In his poem, “War is Kind,” Stephen Crane strongly exemplifies and criticizes the effects of war on those indirect victims from an ironic perspective. The poem begins with the speaker telling a woman not to cry for her lover who has died in the war; he tells a child and a mother the same sentence. Through the poem, the speaker tells the readers in an ironic tone why the war is good; he remembers the battlefield, the drums, and the trenches. In each of these images, readers can appreciate that the war is not as good as the speaker suggests and that those who have lost loved ones on the battlefield cannot see the glory and goodness that speaker gives to war. During the development of the poem, the speaker tells over and over again to the relatives …show more content…
That is to say, it refers to the indoctrination to which the soldiers submit when they enter the army; indoctrination that is reinforced in times of war so that soldiers are willing to die in defense of those principles and ideals that their country pursues. In Crane’s poem, the idea of this fierce indoctrination is reinforced in verse 7 by stating that “these men were born to drill and die;” in this verse, the speaker indicates that the purpose of soldiers’ lives can be summarized in indoctrinating and dying. This idea is repeated on at least two occasions during the development of Crane’s poem; therefore, this verse ironically points out the perception of governments and civil society in general about soldiers. The image of rumbling drums is a clear sign of the contempt for the lives of those men and women who die in defense of what they believe is right, of the indoctrination they possibly receive since they were children, and of the suffering of the relatives who they see their loved ones go to war and never return. Crane makes his poem a criticism of the military regime that both despises life, but it ironically defends the rights and freedom of citizens of many countries around the world. In the …show more content…
War is kind tirelessly repeats the speaker throughout the 26 verses of this poem. However, the speaker also remembers the battlefield, but not in a happy or heroic way. When the speaker remembers the battlefield, he indicates that it is a place “where a thousand corpses lie” (XXX). This description of the battlefield creates a visual image of terror and rejection; an image that reminds readers that in war it is not all happiness and honor, but death lurks around every corner. This image of the battlefield reinforces the ironic tone of the poem that on the one hand says that the war is good and kind, but, on the other side, it emphasizes the atrocities that the soldiers suffer. This image of the battlefield full of dead people is an exemplification of the cruelty and fatality that the war provokes on soldier’s lives. Moreover, in the poem, the speaker reinforces this image by indicating, “point for them the virtue of slaughter / make plain to them the excellence of killing” (20-21). In these verses, the speaker reinforces that image of atrocity in the battlefields and points out how in the army, in many cases, these massacres are not only justified but also applauded. The excellence of killing reinforces the image of the battlefield full of
“The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” by Randall Jarrell is able to accomplish so many thing with so little lines-mainly through the use of metaphor and diction. It explains the terrors of wars in gruesome detail and explains the ways in which wars, in a sense “breed” and “birth” death. To some, this poem is seen as the ultimate poem of war, and rightly
The novel and poem both express the central idea that the horrors of war suppress
The poet Wilfred Owen was one of many poets who were against war. He reflected this idea of anti-war in his poems, one of his poems called “Anthem for Doomed Youth”, mirrors most aspects of war all put together in this short still deep poem. An example of that would be when the speaker stated,” What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?”(1) The speaker asks is there any sound that marks our soldier’s death other than the sounds of church bell’s which are mostly rung to represent somebody’s absence? Clearly, the speaker sets anger as the tone of the poem through this question to show that soldier’s death is unremarkable.. The speaker compares the soldiers to a “cattle” which illustrates that soldiers are treated more like animals with no feelings and also shows how they are killed indiscriminately in war. Finally the line ironically contains an iambic pentameter which is a natural rhythm for such dark, grim, dull subject. The two novels, The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, and All Quiet on The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, both present a similar idea of how soldiers are killed out there in the front comprehensively and the dehumanization of war towards its soldiers. The first novel is set during the Civil War, and it focuses on the psychological aspects of one soldier named Henry Fleming and how his naive thoughts about war constantly change through the course of the novel. The second novel presents the life of a soldier named Paul Baumer and his
I think that more than dehumanizing the impact of war, the text really uses poetic devices well. In a dark and sorrowful context. This quote caught my attention and I even knew that this is the quote I wanted to use of this example. I like it because it is a good summarization of his entire experience.
This poem dwells heavily on the problems in war. It describes how high the death toll is for both sides. Slessor uses “convoys of dead sailors” to show that all these dead body’s are very much alike, with their movements and feelings being the same. It also outlines a major problem in war, being able to identify and bury they dead properly.
Since the beginning of time, humans have sought after power and control. It is human instinct to desire to be the undisputed champion, but when does it become a problem? Warfare has been practiced throughout civilization as a way to justify power. Though the orders come directly from one man, thousands of men and women pay the ultimate sacrifice. In Randall Jerrell’s “The Death of a Ball Turret Gunner”, Jarrell is commenting on the brutality of warfare. Not only does Jarrell address the tragedies of war, he also blames politics, war leaders, and the soldier’s acknowledgement of his duties. (Hill 6) With only five lines of text, his poems allows the reader to understand what a soldier can go through. With the use of Jerrell’s poem, The Vietnam War, and Brian Turner’s “Ameriki Jundee”, the truth of combat will be revealed.
