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War Is Kind Analysis

The poem "War is Kind" by Stephen Crane uses sarcasm and metaphorical language to convey the harsh realities of war. In three of the five stanzas, the speaker addresses a maiden who lost her lover, a baby who lost its father, and a mother who lost her son to war. Through these examples, the poem highlights how war inflicts deep personal loss and grief on soldiers and their families. While the title and refrain state that "war is kind," the violent and tragic imagery throughout the poem communicates the opposite - that war is cruel and devastating for all involved.

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823 views4 pages

War Is Kind Analysis

The poem "War is Kind" by Stephen Crane uses sarcasm and metaphorical language to convey the harsh realities of war. In three of the five stanzas, the speaker addresses a maiden who lost her lover, a baby who lost its father, and a mother who lost her son to war. Through these examples, the poem highlights how war inflicts deep personal loss and grief on soldiers and their families. While the title and refrain state that "war is kind," the violent and tragic imagery throughout the poem communicates the opposite - that war is cruel and devastating for all involved.

Uploaded by

maurhene aniana
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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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 tumbled 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.

Blue – Personification Imagery Red – Symbol Imagery,

Green – Pun’s Imagery Yellow – Metaphor Imagery


PERSONIFICATION IMAGERY:

“Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment”

- The speaker used the word "hoarse" to describe the drums, giving the impression that
they are losing their voices due to the repetitive drumming, despite the fact that we all
know that drums do not lose their voices, only humans do.

“The unexplained glory flies above them”

- The speaker used the word “glory” to characterize the flag (inanimate object), which
explain why it’s flying. It can also be associated to animal characteristics. We all know
that glory can’t fly however the bird does.

SYMBOL IMAGERY:

“The unexplained glory flies above them”

- In this line, he speaker is most likely referring to the young (little) and men (souls)
who fight battles, rather than a bunch of souls running around armed for war.

“Swift, blazing flag of the regiment”

- The regiment’s flag, with eagle on it is swiftly blazing in the sky it does not mean that
the flag is on fire; rather it symbolizes that the flag is shining brightly.

“Eagle with crest of red and gold”

- This line symbolizes the meaning of the flag with the eagle with crest and gold, which
the eagle as the country’s national symbol is associated with bravery and courage. In
addition I believe the colors have symbolic meaning. The red is associated with
blood and war, while the gold is associated with glory.
PUN’S IMAGERY:

“Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom

A field where a thousand corpses lie”

- The speaker sarcastically plays on his words, claiming that war spirit and his
kingdom are great while thousands of corpses lie. Fields are great, but not when a
war is ongoing. A nice, peaceful field turns into a massive graveyard with full of
thousands corpses. Wait, this mean this field isn't a kingdom? Well, it is but the
gravest kingdom you’ll ever see.

METAPHOR IMAGERY:

“Little souls who thirst for fight”

- In this line, the speaker is not referring to a bunch of souls running around armed for
battle but he is probably referring to the young (little) and men (souls) who fight
battles.

“Swift, blazing flag of the regiment” “Eagle with crest of red and gold”

- In this line, the speaker compare the regiment to an eagle, in which he believes that
they soldiers are strong and brave.

About the poem:

Since we all know that war is not kind, but cruel and terrible, the title is ironic or sarcastic. The
poem's tone is sarcastic, so we can conclude that when the speaker says war is kind, he really
means the total opposite.
Stephen Crane’s poem of five stanzas takes us right into the heart of the battlefield with soldiers
crying and dying all around. Especially, the indented second and fourth stanzas capture the
cruelty of war in sharply focused scenes of dying soldiers. Stanzas one, three and five, on the
other hand, are about two women and a baby who have lost their loved ones in war. The first
stanza is about a woman who has lost her lover, the second stanza about the loss of a father
and third about the death of a son. In each of these stanzas, the poet seems to console the
mourners in a tongue in cheek manner.

Theme:
War is Kind is about the wrong and toxic glorification of war and the losses caused by war. The
theme of the poem is the violence of war and its affect on others.

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