“War is kind” by Stephen Crane
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!
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 Impression:
When I first read “War is Kind,” all I could think was that the author, Stephen Crane, must have a twisted sense of reality. He is basically telling a mom, a daughter, and a lover that they should not cry for lost loved ones, that war is a good thing.
Paraphrase:
Don’t cry maiden. Your boyfriend may be dead but he died valiantly. War is good. Don’t cry, kid. Your dad may be dead but he died an honorable death fighting for his country. War is a good thing. Due to war and the army, these men have been turned into killing machines. They live to slaughter the enemy. They kill in thousands. Don’t cry, mother. Your son may be dead but he is buried with the pride of serving his country. War is good.
SWIFTT:
Stephen Crane uses syntax, diction, imagery, figurative language, tone, and theme in the poem, “War is Kind.”
Syntax/Word choice:
“War is Kind” is a free verse poem with 5 stanzas with 26 lines in all. Crane uses repetition of the phrase, “war is kind” in order to explain his purpose in writing “War is Kind.” There are also three women throughout the lines of the poem. In the last stanza, there is alliteration: “heart hung humble…” The poem also has a simile in the last stanza: “humble as a button,” where young men’s innocence is taken away by the gruesomeness of war.
Imagery:
Also, Crane uses war-time imagery, “Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment…” to show the gruesomeness of war. The “eagle with crest of red and gold” is a symbol of America in the war. The young men fight for this symbol and for the freedom of America, but the men think that they have no choice in the war.
Figurative language:
There is no usage of simile or metaphor. However, there is an allusion to both Lucifer and Ares, the god of the underworld and the god of battle: “Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom-- A field where a thousand corpses lie.” There is irony in which war is seemingly glorified, however Crane goes on to explain that war is a pointless battle in which men are killed for something they feel forced into.
Tone:
The tone of this song is bitter and sarcastic. Men go into the military thinking it is their obligation; their deaths are predetermined.
Theme:
The theme of “War is Kind” is glorification of death at war and outrage about Crane’s world. War is NOT kind. Man is at the mercy of fate and does not have a choice in the matter.
Conclusion:
After analyzing the poem with the class, I have been able to comprehend Stephen Crane’s “War is Kind.” I interpret the poem as Crane expressing his outrage towards the pointless death of young men in war. Crane’s philosophy about war seems to be that death is glorified, and that the military throws away young men’s lives and tears families apart. There is also a hint of naturalism in which god isn’t present and does not care about the destruction of mankind. The poem seems to glorify war, but in an ironic, sarcastic manner so that Crane’s true feeling about war are revealed.
No comments:
Post a Comment