Get out the microscope, because we’re going through this poem
line-by-line. Do they matter?—those dreams from the pit? - The
speaker shifts gears; he now asks if "they matter," the "dreams
from the pit"? Hmmm. We're gonna go out on a limb here and say
that yes, they do. - Even though he's not talking about missing
limbs anymore, the speaker still manages to evoke depression,
sadness, and the like. - "Pit" probably refers to the trenches
in which soldiers lived and from which they launched their
attacks during World War I. - And the "dreams from the pit"
probably refers to the young soldier's hopes and aspirations for
after the war. - It's a little tricky to read the tone of "do
they matter" here. The speaker suggests, on the one hand, that
the soldier's "dreams" have been destroyed as a result of the
war, and thus no longer matter. - The speaker also, however,
assumes the same sarcastic tone he's maintained throughout; he
acts as though the loss of those "dreams" is no big deal (just
like the loss of sight an