The Portrayal of War in 'Attack' and ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ Anonymous 10th Grade

Both the poems ‘Attack’ and ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ (AFDY) portray Word War 1 from a negative perspective. Although they are written in slightly different ways, the two create a clear image about the indignity of death in battle. In ‘Attack’, Sassoon focuses more on the environmental factors – as he describes what can be seen from the battlefield e.g. ‘the glowering sun’. However, in ‘AFDY’ the poet takes a more relaxed and emotive approach and reflects on WW1’s side effects at home. Both scenes from the poems are sculpted by the expressive language; in ‘Attack’ the tone is harsher so the atmosphere of a battlefield is created by the strong terminology. Whereas in ‘AFDY’ the language is more gentle and reflective, therefore a calm, thoughtful atmosphere is produced to mark the respect for the soldiers.

Concentrating on Siegfried Sassoon’s poem ‘Attack’, we can see that the event takes place right in the centre of a war zone. The poet not only describes the weapons and brutality of the conditions, but he also captures some of the soldiers’ pure emotions as they prepare to fight to the death. Generally, there appears to be a strong sense of hatred and anger in the air; Sassoon quotes ‘in the wild purple of the glowering sun’....