Sunday, January 22, 2012

War is Kind by Stephen Crane

Text:
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.

Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment,
Little souls who thirst for fight,
These men were born to drill and die.
The unexplained glory flies above them.
Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom--
A field where a thousand corpses lie.

Do not weep, babe, for war is kind.
Because your father tumbles in the yellow trenches,
Raged at his breast, gulped and died,
Do not weep.
War is kind.

Swift blazing flag of the regiment,
Eagle with crest of red and gold,
These men were born to drill and die.
Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
Make plain to them the excellence of killing
And a field where a thousand corpses lie.

Mother whose heart hung humble as a button
On the bright splendid shroud of your son,
Do not weep.
War is kind!
Initial Reaction:
I believe “War is Kind” is a satire for the concept of war. The poem has a highly sarcastic tone as it lists all the horrors of war, and then contrasts the depiction of the horrors with the line “War is kind.” While the narrator states “glory flies above [the soldier]” and urges family members “Do not weep,” in reality, it can be inferred through the poem that the narrator is extremely anti-war.
Paraphrase:
Do not cry young lover, for war is good,
Since your boyfriend threw his scared hands toward the sky
And his frightened horse ran away alone,
Do not cry.
War is good.

Loud, booming drums of the soldiers,
Young boys who long to fight,
These men were born to fight and die.
The ceaseless victory flies above them.
The god of battles is great, and his lands --
A field where countless dead bodies lie.

Do not cry, child, for war is good.
Because your father died in the trenches,
His chest inflamed, gulping before he died,
Do not cry.
War is good.

Fiery flag of the soldiers,
With the symbol of an eagle and red and gold crest,
These men were born to fight and die.
Point them in the direction of virtuous death,
Teach them about the honor of killing
And the field where countless dead bodies lie.

Mother who has a humble heart
On the beautiful burial sheet of your son,
Do not cry.
War is good!
SWIFTT:
SW: The author uses repetition throughout the poem to convey his sarcastic and dark message about war, which can be seen as he writes, “These men were born to drill and die” and “War is kind.” The only rhyme that can be found in the poem is in the second and fourth stanzas where the poem has an abcdec rhyme scheme.
I: The poem contains graphic imagery of war. For example, lines such as “your lover threw wild hands toward the sky, And the affrighted steed ran on alone” and “your father tumbles in the yellow trenches,
Raged at his breast, gulped and died” convey an image of the horrors of war. In addition, the poem contains imagery of families of fallen soldiers, as it reads, “Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind” and “Mother whose heart hung humble as a button.”
F: In the poem, war is symbolizes death. Throughout the poem, the author does not focus on war victories, but he focuses on the loss of family members to war, presenting war as simply a stealer of life. For example, the poem reads, “These men were born to drill and die” and “A field where a thousand corpses lie.” Further, the poem reads, “Swift blazing flag of the regiment, Eagle with crest of red and gold.” The flag depicted symbolizes the glory of war, while the following line, which state “These men were born to fight and die” represents the idea that despite all the imagined glories of war, in the end, the soldiers are simply pawns of a deadly game.
T: The tone of the poem is highly sarcastic and dark as the author states that the soldiers in war were simply “men born to fight and die.” It is sarcastic because the author constantly states “War is kind” in combination with lines depicting the horrors of war. In addition, lines like “Little souls who thirst for fight” and “A field where a thousand corpses lie” give the poem a dark tone.
T: The theme of the poem is that war is simply a deadly game that takes life and gives nothing in return. While the narrator constantly states, “War is kind,” in reality, he is satirizing the entire concept of war. The sarcastic tone of the poem further contributes to the author’s dark thoughts about war. Throughout the poem, death is a constant theme as the author writes, “the affrighted steed ran on alone,” “These men were born to drill and die,” and “Raged at his breast, gulped and died.”
Conclusion:
My concluding thoughts on the poem are the same as my initial reaction. The author’s tone throughout the entire poem was highly sarcastic, suggesting the fact that he is anti-war despite his words “War is kind.” In addition, the poem reveals the darkest side of war as it depicts fallen soldiers that die alone, then depicts the mourning families of the soldiers. The entire poem is a satire for the darkness of war.

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