War poetry displays an accurate representation of the sensations felt during the horrid times of battle. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, D.B. asks Allie, “who was the best war poet, Rupert Brooke or Emily Dickinson” (140). The question proposed can be answered with many different opinions, as the individual's knowledge and understanding of each poet will impact their decision. In contrast to Rupert Brooke, Emily Dickinson is clearly the superior war poet as she portrays soldiers and the idea of death in an insightful manner, which causes the reader to go beyond their comprehension of the words to recognize the full potential of the poem.
In war ,many terrible tragedies occur, leaving many people scarred and in grief and who can never forget the nightmare of war.This paper will discuss“ In, Flanders fields by John Mccrae’s,Dulce et Decorum EST by Wilfred Owen and I sing of Olaf glad and big by ee cummings.This paper will be discussing the different points of views that poets have about war and how it shapes our own opinion ,of it because none of us have experienced war firsthand and have only heard about the nightmare from those who have survived and lived to tell us their story.
“War Is Kind” writes, “Swift blazing Flag of the regiment, eagle with crest of the red and gold, These men were born to drill and die” (Crane). Even though this is not necessarily talking about any war today’s soldiers do not know if they are gonna die and they are honored for their bravery and sacrifice. Also in “War is Kind”, “Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind, Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky And the affrighted steed ran on alone, Do not weep. War is kind” (Crane). At this part of the poem, it is trying to say that these men are leaving their wives, family, and kids to fight for the country. Society views soldiers now as heroes because of their sacrifice and bravery. No one is making them fight they are risking their lives for people who can not fight for themselves. Americans are extremely grateful for our
War is a scandalous topic where peoples’ views differ as to what war is. Some people see it as pure evil and wicked while others think that it is brave and noble of what soldiers do. Looking at poems which had been written by people affected by war help show the messages which are portrayed. The two sets of poems which show different views of war as well as some similarities are “the Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred Lord Tennyson, “To Lucasta, on Going to the Wars” by Richard Lovelace and “Dulce Et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen, “The Song of the Mud” by Mary Borden. Both these poets use linguistic devices to convince the reader of their view of what the war is. Tennyson and Lovelace show how war is worthy
Poets frequently utilize vivid images to further depict the overall meaning of their works. The imagery in “& the War Was in Its Infancy Then,” by Maurice Emerson Decaul, conveys mental images in the reader’s mind that shows the physical damage of war with the addition of the emotional effect it has on a person. The reader can conclude the speaker is a soldier because the poem is written from a soldier’s point of view, someone who had to have been a first hand witness. The poem is about a man who is emotionally damaged due to war and has had to learn to cope with his surroundings. By use of imagery the reader gets a deeper sense of how the man felt during the war. Through the use of imagery, tone, and deeper meaning, Decaul shows us the
The poet then presents a scene of patriotic relevance as he describes a scene of a regiment marching into battle with their “flag” and “Eagle with crest of red and gold” (17-18). When people think of flags, they think of patriotism and representing their country. Eagles also symbolize freedom but as readers can witness in the work, the poet makes it seem as if these men were created not to enjoy the gift of life for one moment by him saying “These men were born to drill and die” (19). This comes across to the reader as almost inhumane. Then by illustrating an image of a field of thousands of dead corpses makes any reader wonder why people even go to war. The whole fourth stanza paints a picture of living human being going into a battle with most, if not any, making it out alive. Like stated before, the speaker in the poem builds a case for those people that opposed to war even though the title of the poem might
Throughout Wilfred Owen’s collection of poems, he unmasks the harsh tragedy of war through the events he experienced. His poems indulge and grasp readers to feel the pain of his words and develop some idea on the tragedy during the war. Tragedy was a common feature during the war, as innocent boys and men had their lives taken away from them in a gunshot. The sad truth of the war that most of the people who experienced and lived during the tragic time, still bare the horrifying images that still live with them now. Owen’s poems give the reader insight to this pain, and help unmask the tragedy of war.
The poem starts with similar word choices as ‘The Soldier’ but written in the perspective of the mother. The mother tells his son that when he dies he will be in a place of ‘quietness’ and free from the ‘loss and bloodshed’. This reinforces the fact that the battlefield was full of horrors and death. The poem then moves onto how ‘men may rest themselves and dream of nought’ explaining that the soldiers do not have to fear for their lives after their death. This illustrates how they feared for their lives and had negative connotations.
When faced with the countless problems of war including death, disease, sorrow, and loss, soldiers develop and intense bond between one another as they seek support in one another. A brotherhood is formed among these soldiers who rely on one another for protection and companionship amid a time in their lives where they are faced with the constant threat of death and violence everyday of their lives. But what happens to them after the war? In After the War, poet brings awareness to how the war-torn soldier attempts to reestablish their self in a society they have been isolated from for so many years through use of free verse and repetitive phrases, which further reinforces the theme throughout the poem.