Discussion Questions
July 21, 2008

1. What is the image of war, of the soldier, and of death that Brooke creates in his sonnets?  How do those images compare to images on the same themes created by Sassoon and Owen?
2. What is meant by the dichotomy of the reality vs. the unreality of war?  What specifically  do we learn from these poets about the dichotomy of the reality vs. the unreality of war?
3. From all of the poems, which poem did you find to have the greatest impact, and why?  From the poems, what did you find to be the most striking image?
4. What do Sassoon's poems tell us about the nature of the war experience?  How would you compare Sassoon's poems to those of Wilfred Owen?  Which Sassoon poem do you find to be the most significant, and why?
5. What are Sassoon's views of the war, of the soldier, and of death created in his poems?  How does this compare to his "A Raiding Party" and how would you account for any differences?
6. What are meant by the terms "first generation poet" and "second generation poet"?
7. Overall, what value does poetry have for the historian of war?  Can poetry be used to examine the nature of the war experience, and if so, how?
8. If Vera Brittain and Seigfried Sassoon were to go out for a beer, what would they talk about?  On what would they agree, and on what would they disagree, in their conversation?