'Trenches' Summary

The Trenches is divided into four sections. The first section, "The Trenches," describes the day-to-day life of the soldiers in the trenches. Manning writes about the mud, the rats, the lice, and the constant threat of death. He also captures the boredom and monotony of trench warfare, and the sense of camaraderie that developed among the soldiers who shared these experiences. The second section, "The Battle," describes the Battle of the Somme, which was one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War. Manning's poems capture the chaos and confusion of battle, and the terror and suffering of the soldiers who fought in it. He also writes about the aftermath of the battle, and the grief and loss that the soldiers felt for their fallen comrades. The third section, "The Aftermath," describes the effects of the war on the soldiers who survived it. Manning writes about the physical and psychological scars that the war left behind, and the difficulty that the soldiers had in readjusting to civilian life. He also writes about the memory of the war, and the way that it continued to haunt the soldiers who fought in it. The fourth section, "The Dead," is a series of poems about the soldiers who died in the war. Manning writes about the grief and loss that the families of the dead soldiers felt, and the way that the memory of the dead soldiers continued to live on after their death.