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Attack by Siegfried Sassoon

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  • What is the poem Attack about?
    It describes soldiers preparing to go “over the top” during World War I and shows the horror, fear, and futility of war.
  • What should your first body paragraph focus on?
    The imagery and language Sassoon uses to show the horror of war.
  • How can you explain techniques in your paragraph?
    Identify the device, explain its effect, and link it to the poet’s message about war.
  • What does the personification of “time ticks blank and busy” mean?
    Time continues indifferently while men die — it doesn’t care about human suffering.
  • What literally happens in the poem?
    Soldiers climb out of their trenches at dawn, surrounded by smoke, explosions, and fear, while time and hope seem to die around them.
  • Why does Sassoon use the apostrophe “O Jesus, make it stop!”?
    It’s a desperate cry to God, but also highlights God’s silence and the hopelessness of war.
  • How is hope personified in the poem?
    Hope is personified as “floundering in mud,” showing it is dying or lost in the chaos.
  • In the Say It – Prove It – Explain It structure for writing about a book or poem, what does each step mean?
    State your main idea,Support your point with evidence,Explain how the evidence supports your point
  • What does “hope, with furtive eyes and grappling fists” personify?
    Hope as a dying soldier — desperate, struggling, and defeated.
  • How does Sassoon describe the soldiers? Include evidence (words from the poem)
    As “clumsily bowed” and “masked with fear,” showing they are burdened, scared, and dehumanized.
  • What poetic device is used in “Tanks creep and topple forward to the wire”?
    Personification and onomatopoeia — the tanks seem alive but clumsy, suggesting the unnatural movement of machines in war.
  • What is the setting of the poem?
    The battlefield at dawn during World War I, filled with smoke, mud, and chaos.
  • What message does Sassoon want readers to understand?
    That war destroys not just people, but also hope, nature, and humanity itself.
  • What should your introduction include?
    The poet’s name, poem title, a short summary, and your main idea about what the poem shows about war.
  • What might be a strong thesis statement for an essay on this poem?
    In Attack, Siegfried Sassoon uses vivid imagery, personification, and tone to expose the futility and suffering of war.
  • What kind of evidence should you use in each paragraph?
    Short, direct quotes that support your point, such as “clumsily bowed” or “muttering faces.”
  • What does the sibilance (alliteration with S sound) in “smouldering through spouts of drifting smoke that shroud” achieve?
    It creates a whispering, smoky atmosphere — you can almost hear the battlefield.
  • How does Sassoon use imagery to make the poem realistic?
    He uses sensory detail — smoke, mud, noise — to make readers see, smell, and feel the horror.
  • What is the effect of the alliteration in “muttering faces, masked with fear”?
    It mimics the low, fearful murmuring of soldiers and reinforces their terror.
  • What is the poem’s central idea?
    War dehumanizes people and destroys both hope and the natural world.
  • What does the “wild purple of the glowering sun” suggest?
    It paints the sunrise as unnatural and threatening, showing how war corrupts nature.
  • What does the final line “O Jesus, make it stop!” reveal?
    It shows desperation and hopelessness; the poet pleads for the horror of war to end.
  • How can you make your writing analytical rather than descriptive?
    Don’t just say what happens — explain why Sassoon uses those choices.
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