I Beg You Brother Do Not Die

In many cases, it really isn’t all that honorable to die for your country. While it may be shocking, this idea stems quite far in history, but it’s still relevant today. People in power use this standard in order to persuade civilians to defend their country and feel in their hearts that they should. Often times, less well off people resort to joining military forces in order to feel that they have purpose in their lives. Commoners accept the fact that they are risking their lives because the wealthy and powerful make them believe that, by fighting in the war, they are somehow benefiting the greater good of the country, and it comes with great honor. However, it is just a tactic the government uses to trick people and grow their military. In wars, like World War I, the United States used a draft system to recruit people to fight. They used propaganda like the poster of Uncle Sam pointing and saying “I want YOU for the US army”. Uncle Sam was used to represent the patriotism of the United States to boost US citizens pride
Due to their familial ties, she knows a lot about her brother’s personal life, so she uses that information to guilt him into staying home rather than risking his life at war. Some arguments she uses include the fact that his mother needs his support in her grieving after the recent passing of his father, or the possibility of abandoning his wife of only ten months. Also, she was only speaking to one person, her brother, and her goal was to persuade him only, as opposed to a wide audience of. She repeats “I beg you brother do not die” various times in the poem and by “brother” she means her own flesh and blood. Her goal was to protect her brother and make sure he knows that there is no honor in dying in