"War is Kind", by Stephen Crane, 1/25/12

“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!

REACTION

This poem is very paradoxical. The title in itself presents a paradox, because there is no possible way that war is kind. The poem is very depressing and borderline disturbing. The entire poem is entirely about the author telling random people that they should not weep for their loved one who died because war is kind. This leads to the assumption that this statement “war is kind” is simply a sarcastic statement meant to moreover show the author’s disgust with war.

PARAPHRASE

Don’t cry girl, because your lover died. War is kind. Loud sounds of the regiment, little men who thirst for a fight, these men were born to drill and die. An unexplained glory engulfs these men. The god of war is great and his kingdom is a field with thousands of corpses. Don’t cry baby, because your father falls in the trenches shot in his breast, breathes for air, and dies. Don’t cry. War is kind. Flag of the regiment, an eagle with a crest of red and gold, these men were born to drill and die. Show them the virtue of slaughter, make is clear to them the excellence of killing and of the battlefield with thousands of dead bodies. Mother whose heart was her son, don’t cry. War is kind!

SWIFTT

Syntax/Word Choice- Crane structures his five stanzas in such a way that they are all between 4-6 lines. The poem is structured into parable-like stanzas. Crane uses specific words to describe the gore of war. Also, he chooses his words to show how humans say war is kind and just, but in reality it is not. The repetition of the phrase “war is kind” is meant to emphasis this.

Imagery- The imagery in this poem could not be any more apparent than it is. Crane uses the image of a regiment going to train, fight, and die on a bloody battlefield filled with thousands of rotting corpses. Not only does he do this, but he also gives an ultra descriptive image of a man dying when he says “Because your father tumbles in the yellow trenches,/Raged at his breast, gulped and died…” Crane also goes on to describe the flag of the regiment and to briefly create the image of a woman (lover), baby, and a mother crying over the loss of their significant male figure.

Figurative Language- Crane uses simile when referring to how the mother’s heart “hung humble as a button.” Other than the one use of simile, there is no apparent use of any other types of figurative language.

Tone- The tone of this poem is gory, depressing, and sarcastic. The poem is depressing from the mention of all of the loved ones crying for the one they lost. The poem is gory in the vivid death scenes Cranes uses throughout the poem. Lastly, the poem is sarcastic because Crane obviously makes the remark “war is kind” as a sarcastic gesture to show just how unkind war really is.

Theme- The theme of this poem is the effects of war. Crane throughout the poem is explain how war has killed many men and tells them their loved ones not to cry for them because “war is kind.”

CONCLUSION

This poem presents a paradox in the beginning of the poem. The title in itself presents a paradox, because there is no possible way that war is kind. The poem has very depressing and borderline disturbing images throughout. The poem is about the author telling the loved ones of the deceased that they should not weep for their loved one who died because war is kind. This leads to the assumption that this statement “war is kind” is simply a sarcastic statement meant to moreover show the author’s disgust with war.