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Glory of Women
Glory of Women by Siegfried Sassoon talks of the various pleasures derided by women from the war as well as glorification of the soldiers’ fighting abroad. Soldiers are characterized and imagined as delusion figures at the battlefront. The poem states that the soldiers are idolized as heroes when they are home on leave as well as wounded in different places and mentioned. There is no concern taken on the effects or challenges they face at the battlefront. In addition, the experiences shared from the requirement of war do not amount to the similar level the women pleasure while back at home. The latter mention of being wounded also characterizes the soldiers as dependant on the female loyalty especially when sustained during the war (Meredith 46). It must not be too embarrassing for the women’s relations on a social level in order for them to receive praise.
Values associated with soldiers in the poem relate to chivalry and honor. Despite the struggles of the war and the effects realized, the romanticized focus deliberated by the women is representative of their thoughts. For example, the women in place of values like honor and chivalry cannot accord physical, emotional, and psychological trauma from the experience to the soldiers. The war itself is viewed as a general disgrace. It is quite ironic that the soldiers, who are meant to represent the women’s romanticized suggestions of the war, have to encompass values in an engagement that has no meaning. However, factors such as race and class do not have any social bearing on the soldiers’ depiction within the poem. They are characterized in similar settings as servants of the nation with equality.
The myths of soldiers challenged in the poem relate to the struggles they undergo at the battlefront. For example, the fear of losing life, being wounded or never returning home are seen as not ideal with any typical soldier expected in defending the nation. However, in the poem, such myths are refuted as the soldiers are after all humans. Such myths determine the contrast between the two environments surrounding the women and soldiers as means of showing the human nature of the latter. According to Meredith (44), while the women are busy knitting socks at the domestic scene, the soldiers are in horrifying settings and have to witness blood, loss of lives, and brutal end to their mates’ tenures. The author then states that the delusion is only meant for a correctional basis according to the truth shared from the war zones and battlefields.
The
poem’s purpose shows the ironical praise given to women despite the
representation of the soldiers fighting abroad. Anything glorious has a sacred meaning
and honor attached to its use. Therefore, by belittling the importance of the
soldiers during war and experiences at the battlefronts, the characterization
of soldiers is quite ironic as opposed to the women’s’ praise. The soldiers
should be valued for their efforts and input towards the service of their
country amidst all harshness and brutality endured. They should receive the
ultimate glory and honor for their roles in achieving the nation’s intended
goals. Their terms of service should be rewarded for their presence of bravery
and sacrifice as the war causes are varied and have different results. They are
the ideal representatives of chivalry and honor unlike the women purported in
the poem.
Reference:
Meredith, James H. Understanding the Literature of World War I: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2008. Print.