How is masculinity represented in these two poems?

Why is masculinity important and why it is okay for men to be able to exxpress themselves.

How is masculinity represented in the two poems?

Masculinity: defines qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of men (Google, 2020). Yet, during the time of war, the age of depression, men’s mental health wasn’t acquaintanced for. If you have the attributes of being a man, then you shall act as one, otherwise you’re no man, to put it quite plainly: a coward. It's clear both these poems relate back to propaganda, how they portray and relate to what masculinity represented. One author conveys the realism of PTSD and the mentality these soldiers go through during war. The other author openly states that war should be seen as a game not something where men should suffer. Coincidentally, both authors use similar structure to convey their meanings behind their poems, giving a clear visual of what it meant to fight in the war to end all wars.

Within Sassoon's haunting poem, the young and innocent soldiers from World War One are presented as being too vulnerable to survive the war. This represents the mindsets of many being silenced: “Who grinned at life in empty joy” (Sasson, 2008, 13). Sasson displays the emptiness and numb feeling men go through in the trenches day after day, battling with depression. Depression isn’t something just solely based off sadness, but then it was displayed as weak for either missing your family or just not wanting to be in the trenches with other soldiers who may have committed suicide. Seeing your friends on the opposite sides die often brings men to have PTSD or depression. Causing them to silence themselves. Readers could examine this quotation displaying mental health as an acceptance of loneliness, the numb feelings of fighting for nothing. To not be appreciated both mentally and physically. In this stanza, Sasson used an oxymoron to convey the fact that men had to hide their depression with “happiness.” When the soldiers imply they are in a vulnerable state they masquerade their depression with happiness to not seem weak. During the Great War, it was not the time to cry, or to show signs of being a coward, otherwise you’d be killed. But seeing your fellow soldier friends restlessly dead on the battlefield impacts their mental health greatly. Within the second stanza, Sasson uses end-stop-line to display the simple yet complex ideas of war followed by the different mentalities of the simple men. End-stop-line implies the ending of this “simple soldiers” life. One could hide so much emotion until they just can’t handle it, which Sasson implies “He put a bullet through his brain”(Sasson, 2008, 13). This conveys to the viewer that men simply can’t say, “go away depression, I’m a man.” Sasson used the word “sin” which means an immoral act: men killing themselves was a sin, why kill yourself when you can die in the dirty, bloody battleground. Nowadays in 2020, masculinity can be incorporated into different things. Men both young and old can openly express themselves without regretting to express emotion, this doesn’t mean that men still don’t get judged, but is slowly changing and fading.

Jessie Pope described the expression of men during war: strong and tough. Pope has no shame in representing all men as warriors. Implementing war as a game. “The red crashing game of fight” (Pope, 2008, 22). The author describes war as a survival game, one life, to survive or not to survive, it all depends on the “crashing game.” The word “red” is emotive describing the game as blood-felt, Pope implies that the “game” isn’t scary rather it’s fun and exciting. The author relates back to the term “masculinity” as men who are ready for the clashing fights, ready to see other dead soldiers lying hopelessly on the ground, it's a game of life. Pope expressively uses rhyming alternation seen throughout the poem, this effect creates a dramatic visual, displaying brave war heroes fighting in the “game of clashing reds”. Some could argue over the fact that the author's perspective of men during that time period was factual representing the “masculine” men. Pope displays the difference between the men who fought during the war to the ones who sat out, sadly having to embrace the propaganda towards them. Concluding the whole poem, Pope displayed the strong men willingly putting their lives at risk to fight and end the war of all wars; conveying the fact that cowardly-men stayed home.

The context from both poems are drastically different from each other, yet they meet the similar concept and ideas. Both of them compare the ideology of men who were ready for the game of war. Contrasting, because of opinion, Pope displays war as a “game,” while Sasson shows the PTSD and depression war brings: “The simplest soldiers, with the most joyless minds.” Interpreting that the happiest men could be the most depressed inside. Furthermore, both authors use caesuras to create a dramatic and emotional pause to intake the words used. Men in front of everyone had to hide their pain so they wouldn’t see others in vain. Both poems relate back to the conditions of the trenches, Sasson interprets that “In winter trenches, cowed and glum,” implying that in the trenches during the winter season, the conditions are cold, and the “cowed” areas; scared and afraid. During the time of propaganda used, men who were too scared to fight in the war were seen as cowards, if they went out they had to embrace the white flower. The white flower symbolized weak and afraid. Many men’s families were ashamed, rather they would stop talking to their sons. Furthermore, both authors interpret that into their poems, convey the men who don’t fight in the war, it’s a “sin.”

In conclusion, Sasson and Pope had similar and different views of WWI as a whole. It's clear Sasson implies a through message of men and their emotional states of mind; fighting to survive not physically but mentally. Hopelessly trying to surpass the war with hopes to never remember what you’ve seen and hear; what PTSD really is. On the other hand, Pope describes war as a game. More specifically a game of bloody battles and scars, it’ll be fun Pope describes. Both poems together insert a meaning of the reality of masculinity then, to compare to now...