The Road to La Basse

The Road to La Basse

  • Submitted By: suanne
  • Date Submitted: 01/11/2009 9:25 AM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 969
  • Page: 4
  • Views: 351

What are your impressions of the people who live near La Bassee?

It appears that they are very friendly people who are trying to forget the horrible war and move on with their lives. As stated, "Allo, Tommee, back again? Ow do you do? In ze pink?", their greetings to him are very friendly and it appears he is someone well knowned and probably a regular visitor. "The folks gave me a welcome, and lots to wat and drink" This also describes their friendliness to him. "The trenches have all been filled in- the country's looking fine." These trenches were long, narrow excavations in the ground which were thrown up in front to serve as a shelter from enemy fire or attack. They have all been filled in and forgotten by the people. "the kids were playing marbles by the old Estaminet" and "a gaudy ice-cream cart" This suggests that the people are rather carefree as well.

However it appears that the people have forgotten their ancestors as well. They are leading carefree lives on places that used to be old battlefields and cemeteries. There are children playing by old Estaminet, bistro, and "cows were calmly grazing on the front line parapet" that used to protect the soldiers from enemy fire during the war. "The trenches have been all filled in" as if a war never even took place and the courage of the soldiers were never acknowledged. "There's buses running now from Bethune to La Bassee" all over battlefields, cemetries, memorials, ancestral grounds, as if soldiers never fought for their country and their courageous deaths never took place. Even the "war- time din" is missing from the place. "A gaudy ice- cream cart" is present at the Tourbieres crossroads and people are eating ice- cream and enjoying themselves on the road to La Bassee, where a bloody war once took place. "There's kiddies now in Plugstreet and mamselles in Armentiers" Plugstreet used to be a battlefield, also known as ploegsteert, near the french border. Armentiers was a battlefield as well. Now,...

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