SIEGFRIED SASSOON’S POETRY, HIS SPIRITUALITY AND THE RELIGION OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

As a matter of truth, Siegfried Loraine Sassoon’s (1886-1967) technique of uncovering the reality of war came through irony, sarcasm and a mechanical style. This paper shows that Sassoon enrolled his specific style to raise serious questions concerning both God and War. He shows full disregard and scorn for the Church and its leaders, offering them practically no admiration in his poems.Most of his poems condemn the religious institutions and its leaders hugely and openly. His poetry reflects the disengagement of the religious institutions and churchmen with the genuine experiences of the fighters in the trenches, and the manipulation of spirituality and religion to evade the actual barbarities of hostilities. Indeed, his sarcastic and ironic style in some of his poems is a harsh criticism of the Churchmen’s exhibiting rhetoric of the idealistic devotion and commitment to country, Christianity and death. He refutes satirically the nonrealistic messages introduced by jingoistic poets and clergymen.And finally, Siegfried considered WWI as a very complicated and substantial event. Sassoon thought that everything was fine ahead of the war and will be fine once again after the war. Thus, he predicted the future so worked to the means.