Glory of Women: Difference between revisions

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''Siegfried Sassoon’s “Glory of Women” (1918) satirizes the idealized view of war held by those on the home front, especially women who glorified soldiers as heroes while ignoring the brutal realities of combat. Written during World War I, the poem exposes the gulf between patriotic myth and human suffering.''

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===~~Notes~~ and ~~Commentary~~===

==Introduction and Context==

[[w:Siegfried Sassoon|Siegfried Sassoon]]’s “Glory of Women” was first published in 1918 in his collection ''Counter-Attack and Other Poems'', written after he had already served with distinction in World War I and become one of its fiercest poetic critics. Sassoon (1886–1967) was both a decorated British officer and an outspoken opponent of the war’s continuation. His public “Soldier’s Declaration” of 1917, which condemned the government’s motives and the waste of soldiers’ lives, nearly led to a court-martial before friends intervened to have him treated for “shell shock.” That contradiction—heroic soldier and anti-war satirist—shapes much of his verse, including this poem.

“Glory of Women” is a fourteen-line sonnet written in iambic pentameter, though its traditional form is undermined by bitter irony and abrupt tonal shifts. Addressed to British women on the home front, it exposes the gulf between romanticized ideals of male heroism and the horrific realities of modern warfare. The poem opens with accusation—“You love us when we’re heroes, home on leave”—and proceeds to indict a culture that glorifies medals, “decorations,” and chivalric myths while remaining willfully blind to the physical and moral destruction of war. Sassoon’s diction mixes polite civility (“You worship decorations”) with graphic brutality (“Trampling the terrible corpses—blind with blood”), creating a jarring contrast that dramatizes hypocrisy through language itself.

Historically, the poem reflects the wartime propaganda and gender roles of Britain in 1917–18, when women were encouraged to sustain morale by idealizing sacrifice and participating in munitions work—the “You make us shells” line references their labor in arms factories. Sassoon’s choice to end the sonnet with an image of a German mother—“dreaming by the fire,” knitting socks for a son already dead—universalizes the poem’s indictment, extending blame and pity beyond national boundaries. The irony collapses distinctions between enemy and ally, suggesting that sentimental patriotism dehumanizes on all sides.

Figuratively, Sassoon relies on inversion and grotesque juxtaposition rather than metaphorical ornament. His use of [[w:enjambment|enjambment]] and [[w:caesura|caesura]] disrupts the poem’s measured rhythm, mirroring the breakdown of social decorum in the face of mechanized slaughter. The title itself, “Glory of Women,” is double-edged: it invokes both traditional praise and mordant satire, exposing how cultural “glory” depends upon denial and distance from suffering.

For modern readers, the poem remains a stark commentary on propaganda, gendered expectation, and the ethics of spectatorship in wartime. Its closing image of the German mother is often read as one of the earliest feminist-adjacent gestures in British war poetry—an acknowledgment of shared humanity that transcends nationalist myth. Sassoon composed many of these poems while confined at Craiglockhart War Hospital, where he befriended [[w:Wilfred Owen|Wilfred Owen]] and refined his satirical voice; both men sought to transform personal trauma into moral testimony. “Glory of Women” thus stands not only as a condemnation of romantic war ideals but as a document of artistic conscience emerging amid catastrophe.

==Questions for Consideration==

# How does Sassoon use the sonnet form—traditionally associated with love poetry—to deliver satire and moral condemnation? What effect does this formal irony have on readers?

# The poem’s opening address (“You love us when we’re heroes, home on leave”) assumes the voice of accusation. Who is speaking here—a soldier, a satirist, or both? How does the tone shift between intimacy and anger?

# Examine Sassoon’s use of imagery and contrast. How do phrases like “wounded in a mentionable place” and “trampling the terrible corpses” juxtapose comfort with horror?

# The line “You make us shells” can be read literally and metaphorically. What layers of meaning does this double image create about women’s wartime roles and complicity?

# Consider the poem’s final three lines, which focus on a German mother. How does this unexpected turn affect the poem’s moral scope and its critique of nationalism?

# How might the social expectations of Edwardian gender roles have influenced Sassoon’s depiction of women and men during the war? Research how wartime propaganda portrayed gender.

# Compare “Glory of Women” with Rupert Brooke’s “[[The Soldier]].” How do the two poets differ in their representations of patriotism, gender, and sacrifice?

# Sassoon wrote this poem while recovering from “shell shock” at Craiglockhart War Hospital. How might his personal experience of trauma and disillusionment shape the poem’s tone?

