The poem describes a knight who once glorified and admired war but has now come to scorn and resent it. He recalls how he used to view knighthood and battle as bright and heroic exploits but has since lost friends in war and sees it as driven by lust, hatred, and senseless violence. The poem illustrates how one's perspective and opinion of institutions like war can change dramatically over time through first-hand experience and loss.

1. The Poet as Hero
By: Siegfried Sassoon

2. Speaker
 The narrator is speaking in first person.
 He is a knight in England during King Arthur’s
rein. (Lines 5&9)
 The narrator once participated in war and was a
very admired knight. (Line 8)
 He now scorns and resents war. (Line 1-2&4)
 Has lost many friends in the war (Line 12)

3. Tone
 The narrators tone is angry,regretful, and
remorseful.
 We believe that he is angry for believing in a
fantasy that wasn’t true, but realized that it was
just a show. (Lines 5-8)
 He is regretful in the fact that he participated in
war and the things that have happened as results
of it. (Line 4)
 He is remorseful towards the friends that he has
lost in battle. (Line 12-14)

4. Diction
 The narrators vocabulary is more a present day style.
 He uses basic terms in order to be able to tell his
story to common people.
 The poem is taking place during King Arthur’s rein,
but doesn’t have the vocabulary and the properness
of that society.
 The narrator is portraying the poem as a casual story
like manner.

5. Syntax
 The author uses syntax to express the harshness
in the first stanza. By using words like scornful,
harsh, loathing, and discontented.
 In the second stanza Sassoon uses words like
bright, serene, and strong to emphasis the things
people look for in a leader.
 Sassoon then uses words like lust, senseless,
and hatred to illustrate the angry and resentment
he has for joining and being part of war.

6. Movement
 The movement of the poem is in a story format.
 The narrator first starts off in talking about how
he now feels about war. (1st stanza)
 The second stanza the author talks about how he
used to feel about war and how he used to think
it was glorious.
 In his third stanza he refers to the reason why he
has his current opinion on war.

7. Author Facts
 Siegfried Loraine Sassoon was an English poet
and author.
 He was born September 8, 1886.
 He died September 1, 1967.
 Sassoon was born in Matfield, Kent. This was the
largest village in England which was more in the
country side of England.

8. Other Facts
 He went to Marlborough College in Wiltshire and
Clare College, Cambridge and studied law and
history. This was from 1905-1907.
 He dropped out of college and spent a couple
years doing what he pleased. Ex: Hunting,
playing traditional games such as cricket and at
this time he published a few volumes of poems.
 Siegfried Sassoon joined the military when the
threat of World War I was realized.

9. Reasoning behind the title
 The significance of the poem is that the author is
not only writing about a past event but of an
event that he once participated in which is war.
 The author, Siegfried Sassoon, participated in
war during the World War I era.
 He physically and emotionally went through the
trials, tribulations, and can personally recall the
fantasy of war he experienced and was shown
through the narrator in the poem.

10. Dominate themes
 The dominate theme in “The Poet as Hero” is
regret and anger over an illusion.
 The narrator has build up an illusion with
knighthood, but now that he is there he realizes it
is not as glorious as he thought.
 In line 10 is specially say that “and am no more
the knight of dreams and show.”
 He then goes on to say later that “absolution is
my song.” This symbolizes the regret.

11. Potential A.P. Prompt
After reading the poem carefully, describe what can
we learn from Siegfried Sassoon poem, “The
Poet as Hero” about how our opinion of things
can change over time.