Analysis of Attack
Siegfried Sassoon 1886 (Matfield) – 1967 (Heytesbury)
AT dawn the ridge emerges massed and dun
In the wild purple of the glow'ring sun,
Smouldering through spouts of drifting smoke that shroud
The menacing scarred slope; and, one by one,
Tanks creep and topple forward to the wire.
The barrage roars and lifts. Then, clumsily bowed
With bombs and guns and shovels and battle-gear,
Men jostle and climb to meet the bristling fire.
Lines of grey, muttering faces, masked with fear,
They leave their trenches, going over the top,
While time ticks blank and busy on their wrists,
And hope, with furtive eyes and grappling fists,
Flounders in mud. O Jesus, make it stop!
Scheme | AABACBDCDEFFE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101010101 0011010111 111110111 0100110111 11010101010 00110111001 11010100101 1100111010010 11110010111 11110101001 1111010111 0111010101 1001110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 619 |
Words | 108 |
Sentences | 6 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 13 |
Lines Amount | 13 |
Letters per line (avg) | 37 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 484 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 106 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 26, 2023
- 32 sec read
- 175 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Attack" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/34847/attack>.
Discuss this Siegfried Sassoon poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In