Reading Notes

War's Brutal Hierarchy

Sassoon exposes the criminal disconnect between military leadership and front-line soldiers. The General's cheerful greeting contrasts sharply with the mass death he's responsible for creating.

The poem's structure mirrors this disconnect: a light, conversational tone hiding a brutal reality. Soldiers are reduced to nameless casualties, while the General remains detached and smiling.

Language of Disposability

[CONTEXT: Sassoon was a WWI soldier-poet who became famous for his critical war poetry] The final line's brutal 'did for them both' is military slang meaning 'killed'. It reveals how commanders treated soldiers as expendable resources, not human beings.

The poem's brevity itself becomes a weapon—a quick, sharp indictment of military leadership's callousness.

Siegfried Sassoon

The General

Military Greeting

Ironic opening shows disconnect between officers and soldiers. 'Good-morning' becomes deeply sarcastic given the deadly context.

"Good-morning; good-morning!" the General said

When we met him last week on our way to the line.

Now the soldiers he smiled at are most of 'em dead,

And we're cursing his staff for incompetent swine.

"He's a cheery old card," grunted Harry to Jack

Soldier Perspective

Soldiers' casual language reveals their dark humor and resignation. 'Grunted' suggests exhaustion and cynicism.

As they slogged up to Arras with rifle and pack.

*****

But he did for them both by his plan of attack.