This post contains the model answer for the question: How
does Stephen Crane convey the cruelty and futility of war by using irony to
contrast traditional romanticized ideas at war in his poem War is Kind.
War has obviously been a part of modern poetry and
literature. However, it had been a recurrent subject matter of the poetic
conventions of by gone eras. From ancient classical literature to literature in
modern era, the subject matter, war holds a huge portion. The key feature of
conventional war-literature is, it has been the cradle for heroes and heroines
who showcased bravery – the driving force behind people to join in warfare.
Traditional war poets have influenced immensely to motivate the people to join
war – they romanticized and glorified the act of war. According to them it is
sweet and honorable to die for one’s motherland; the people who die at the war
are considered as heroes thus making war and warfare and act of honor.
However, modern war poets like Stephen Crane strictly
ridiculed the act of war showing the cruelty and futility associated around the
very subject matter. He who had experienced war at first hand, knew it and he
used his poetic voice to reveal the real grin of war. He, in his poem War is
Kind uses irony and contrast to show the darker realities behind the act of
war.
Crane Skillfully uses his verbal irony to reveal the bitter
cruelty lurk in the battlefield. As he implies, the soldier who dies at the
battlefield does not experience the so-called honorable end:
…your father tumbled in the yellow trenches
Raged at his breast, gulped and died.
From the ‘lover’ who ‘threw wild hands towards the sky’ to
the father who died in ‘yellow trenches’ experience the true horror of
battlefield which generates a disturbing imagery in the mind of the reader.
Crane uses the recurrent phrase ‘Do not weep, War is kind’ which sharply
contrasts the image of soldiers who face terrible casualties in the field of
war. The purpose of the poet here is to convey the reality and the cruelty
associated in war. As romantic poets show, dying in the battlefield is not a
happy ending – it is far worse horror.
The poet clearly paints the face of real battlefield before
the eyes of the reader. They do not see the romanticized hero play or a
well-crafted war movie but the truth! Here, crane uses the technique contrast
to draw parallels between the heaven vs the actual field ow war:
Great is the battle god, great and his kingdom
A field where a thousand corpses lie.
The poet has brought the mythical god of war who influences
human to fight each other which clearly highlights the hollowness behind the
epic greatness illustrated by romantic, traditional writers of war. He
ironically contrasts the kingdom of the Battle God to a field where a heap of
dead bodies idly scattered everywhere. This disturbing visual imagery does not
show a heavenly picture but a real battlefield after a battle where soldiers
from both parties dead and cover the field with what remained of their
bodies.
The poet tries to unveil the untold truth behind the victims
of war and their beloved ones using irony thus showing the final outcome of war
is always to be a futile one. He ironically shows how the beloved ones were
instructed to stay happy and proud despite their uncertain future lays ahead:
Do not weep maiden, for war is kind/
Do not weep baby, for war is kind.
The cold instruction ‘do not weep’ and the simple reasoning
‘for war is kind’ are like a common slogan to all the beloved ones whose lover,
father and son died at the war. Those selective words used by the poet mock the
people who romanticize the act of war because the reasoning out is itself an
icy-cold inhuman and meaningless one because war has not been kind to any of
the beloved ones who lost their precious companions of their lives. The gap
created by the loss of a beloved one cannot be filled by anything or any means.
Crane in his poem tries to eye-open the reader not to be fooled by the fantasies
of the glory of war.
The poet further brings the actual truth why the young ones
are drawn to the act of war. He indirectly accuses the glorifying elements of
war showing the disaster it can create:
Swift blazing flag of the regiment
Eagle with crest of red and gold
These men were born to drill and die
Crane introduces the young soldiers as ‘little souls’ who
are drawn to the glory factors of war like colors, symbols and sounds. He uses
the oxymoron ‘unexplained glory’ which attracts the young people to join war –
the young crave for glory, bravery and acceptance in the society. The poet
critically points out how those naïve young souls were manipulated, brainwashed
to make killing machines. During the process, they become killing machines or
humanity killers. The poet ultimately shows that whole act of war to be a saga
of cruelty which destroys the core fundamentals of humanity.
In conclusion, it is evident that Stephen Crane successfully
sums up the idea that the act of war is not an act of honor. As well as the
soldiers do not face a heroic end at the end or throughout their lives; it is
their beloved ones who suffer and carry the burden of loss and pain at the end.
He masterfully uses irony and contrast to ridicule the traditional,
romanticized image created in the mind of common people in the world.
You may read the analysis of the poem: War is kind by Stephen Crane here.
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Stephen Crane convey the cruelty and futility of war by using irony to contrast
traditional romanticized ideas at war in his poem War is Kind. You may
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