A Soldier's Declaration

Finished with the war- 'A Soldier's declaration" written by S. Sassoon.

Sassoon statement is straightforward and clear-cut. He logically states his decision to stop fighting in the war. He has pointed out himself that this declaration is a stubborn and determined intention to do what he wants, regardless of the consequences as he makes 'this statement as an act of wilful defiance of military authority' this shows that he has thought a lot about it and is still willing to take a risk and speak out. He believes that the war has been unnecessarily ‘prolonged by those who have the power to end it’ which is logically true. He truly is convinced that the war has change it's meaning, it was once a war of 'defence' which he signed up for to protect his country and fight for freedom, has now lost it's sense becoming a war of 'aggression'. He entered the war not knowing that the purpose of war was going to change, so therefore not being informed what the consequences would be makes me more convinced with his perspective on why he shouldn’t participate in it. I completely agree with the point made by Sassoon how the war should have been more ‘clearly stated’ that 'it would be impossible to change the decision made by the soldiers. This is because once they’ve made a decision, there is no going back and it seems like joining the war was the only option.

In addition, Sassoon points out relevant reasons on why he cannot handle this anymore which are expressed through his experience and what he has observed during action. He has ‘endured the suffering troops’ and has concluded that he will not be involved in this prolong of the war. That also shows that he is not only speaking up for himself but always for those who are suffering. Sassoon clearly shows his main purpose of his declaration as a protest against the ‘conduct of war’ and not the war it self. He states that clearly so that he wouldn’t be misunderstood, or making people get the wrong idea.

To conclude, the statement of how war is being continued for irrelevent reasons, i agree with Sassoon point on the change in purpose and how people are sarcrificing there lives to win something that probably isn't worth anything in the end.