"Base Details"
If I were fierce, and bald, and short of breath,
I’d live with scarlet Majors at the Base,
And speed glum heroes up the line to death.
You’d see me with my puffy petulant face,
Guzzling and gulping in the best hotel,
Reading the Roll of Honour. Poor young chap,
I’d say---I used to know his father well;
Yes, we’ve lost heavily in this last scrap.
And when the war is done and youth stone dead,
I’d toddle safely home and die---in bed.
Who is it that will "toddle" home when the war is done?
A. All the men who made the rank of Major
B. All the young men who fought the battles
C. All the fathers of the young men who fought
D. All the older soldiers who stayed safe and away from the battlefield.
You still haven't told us what YOU think!
Right.
The answer to this question can be found by analyzing the poem "Base Details" by Siegfried Sassoon. In the poem, the speaker describes being fierce, bald, and short of breath, suggesting that they are an older soldier who is not actively fighting on the front lines. The speaker mentions living with scarlet Majors at the Base, which implies that they are in a position of authority and overseeing operations at the Base.
The line "I’d toddle safely home and die---in bed" indicates that the speaker plans to return home after the war is over and live out the rest of their life in safety. Therefore, they are not the young men fighting the battles mentioned in the poem.
Based on this analysis, the correct answer to the question is:
D. All the older soldiers who stayed safe and away from the battlefield.