from 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 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.
Summary of From War is Kind
- Popularity of “From War is Kind”: Occurring in the long poem of Stephen Crane, a popular war poet of the United Kingdom, these lines are popular with their first line. The poem first appeared in the collection War is Kind and Other Lines, published in 1899. The poem presents the war scene in which some fight and some flee, but the war continues with the refrain of war is kind. Herein lies the main reason behind the popularity of these verses.
- “From War is Kind” As a Representative of War: The poet presents a speaker who harps on the same string of “War is Kind” which happens to be the title of the poem. In the first line of these verses, he calls the maiden to pacify her that war is kind and that her lover has just withdrawn because of the flight of his horse. Therefore, she should not weep over it. The speaker presents the war scene in the first stanza showing that the little souls of the soldiers fight as they were born to die in the war. In fact, it is the greatness of the battle dog that they fight for “unexplained glory” and again tries to pacify the girl that war is still kind and that she should not weep. Addressing the girl, the speaker again tries to explain to her that virtue and the art of killing show her that these men see thousands of corpses on the battlefield, and still they continue fighting. It is because war is kind, as the speaker pacifies the weeping mother
- Major Themes in “From War is Kind”: The superficial consolation to women about the ravages of war, the lies of war, and pacifism are major themes of these verses. Comprising just two stanzas with some verses used as refrains, the poet wants to show the reader that the claims that people should not weep and that war is kind are just superficial and has no substance. It is because, besides these claims and slogans, the war continues with regimental soldiers fighting for glory and the battle of god raging to cause destruction. They see the ravages in the shape of thousands of corpses and still, they continue thinking that slaughter and killing are virtues and that they would win glory. Although these are all lies and twisted usages of language, he is of the view that this may cause pacifism among the people. The irony is quite clear through the refrain that “War is kind.”
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in From War is Kind
Stephen Crane’s excellence lies in poetry writing bedecked with literary devices. He used various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of this poem. Some of the major literary devices are as follows.
- Allusion: It means to use references of cultural, historical, and social significance. The poet used general military allusions, such as regiment, drill, drums, and battle.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ in “And the affrighted steed ran on alone” and the sound of /i/ in “On the bright splendid shroud of your son.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /h/ in “heart hung humble.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /m/ in “Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment” and the sound of /d/ and /r/ in “These men were born to drill and die.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Stephen Crane used imagery in this poem, such as “Swift, blazing flag of the regiment”, “Little souls who thirst for fight” and “Point for them the virtue of slaughter.”
- Irony: It means to use words whose intended meanings are contradictory to the actual words. For example, the phrase “war is kind” shows this irony as it is not kind but highly ruinous as the fields full of corpses show this kindness quite clearly.
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet used the metaphor of glory that flies like a bird.
- Simile: It means a direct comparison of things to show or clarify the meanings of one thing being compared. For example, Stephen Crane used the simile of heart which is like a button on the coffin.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols, such as regiment, steed, fight, glory, and corpses to show the ravages of war.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in From War is Kind
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows good use of formal and poetic diction.
- Repetition: It means to use words or phrases repeatedly to stress upon some theme or idea, such as the repetition of some phrases “do not weep” or “War is kind.”
- Refrain: It means the repetition of a verse after successive stanzas. The poem used “War is kind” and “A field where a thousand corpses lie” as refrains in this poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are five stanzas, with each comprising a different number of verses and some comprising refrains.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a sad, sorrowful, ironic, and tragic tone.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote when using irony about the war and its ravages.
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.