# The poem accuses women of “worship[ing] decorations.” How does this image parallel modern media’s portrayal of soldiers, veterans, or national heroes?

# How does *“Glory of Women”* fit within the larger anti-war movement in poetry and art? Does Sassoon’s satire still resonate in contemporary discussions of war and representation?

==Journal Prompts==

# Sassoon’s poem blames cultural blindness for perpetuating war. Do you think that accusation is fair? Write about how you react emotionally to the speaker’s anger and whether it feels justified or exaggerated.

# Choose one line or image that disturbs you. Why does it stand out? How does Sassoon’s language provoke discomfort, and what might he want readers to feel as a result?

# Research women’s work in British munitions factories during World War I. How does this historical reality complicate Sassoon’s critique in the line “You make us shells”?

# Reflect on how gender expectations during wartime might influence your own reactions to the poem. Does the speaker’s tone feel misogynistic, empathetic, or conflicted?

# Imagine you are one of the women addressed in the poem—perhaps a mother, a nurse, or a factory worker. Write a brief journal response defending or challenging the speaker’s accusation.

# Compare the tone of this poem to Wilfred Owen’s “[[Dulce et Decorum Est]].” How do both poets use irony and imagery to expose the “old lie” of wartime heroism?

# Sassoon ends the poem by shifting from British women to a German mother. What does this change suggest about the universality of grief and the futility of war? How do you personally respond to this ending?

# Research Sassoon’s “Soldier’s Declaration” of 1917. How does his public protest against the war deepen your understanding of “Glory of Women” as both art and political statement?

# The poem was written more than a century ago. Can you identify modern situations—political, cultural, or media-related—where the public idealizes war or soldiers in similar ways? Reflect on any examples that come to mind.

# Consider writing a creative response: a poem, letter, or short reflection that answers Sassoon from the perspective of someone living today. How might you reimagine his accusation in the context of modern warfare or media?

==Note==

~~===Works Cited===~~

* . . .

[[Category:World War I]]

