In the beginning of the poem, the author uses imagery coupled with allusion and symbolism to illustrate how the speaker is conflicted by and reflecting on the memory of the war.…
The author uses ironic diction to present war as a calamitous machine that of which yields to no one. The first words that arise from the work to the reader is “Do not weep” (Crane 1st stanza), yet it does not comfort the audience. The title emphasizes that the poem is sarcastic and this makes the reader feel doubtful towards the greeting presented to them. In addition,…
A review of chapter 2, 'The Crime of War' in Michael Walzer's book, "Just and Unjust Wars: A moral argument with historical illustrations." Allen Lane 1997.…
From the very beginning of the poem, the soldiers are shown to be exhausted from the war. They are “Bent double, knock kneed, march[ing] asleep, [and] drunk with fatigue” (Owen 1). Clearly the reader can see the exhausted soldiers pushing on through the fields of mud and clay. All of a sudden, gas shells fall behind the men and the deathly green cloud slowly began to overtake the men. By the time the men realized what was happening, only some were able to apply their masks in time. From this point on, the description of the infected soldier begins. After the horrific description of the effects of the poison, the author tells the readers that if they had seen the attack then the parents would not tell their children “The old lie: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.” (Owen 1). Translated to “It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.” The reason for this quote is because it is not always sweet to die for one’s country, which is clearly displayed in the poem. This is an example of verbal irony because while the meaning of the words are strong and inspiring, they are…
“And a field where a thousand corpses lie” (Crane 21), in the poem “War is Kind” by Stephen King, Crane expresses his protest against war using imagery. Crane uses the quote to show where a thousand corpses lie protesting against war. In the many poems the eleventh grade classes, read over the last week, the writers and authors have used imagery, irony, and structure to protest against…
This harsh and insulting language used in the poem helps motivate the young recruits to face the harsh reality of the battlefield in war.…
Speaker's Attitude: The speaker evokes sympathy as they read the poem. What evokes such a tone could possibly be the mood. The mood of this poem is sad and pitiful. Words in the poem give this feeling to the reader. Some would be "battered on one knuckle," "un-frown," and "death." Such a word gives off a vibe of what the mood is therefore resulting in the tone of the speaker.…
Owen wrote this poem to express the damage done through war towards the humanity of the soldiers and men involved; he evokes empathy in the readers using techniques such as war imagery and personification.…
Dramatic irony is a poetic device that has greatly enhanced the meaning and impact of the wars poems of the 18th and 19th century. It is one of the poet’s most useful tools in nourishing the interest of its readers, because it provides a contrast between an instant situation and a future outcome. In “War Is Kind”, Crane Illustrates a man, possibly a general, informing a range of family members of the passing of their kin. He informs the maiden of her lover’s “thirst for fight” (7) and how the “unexplained glory flies above” (9) a battle-god’s kingdom “where a thousand corpses lie” (11). He attempts to comfort a babe, whose father “tumbled in the yellow trenches” and “Raged at his breast, gulped and died” (13-14), all in honor of “the virtue of slaughter” (20). He consoles the grieve-stricken mother “whose heart hung humble as a button” (23). All of the speaker’s statements contradict each other in order for Crane to show that, despite the title of the poem and the constant refrains of war being kind, it truly is heartless and…
In addition, the humor in the poem can also be placed into perspective by allowing us to understand that even though we sometimes are defeated, we look at the brighter side of things and even make a joke or find humor in our opponents in an effort to cover up the sorrow or bad feelings we may have about them or the battle we lost against…
“War is Kind” by Stephen Cane is a poem from the late 1800’s. This poem is assumed to be written about the civil war because World War 1 and World War 2 have not occured yet. This poem is very moving and full of sorrow. “War is Kind” was inspired by Crane’s experience in the front lines in Greece(1897) and cuba(1898). Although the poem is called “War is Kind”, war is definitely far from kind.…
A large sector of just war theory references several moral and legal implications that must be evaluated prior to engaging in attack. The legalist paradigm, as expressed by theorist and author Michael Walzer in his book Just and Unjust Wars1, evaluates the conditions that constitute just war, and elaborates on several of the key circumstances that are required to impose just war on others. Despite its strengths, this paradigm is often evaluated as being a “strawman”, and provides only a foundation for which several other nuanced views can expand on. One fundamental idea expressed in his claims though, is the idea that “nothing but aggression can justify war”1. Through this, Walzer establishes the only moral precedent for which a counter-attack…
War is protested in the poem “War Is Kind” by Stephen Crane through the use of irony. The journalist/war correspondent speaks on the people and says that it is made “plain to them the excellence of killing” (21). The irony behind this statement is that it is known to people that murder is not considered an excellent thing. In a piece of “War is Kind” Crane makes a remark to his significant other about the death of her father. Crane says that in war her father “raged at his breast, gulped and died” (14) right before he ironically adds “Do not weep./War is kind” (15-16). The author is attempting to get his reader to see that just because people expect those to be okay after war incidents occur, they are not always going to be. Irony is used to protest war because it makes the reader stop and think about what it is that was just…
Crane uses irony to appeal to people for and against the war. He shows his use of irony in several different ways. The soldiers having a heated discussion on the battlefield. The narrator telling the maiden not to weep. The mother being humble over her son’s coffin.Irony is deep seated in the phrase “war is kind”, this is a big use of irony because war is the last thing you would imagine to be kind. The phrase “war is kind” is repeated through the entire poem to emphasize his point. People might take Crane’s works far too literally and not realize the sarcasm and irony that he means to put across, but Crane gets his opposition to the war across with his use of…
In today's society, the possession and effective use of force is necessary. We have to recognize that we live in an imperfect world where evil seems to be an inevitablity. Our constant need for power makes the idea of a violent free world unimaginable. As long as we continue on this power hungry path the political issues will continue on this same path. Force is necessary with our current societal conditions and can be looked at as irresponsible when a nation does not prepare for the necessity of force. Any political conversation that entails the words, truth, liberty or peace run hand in hand with the use of force to create them. The perspective of some people are…