War Is Kind by Stephen Crane
'war is always destructive and it does not bring any joy.' do you agree? discuss in relation to the poem war is kind.
the poem 'war is kind' by Stephen Crane approaches the theme war and it's effects and echoes the plight of individual victims of war. simultaneously sympathetic with the sufferers of war and cynical about the purposes of war, Crane illustrates in graphic scenes the destructive nature and realities in the battle field and the emotional torment it causes for those who are left behind. thus, in his poem Crane criticizes the theme war, negating the fabricated tale of splendor and grandeur in war and effectively illustrates the grim realities and horrendous aspects hidden behind the exterior of grandeur.
the title itself alerts to the reader of the ironic tone of the poet since it is quite arduous to imagine the war being kind in any possible way. thus, Crane implicitly suggests the destructive nature of war with bitter irony.
for accurately demonstrating the horrendous dimensions and brutality of war, poet recaptures the emotionally tormented victims of war and their plight. in this way the poem opens to maiden, beseeching her to not lament the fall of her sweetheart. here the poet tries to console the maiden with bitter irony.
"do not weep maiden
for war is kind ..."
the poet asks the maiden to not lament over her lover since the war is "kind". so, this is quite frustrating and outrageous and the poet further continues his bitter irony when describing the death of the lover or the beau of the above maiden.
"because your lover threw wild hands towards the sky
and the affrighted steed ran on alone..."
here, Crane illustrates the death of the above maiden's lover. the image is quite melodramatic and moving. the soldier thrusts helpless hands towards the sky, perhaps beseeching futile help. while he soldier lies in the battlefield, breathing his last, his steed runs astray, without a rider. in this way Crane demonstrates a very moving picture of the death of this soldier. nevertheless, as a result of his demise, his sweetheart is disoriented and in plight. because of war, the life of both soldier and the maiden has been massacred. while the soldier suffered physical injures and died, his lover; the maiden, is emotionally tormented and disturbed for the life time. thus, this effectively and accurately brings forth the cynical yet true purposes of war and the huge destructive forces accompanied by it.
for further solidifying the gloomy realities of war, the poet approaches a babe who has lost his/her father during the battle.
"because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches
raged at his breast, gulped and died..."
the babe has lost his/her father, his affection and love because of war. the babe's life hereafter will be empty and hollow since he/she is deprived of the love of a father. in this way, the war takes away a loving father from a little babe and this also describes implicitly the plight and destruction that is the ultimatum of war.
an image of a mother humble on her knees, lamenting over the fall of her son is also represented here. the mother's heart which is painful over the grief of losing her son is extended and compared to a button of the outfit of her dead son, filling the comparison with pathos.
" mother whose heart hung humble as a button
on the bright splendid shroud of your son..."
a button is humble because it is quite small and unassuming. here the grief-stricken mother also has become a brittle image because of her loss. on the other hand, Crane suggests the unimportance of the plight of the individual victims of war to the powers that be.
"these men were born drill and die..."
this line implicitly suggests the attitude of war makers to the soldiers who fight in the battle field. these evil forces are insensitive and callous to the feelings of the soldiers so that these soldiers are rather forced to fight or die in the battle field, regardless of their concerns on the matter. the above ine also divulges a sense of soldiers exhaustion and resignation as they fight with the national flag looming above them. thus, Crane questions the validity of patriotism as an attitude and an ideology and thereby, criticizes the true purposes of war hidden behind the novellic romantic hero exterior. in this way poet implicitly demonstrates the futility, insidiousness and brutal nature of war while approaching the soldiers and the victims of was in a condescending manner.
"point for them the virtue of slaughter
make plain to them the excellence of killing..."
these lines underscore the brutality and horrendous dimensions of war. however, Crane approaches these lines with bitter irony, bringing sarcasm and frustration t the reader in the same time. he accurately emphasizes there's nothing rational about men who fight and die for a symbol because it only brings destruction. the war makers stimulate the soldiers to fight and kill the enemies just to meet their own selfish ends. thus, Crane condemns and despises the war and it's aftermath, criticizing the military itself. theses war makers allude the battle field and battle god "great", so that the poem condemns the action of the powers that be. the poem glimpses the war for it's true self as brutal and destructive and is outraged at the behalf of innocent soldiers who march for their deaths unable to force their destinies.
finally, the poem comes to an end with an image of a disoriented mother, bent over the coffin of her son, perhaps because this image more than any other, carries a higher degree of emotional resonance of the destructive, brutal nature of war and how damaged these individual victims has become.
