Relevance of the Title: The Hero by Siegfried Sassoon


By the word �Hero�, we think of a brave and courageous person. Jack the protagonist (principal character) is glorified as a hero in the poem. But the close reading of the poem reveals that Jack is a �cold-footed, useless swine�. From this perspective the title of the poem sounds irrelevant and illogical. However, the title �The Hero� is reflective of the poet�s satirical attitude to war. By giving such an ironical title the poet Siegfried Sassoon has exposed the truth of a soldier�s unpleasant death and satirized the tradition of glorifying a coward solider as a hero. So the title of the poem �The Hero� is substantial and relevant.     

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