Dreamers

by Siegfried Sassoon

1. AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY & DREAMERS

● Full name: Siegfried Loraine Sassoon
● Sept. 8th, 1886 (Brenchley, Kent) - Sept. 1st, 1967 (Heytesbury, Wiltshire)
● Background
○ A British poet, novelist, soldier, political commentator.
○ The second of three sons in a wealthy Jewish family.
○ His parents separated when he was very young.
● Works & Writing style
○ The horror and brutality of trench warfare and contemptuously satirized
those whose incompetence and blind support of the war.
○ Literary works: anti-war poetry and fictionalized autobiographical works
reflecting personal war experiences: “The Old Huntsman (1917),”
“Counter-Attack and Other Poems (1918),” “Picture-Show (1919),” and
“The Memoirs of George Sherston”
● Honors & Awards
○ Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1951 New
Year Honours.
○ His CBE, Military Cross, and campaign medals are on display at the Royal
Welch Fusiliers Museum at Caernarfon Castle.
○ 1957: Awarded the Queen’s Medal for Poetry.
● Dreamers:
○ 1918: First published in "Counter-Attack and Other Poems”
○ Genre: War poetry (anti-war)
○ Inspired by Sassoon's own experiences in World War I

1
2. PARAPHRASING
The poem begins with the speaker describing how soldiers reside in the land of death and
how their profession makes them subject to a more certain destiny. Throughout the first
stanza, the speaker describes the horrors of war, the lack of hope for the future, and the
dreams which occupy the minds of soldiers. While the guns go off around them they are
dreaming of their homes. In the second stanza, the speaker attempts to engage a reader’s
emptiness in regard to the suffering of these men by describing the mundane activities
they miss. The soldiers long for the things they once took for granted at home, going to
work and playing with “balls and bats.”

3. SPEAKER

The speaker: ..........................................................................................................................

4. FORM

● Number of stanzas: ....................................................................................................

● Rhyme scheme: ..........................................................................................................

also known as .............................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................

5. SOUND DEVICE

● Rhythm:

....................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................

2
Task: Underline the stressed syllables

Soldiers are citizens of death’s grey land,

Drawing no dividend from time’s to-morrows.
In the great hour of destiny they stand,
Each with his feuds, and jealousies, and sorrows.

● Repetition: ..................................................................................................................

→ ....................................................................................................................

● Alliteration:

1. .........................................................................................................................

2. .........................................................................................................................

3. .........................................................................................................................

4. .........................................................................................................................

5. .........................................................................................................................

→ ....................................................................................................................

6. TONE

● Tone used: ..................................................................................................................

● Effects of the tone:

....................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................

3
7. POEM ANALYSIS

STANZA 1
Soldiers are citizens of death's grey land,
Drawing no dividend from time's to-morrows.

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

4
In the great hour of destiny they stand,
Each with his feuds, and jealousies, and sorrows.

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

5
Soldiers are sworn to action; they must win
Some flaming, fatal climax with their lives.

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

6
Soldiers are dreamers; when the guns begin
They think of firelit homes, clean beds and wives.

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

7
STANZA 2
I see them in foul dug-outs, gnawed by rats,
And in the ruined trenches, lashed with rain,

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

8
Dreaming of things they did with balls and bats,
And mocked by hopeless longing to regain

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

9
Bank-holidays, and picture shows, and spats,
And going to the office in the train.

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

10
8. IMAGERY

a. Images of war:
................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

→ Effects of using these images:

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

b. Images of peace:
................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

→ Effects of using these images:

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

11
9. THEMES
The themes of “Dreamers” focus on the harsh reality of war and the image of the soldiers
fighting in it, facing their brutal fates. However, the illustration of soldiers being
dreamers in these hardships conveys significant messages and shows how the poem
criticizes war by highlighting the emotional toll it takes on soldiers.
................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

12
10. ADDITIONAL READING

The Soldier by Rupert Brooke

If I should die, think only this of me:
That there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam;
A body of England’s, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,

A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

13
NOTES:

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

14
 11. ACTIVITY: POEM TRANSLATION

English Vietnamese translation

Soldiers are citizens of death's grey land, ..............................................................................

Drawing no dividend from time's to-morrows. ..............................................................................

In the great hour of destiny they stand, ..............................................................................

Each with his feuds, and jealousies, and sorrows. ..............................................................................

Soldiers are sworn to action; they must win ..............................................................................

Some flaming, fatal climax with their lives. ..............................................................................

Soldiers are dreamers; when the guns begin ..............................................................................

They think of firelit homes, clean beds and wives. ..............................................................................

..............................................................................
I see them in foul dug-outs, gnawed by rats,
..............................................................................
And in the ruined trenches, lashed with rain,
..............................................................................
Dreaming of things they did with balls and bats,
..............................................................................
And mocked by hopeless longing to regain
..............................................................................
Bank-holidays, and picture shows, and spats,
..............................................................................
And going to the office in the train.

THE END

15