the poem 'war is kind' by Stephen Crane approaches the theme war and it's effects and echoes the plight of individual victims of war. simultaneously sympathetic with the sufferers of war and cynical about the purposes of war, Crane illustrates in graphic scenes the destructive nature and realities in the battle field and the emotional torment it causes for those who are left behind. thus, in his poem Crane criticizes the theme war, negating the fabricated tale of splendor and grandeur in war and effectively illustrates the grim realities and horrendous aspects hidden behind the exterior of grandeur.
the title itself alerts to the reader of the ironic tone of the poet since it is quite arduous to imagine the war being kind in any possible way. thus, Crane implicitly suggests the destructive nature of war with bitter irony.
for accurately demonstrating the horrendous dimensions and brutality of war, poet recaptures the emotionally tormented victims of war and their plight. in this way the poem opens to maiden, beseeching her to not lament the fall of her sweetheart. here the poet tries to console the maiden with bitter irony.
"do not weep maiden
for war is kind ..."
the poet asks the maiden to not lament over her lover since the war is "kind". so, this is quite frustrating and outrageous and the poet further continues his bitter irony when describing the death of the lover or the beau of the above maiden.
"because your lover threw wild hands towards the sky
and the affrighted steed ran on alone..."
here, Crane illustrates the death of the above maiden's lover. the image is quite melodramatic and moving. the soldier thrusts helpless hands towards the sky, perhaps beseeching futile help. while he soldier lies in the battlefield, breathing his last, his steed runs astray, without a rider. in this way Crane demonstrates a very moving picture of the death of this soldier. nevertheless, as a result of his demise, his sweetheart is disoriented and in plight. because of war, the life of both soldier and the maiden has been massacred. while the soldier suffered physical injures and died, his lover; the maiden, is emotionally tormented and disturbed for the life time. thus, this effectively and accurately brings forth the cynical yet true purposes of war and the huge destructive forces accompanied by it.
for further solidifying the gloomy realities of war, the poet approaches a babe who has lost his/her father during the battle.
"because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches
raged at his breast, gulped and died..."
the babe has lost his/her father, his affection and love because of war. the babe's life hereafter will be empty and hollow since he/she is deprived of the love of a father. in this way, the war takes away a loving father from a little babe and this also describes implicitly the plight and destruction that is the ultimatum of war.
an image of a mother humble on her knees, lamenting over the fall of her son is also represented here. the mother's heart which is painful over the grief of losing her son is extended and compared to a button of the outfit of her dead son, filling the comparison with pathos.
" mother whose heart hung humble as a button
on the bright splendid shroud of your son..."
a button is humble because it is quite small and unassuming. here the grief-stricken mother also has become a brittle image because of her loss. on the other hand, Crane suggests the unimportance of the plight of the individual victims of war to the powers that be.
"these men were born drill and die..."
this line implicitly suggests the attitude of war makers to the soldiers who fight in the battle field. these evil forces are insensitive and callous to the feelings of the soldiers so that these soldiers are rather forced to fight or die in the battle field, regardless of their concerns on the matter. the above ine also divulges a sense of soldiers exhaustion and resignation as they fight with the national flag looming above them. thus, Crane questions the validity of patriotism as an attitude and an ideology and thereby, criticizes the true purposes of war hidden behind the novellic romantic hero exterior. in this way poet implicitly demonstrates the futility, insidiousness and brutal nature of war while approaching the soldiers and the victims of was in a condescending manner.
"point for them the virtue of slaughter
make plain to them the excellence of killing..."
these lines underscore the brutality and horrendous dimensions of war. however, Crane approaches these lines with bitter irony, bringing sarcasm and frustration t the reader in the same time. he accurately emphasizes there's nothing rational about men who fight and die for a symbol because it only brings destruction. the war makers stimulate the soldiers to fight and kill the enemies just to meet their own selfish ends. thus, Crane condemns and despises the war and it's aftermath, criticizing the military itself. theses war makers allude the battle field and battle god "great", so that the poem condemns the action of the powers that be. the poem glimpses the war for it's true self as brutal and destructive and is outraged at the behalf of innocent soldiers who march for their deaths unable to force their destinies.
finally, the poem comes to an end with an image of a disoriented mother, bent over the coffin of her son, perhaps because this image more than any other, carries a higher degree of emotional resonance of the destructive, brutal nature of war and how damaged these individual victims has become.
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