DreamersBYSIEGFRIED SASSOONSoldiers are citizens of death's grey land,Drawing no dividend from time's to-morrows.In the great hour of destiny they stand,Each with his feuds, and jealousies, and sorrows.Soldiers are sworn to action; they must winSome flaming, fatal climax with their lives.Soldiers are dreamers; when the guns beginThey think of firelit homes, clean beds and wives.

I see them in foul dug-outs, gnawed by rats,And in the ruined trenches, lashed with rain,Dreaming of things they did with balls and bats,And mocked by hopeless longing to regainBank-holidays, and picture shows, and spats,And going to the office in the train.

Question: How does Siegfried Sassoon make this poem memorable to his readers?

Being a renowned war poet who inspired the work of numerous other poets such as Wilfred Owen, it comes as no surprise that in his poem Dreamers Siegfried Sassoon seeks to describe soldiers as well as struggles they faced to his readers. This poem, ironically written in the well-known sonnet form, reveals Sassoons empathetic tone towards his subject-the soldiers who take place in war. Moreover, through incorporating devices such as vivid diction, contrast, characterization, and symbols, Sassoon uniquely and skillfully relays his message to readers thus making this poem memorable.The first aspect of Sassoons writing which makes this poem memorable is the vivid diction he uses. The purpose of this is to bring about imagery. Sassoon purposely uses descriptive language in order to evoke images in his readers mind. These are primarily gruesome images. For instance, in line 9, found in the second stanza, the poet writes I see them in foul dug-outs, gnawed by rats, in the ruined trenches, lashed with rain, dreaming. This line illustrates the soldiers packed in these trenches simply being tortured and mistreated. As a result of this imagery, sympathy, pity and shock is evoked in the readers.Sassoon also provides a contrast in his poem. This work is separated into two stanzas. In the first, Sassoon describes these soldiers. Anaphora is used in this stanza where he begins each line with Soldiers are. In this stanza, Sassoon depicts the soldiers as self-sacrificial and brave. He uses phrases such as in the great hour of destiny they stand, They must win and sworn to action to illustrated their dedication to their countries. This causes readers to respect and admire these individuals; nonetheless, in stanza 2, Sassoon reveals them not in their time of honor, but in their time of need. He describes them as gnawed by rats, lashed by rain and mocked by hopeless longing. These harsh words cause readers to truly ponder on the situation and evaluate the consequence of war. So commonly, it is depicted as an act of honor, yet, as stanza 2 shows, it is those taking part who truly suffer.Moreover, Sassoon incorporates characterization in this poem. In stanza 1, Sassoon characterizes these soldiers and distinguishes their notable qualities. It is through this characterization that the contrast is seen. Sassoon refers to them as dreamers who think of firelit homes, clean beds and wives. This depicts the soldiers as caring and family loving. Sassoon refers to them saying they stand and they must win. This shows how they are resolute in their goals and also loyal. Through characterization, readers can establish a connection with these soldiers. This connection leads to readers having respect for these self-sacrificial soldiers.Furthermore, Sassoon uses symbolism in this poem. The purpose of symbolism is to provide a deeper meaning to this poem. Symbols provide a different understanding for the situation thus allowing readers to understand more than just surface level. For instance, in line 10, Sassoon speaks of how the soldiers were lashed with rain. Though this may refer to literal rain, it also refers to sorrow the soldiers faced. Hence, the sentence means not htat the soldiers were only getting wet but were also experiencing pain due to their sorrow. Moreover, deaths grey land (line 1) refers to the war field. Thus the sentence means that the soldiers are citizens and thus pledged allegiance to war. Symbolism allows readers to better understand the depth of the poem.Overall, in this poem, Sassoon seeks to create a memorable impression. He empathetically speaks of the soldiers as he praises them as well as reveals the reality of the situation. Sassoon accurately entitles this piece Dreamers, yet the question remains, who are the dreamers? Yes, it may refer to the soldiers with deferred dreams and brittle hopes, yet can it not refer to us? Perhaps we are the dreamers for we live in the illusion of war being a test of honor yet, as Sassoon shows, it is a battle where even the brave and caring suffer.