Annotations:

Dreamers by Siegfried Sassoon

Metaphor:
1) Soldiers are citizens of death's grey land, ● death’s grey land:
referring to the
2) Drawing no dividend from time's battlefield soldiers are
to-morrows. familiar with.
3) In the great hour of destiny they stand, ● no dividend from
4) Each with his feuds, and jealousies, and time’s to-morrows:
sorrows. hints at a useless
hope of the future for
5) Soldiers are sworn to action; they must win the soldiers.
6) Some flaming, fatal climax with their lives. ● great hour of destiny:
7) Soldiers are dreamers; when the guns stating that the
begin soldier’s lives are in
8) They think of firelit homes, clean beds and the hands of destiny
wives. Anaphora:
● Soldiers are:
9) I see them in foul dug-outs, gnawed by rats, constantly reminded
10) And in the ruined trenches, lashed with that the soldiers are
rain, the ones suffering
and who are being
11) Dreaming of things they did with balls and referred to as
bats, ‘Dreamers’.
12) And mocked by hopeless longing to regain
13) Bank-holidays, and picture shows, and Hyperbole:
spats, ● great hour:
overstating the reality
14) And going to the office in the train. of time for the
soldiers.
● Some flaming, fatal
climax: exaggerating
the peak of the war.
Imagery:
● firelit homes, clean
beds and wives.:
portrays the desires of
the soldiers suffering.
● ruined trenches,
lashed with rain:
conveying the
struggle of warfare.
Tricolon:
● his feuds, and
jealousies, and
sorrows: emphasize
the point of the flaws
 and negative
emotions of the
soldiers.
● Bank-holidays, and
picture shows, and
spats,: expresses the
list as ongoing and
long.
Alliteration:
● time’s to-morrows.:
gives a sense of the
time that soldiers
don’t have.
● flaming, fatal: adds
harshness to the
sentence describing
battle.
● balls and bats:
creates a feeling of
casualness in this life
of normality.
Irony:
● Soldiers are
dreamers; when the
guns begin: ironic as
the soldiers are there
to fight and not
dream.
Juxtaposition:
● Lines 1-6 and 7-8:
comparison from the
reality of the soldier’s
life to the dreams that
they think of.
● Lines 9-11 and 11-13:
contrast of the
environment of
warfare to the
soldier’s desire and
yearning for their life
of normality.
Polysyndeton:
● And/and: portrays
home in a way that
seems like the list is
going on and on.
Compound Word:
● Bank-holidays:
suggesting bank
holidays were a
common and
memorable part of
 home.
● dug-outs: depicts the
rough structure and
overall the difficulties
of warfare.
Oxymoron:
● hopeless longing:
enhances the concept
of soldiers yearning
for home and security
in a time of death and
mourning.