spoken of as sacrifices for political mistakes. This maybe because the statement is uncalled for, or it maybe because society chooses to ignore and overlook this, as soldiers have been so glorified we couldn’t bear to imagine them as only a surrender. Sassoon uses the term ‘we’ relentlessly throughout the declaration. This makes one wonder whether his declaration did correspond to the majority of the soldier’s thoughts of war, or if he was misusing the term to emphasize his own opinion. The experiences Sassoon provided, as evidence would most likely correlate with the soldiers, as they fought, lived and breathed on the same soil. When Sassoon mentions the impact of ‘agonies’ for those at home, it reinforces the horror of war. This declaration is cry for help because it speaks from the heart and is written with honesty.

A Soldiers Declaration

This is a very moving extract as we learn about S. Sassoon's personal views on the war against Germany in 1917 and i admire his courage to run against the rest of the army to help his fellow soldiers.

We learn that Sassoon is unhappy with the way that the war is turning out and is angered by the authorities continued persistence for unnecessary violence: "The war is being deliberately prolonged by those who have the power to end it." This can be seen as selfish but as we read on we learn that Sassoon is not concerned with his own welfare but of that of others. Sassoon also expresses how he believes the reasons for war have changed recently: "for ends which I believe to be evil and unjust." We as readers can understand how guilty Sassoon must be feeling because he is no longer fighting for "liberation" which could be seen as morally accepted but to fight for land and power in his eyes is wrong making us admire him for speaking out against such actions.

In this declaration Sassoon focuses greatly on the suffering the war is causing his comrades: "I have seen and endured the suffering of the troops." This shows how caring Sassoon was to risk speaking out against the authorities on behalf of his men and it makes us admire his character and his courage.Sassoon at the end of his declaration: "On behalf of all those suffering." he hopes to prevent all the unnecessary suffering caused by the authorities who cant imagine what the soldiers have to endure: "They have not sufficient imagination to realize." This last comment makes us as readers fell anger towards authorities who are to selfish to see what they are causing and to me this declaration is a very brave attempt to spare thousands of people many more months of suffering for such and unjust cause.

Sassoon’s Declaration

Regeneration: Sassoon’s Declaration

Sassoon’s declaration is impressive in its frankness and complexity of thought. Sassoon comes across as extremely bold, attempting to hide nothing, clearly declaring the document as “an act of wilful defiance of military authority” in the very first sentence. Seemingly fearless, Sassoon accuses political leaders of being “evil and unjust” and plainly expresses his opinion that most non-combatants are “callous”. This extremely direct language did not waver throughout the entire declaration. Sassoon also seems extremely intelligent, his Declaration obviously not fueled by merely a moment of passion. Sassoon denies “protesting against the conduct of war”. Instead, Sassoon objects soldiers being killed for reasons he believes are “political errors and insincerities”. Readers immediately realise that Sassoon had thought hard and long before reaching the argument presented in his declaration. In beginning the novel with such a direct and powerful declaration, Barker connect readers with Sassoon as a character after only the very first page.

I admire Sassoon’s courage in choosing possibly the most difficult path. Even under extreme pressure from commanders, Sassoon still manages to protest against the war in such a public manner. It is clear that Sassoon does not object to the war due to cowardice--if he were a coward, he would simply choose to argue against the war from moral, pacifist grounds. Instead, Sassoon boldly chooses a middle ground: neither disliking or approving of war, but simply expressing suspicion and distrust of those in power who lead nations into war. Even more impressive in his boldness, Sassoon criticizes not only the world's leaders, but also noncombatants who allow world leaders to send their families to war. Sassoon believes citizens safely at home could not even begin to comprehend the true horrors of war. Seeming to hold nothing back, Sassoon critisizes all those he believes deserve criticism-- and it is because of this readers are convinced that he is purely "acting on behalf of soldiers".

Sassoon's Declaration: A Call for Integrity

Sassoon’s declaration is very strong, containing a lot of powerful opinions on the struggles of soldiers whilst at war. I think what Sassoon is trying to explain is that maybe in the beginning there were certainly heavy reasons for why they should fight, but after months of living in trenches and warfare, the reasons are becoming doubtful, and the aspect of war becoming less glamourous and noble. Sassoon is clearly shaken by his experiences while fighting, as he describes his struggles as ‘sufferings’ and ‘evil’, showing that he has suffered a great deal and has witnessed such traumatising acts that society’s initial thoughts of fighting for your nation as being great and honourable just seem wrong and unjust, as millions of young men are sacrificing their lives everyday.

He definitely does not want to go through the same thing again, and the idea of letting more and more innocent men experience such pain and agony unnerves him. Sassoon expresses some anger and displeasure with those who think that being in his state is such an amazing experience, possibly to those who have strongly encouraged their men to go out and fight, and he clearly wants to set things straight. Those who are in the comfort of their own homes don’t realize the amount of anguish and suffering that the soldiers go through for the benefit of their nation, because of the sugarcoated facts that the government has fed them and through his declaration, Sassoon wants all these lies to stop, and the true image of war to be revealed to the public.

I agree with Sassoon’s belief that the war has gone on for far too long, because violence seems like the only things it can do is to either scare or anger the enemy, and doesn’t solve any problems- only making them bigger than they already area and lengthening the process in which it could be solved. It’s depressing what the soldiers like Sassoon have been forced, and in some ways tricked, to do, and the consequences which they have to endure after: scarred mentally and physically, or dead.

Sassoon's declaration: A sane man's words.

Sassoon’s declaration is fully justified and is coming from a sane mind, talking with experience. I find his reasoning for writing the declaration something I could empathize with, as I myself would protest against the massacre of innocent men for governments’ vengeance on one another, as cruelty and sin is not a reason to serve and die for your nation.

These men joined the war thinking they were protecting their nation from unlawful acts, but now find themselves contributing to the suffering and pain these men went through. Sassoon himself is a man of military background, but even his dedication for the army didn’t stop him realizing there was nothing left moral or liberating about the war.

He speaks of his traumatic experiences, and how he is aware that those at home may think they understand and could imagine what these soldiers have been through, but he also emphasizes that unless you have experienced it for yourself, you could not even begin to imagine the agonizing suffering these men go through.

I agree that those soldiers have been deceived and are being slaughtered like cows for reasons they are not to blame for, and Sassoon’s declaration was merely an act of good will, to try and save what is left of his fellow soldiers, as he knows what they have been through and has gone through it himself. He is not running away out of cowardly thoughts, but out of self preservation, as enduring the war anymore would only turn him to insanity.

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