~~[[Category:Poetry]]~~

~~[[Category:Literary]]~~

~~[[Category:20th Century]]~~

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 {{Poem|author=Siegfried Sassoon|date=1918}}
+''Siegfried Sassoon’s “Glory of Women” (1918) satirizes the idealized view of war held by those on the home front, especially women who glorified soldiers as heroes while ignoring the brutal realities of combat. Written during World War I, the poem exposes the gulf between patriotic myth and human suffering.''
 <div style="display: flex; justify-content: center; padding: 25px 0 25px 0; font-size: 16pt;">
 {| style="width: 700px;"
@@ Line 21: / Line 22: @@
 |}</div>
-===Notes and Commentary===
+==Introduction and Context==
+[[w:Siegfried Sassoon|Siegfried Sassoon]]’s “Glory of Women” was first published in 1918 in his collection ''Counter-Attack and Other Poems'', written after he had already served with distinction in World War I and become one of its fiercest poetic critics. Sassoon (1886–1967) was both a decorated British officer and an outspoken opponent of the war’s continuation. His public “Soldier’s Declaration” of 1917, which condemned the government’s motives and the waste of soldiers’ lives, nearly led to a court-martial before friends intervened to have him treated for “shell shock.” That contradiction—heroic soldier and anti-war satirist—shapes much of his verse, including this poem.
+“Glory of Women” is a fourteen-line sonnet written in iambic pentameter, though its traditional form is undermined by bitter irony and abrupt tonal shifts. Addressed to British women on the home front, it exposes the gulf between romanticized ideals of male heroism and the horrific realities of modern warfare. The poem opens with accusation—“You love us when we’re heroes, home on leave”—and proceeds to indict a culture that glorifies medals, “decorations,” and chivalric myths while remaining willfully blind to the physical and moral destruction of war. Sassoon’s diction mixes polite civility (“You worship decorations”) with graphic brutality (“Trampling the terrible corpses—blind with blood”), creating a jarring contrast that dramatizes hypocrisy through language itself.
+Historically, the poem reflects the wartime propaganda and gender roles of Britain in 1917–18, when women were encouraged to sustain morale by idealizing sacrifice and participating in munitions work—the “You make us shells” line references their labor in arms factories. Sassoon’s choice to end the sonnet with an image of a German mother—“dreaming by the fire,” knitting socks for a son already dead—universalizes the poem’s indictment, extending blame and pity beyond national boundaries. The irony collapses distinctions between enemy and ally, suggesting that sentimental patriotism dehumanizes on all sides.
+Figuratively, Sassoon relies on inversion and grotesque juxtaposition rather than metaphorical ornament. His use of [[w:enjambment|enjambment]] and [[w:caesura|caesura]] disrupts the poem’s measured rhythm, mirroring the breakdown of social decorum in the face of mechanized slaughter. The title itself, “Glory of Women,” is double-edged: it invokes both traditional praise and mordant satire, exposing how cultural “glory” depends upon denial and distance from suffering.
+For modern readers, the poem remains a stark commentary on propaganda, gendered expectation, and the ethics of spectatorship in wartime. Its closing image of the German mother is often read as one of the earliest feminist-adjacent gestures in British war poetry—an acknowledgment of shared humanity that transcends nationalist myth. Sassoon composed many of these poems while confined at Craiglockhart War Hospital, where he befriended [[w:Wilfred Owen|Wilfred Owen]] and refined his satirical voice; both men sought to transform personal trauma into moral testimony. “Glory of Women” thus stands not only as a condemnation of romantic war ideals but as a document of artistic conscience emerging amid catastrophe.
+==Questions for Consideration==
+# How does Sassoon use the sonnet form—traditionally associated with love poetry—to deliver satire and moral condemnation? What effect does this formal irony have on readers?
+# The poem’s opening address (“You love us when we’re heroes, home on leave”) assumes the voice of accusation. Who is speaking here—a soldier, a satirist, or both? How does the tone shift between intimacy and anger?
+# Examine Sassoon’s use of imagery and contrast. How do phrases like “wounded in a mentionable place” and “trampling the terrible corpses” juxtapose comfort with horror?
+# The line “You make us shells” can be read literally and metaphorically. What layers of meaning does this double image create about women’s wartime roles and complicity?
+# Consider the poem’s final three lines, which focus on a German mother. How does this unexpected turn affect the poem’s moral scope and its critique of nationalism?
+# How might the social expectations of Edwardian gender roles have influenced Sassoon’s depiction of women and men during the war? Research how wartime propaganda portrayed gender.
+# Compare “Glory of Women” with Rupert Brooke’s “[[The Soldier]].” How do the two poets differ in their representations of patriotism, gender, and sacrifice?
+# Sassoon wrote this poem while recovering from “shell shock” at Craiglockhart War Hospital. How might his personal experience of trauma and disillusionment shape the poem’s tone?
+# The poem accuses women of “worship[ing] decorations.” How does this image parallel modern media’s portrayal of soldiers, veterans, or national heroes?
+# How does *“Glory of Women”* fit within the larger anti-war movement in poetry and art? Does Sassoon’s satire still resonate in contemporary discussions of war and representation?
+==Journal Prompts==
+# Sassoon’s poem blames cultural blindness for perpetuating war. Do you think that accusation is fair? Write about how you react emotionally to the speaker’s anger and whether it feels justified or exaggerated.
+# Choose one line or image that disturbs you. Why does it stand out? How does Sassoon’s language provoke discomfort, and what might he want readers to feel as a result?
+# Research women’s work in British munitions factories during World War I. How does this historical reality complicate Sassoon’s critique in the line “You make us shells”?
+# Reflect on how gender expectations during wartime might influence your own reactions to the poem. Does the speaker’s tone feel misogynistic, empathetic, or conflicted?
+# Imagine you are one of the women addressed in the poem—perhaps a mother, a nurse, or a factory worker. Write a brief journal response defending or challenging the speaker’s accusation.
+# Compare the tone of this poem to Wilfred Owen’s “[[Dulce et Decorum Est]].” How do both poets use irony and imagery to expose the “old lie” of wartime heroism?
+# Sassoon ends the poem by shifting from British women to a German mother. What does this change suggest about the universality of grief and the futility of war? How do you personally respond to this ending?
+# Research Sassoon’s “Soldier’s Declaration” of 1917. How does his public protest against the war deepen your understanding of “Glory of Women” as both art and political statement?
+# The poem was written more than a century ago. Can you identify modern situations—political, cultural, or media-related—where the public idealizes war or soldiers in similar ways? Reflect on any examples that come to mind.
+# Consider writing a creative response: a poem, letter, or short reflection that answers Sassoon from the perspective of someone living today. How might you reimagine his accusation in the context of modern warfare or media?
+==Note==
 {{Reflist}}
-===Works Cited===
-* . . .
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Glory of Women}}
 [[Category:World War I]]
-[[Category:Poetry]]
-[[Category:Literary]]
-[[Category:20th Century]]