Notes 4, 5, & 6

Note 4

"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 tumbles 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!

Within the context of Stephen Crane's poem "War is Kind," the speaker creates a vividly morose tone. The phrase "war is kind" is being repeated at the end of each stanza resulting in an emphasis on the expression. However, the war-infused imagery does not support its claim. The comfort given "born to drill and die" is not consoling but in reality, it dehumanizes the soldier. "Virtue of slaughter" is one of the most graphic parts of the piece that creates  a contradictory tone of churning sorrow while being held under a supposedly lightly casual "war is kind" thumb. As the poem continues to seemingly try and comfort a woman who is dealing with the mourning of a soldier that was tragically killed in a war, it becomes evident that the more the speak discusses the matter, the more he's not helping at all but rather making the situation worse. Near the end Crane begins to incorporate a patriotic tone with the description of the eagle and flag giving the readers the assumption that he has been describing an American soldier the entire time. Crane also manages to intertwine a romantic quality to the piece of literature as it describes the soldier as being her lover. 

Note 5

"The Soldier"

by Rupert Brooke

If I should die, think only this of me:
That there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England’s, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

Rupert Brooke provides an interesting take on the narrator of his poem, "The Soldier." He's the narrator. The setting that is easily identifiable is England as he constantly refers to it and is describing the rivers and air all being an "English heaven." As the reader continues to grasp the character Brooke is trying to portray, it comes across as if he is completely in love with a girl and wants nothing but the absolute best for her. Not only is he addressing this mysterious woman, but it also screams that he has accepted death and these are his final words as he expresses in the first line saying "If I should die." Brooke wants readers to understand how nice the woman's life will be with him describing things in thick detail. Aside from the first line briefly touching the death tone, it is a rather joyous tone for the duration of the rest of the poem giving the reader relief from the typical war poem discussing nothing but blood and gore. Brooke manages to give readers a fresh breath of air.

Note 6

"In Flanders Fields"

by John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

"In Flanders Fields" is a peculiar piece for literature as the narrator is dead and is speaking from beneath the grave. The deceased narrator illustrates their burial site with the poppies and fields. A present day historical connection that can be made to the graveyard is Arlington Cemetery as it is described as there are crosses row after row. The narrator is not bitter about their untimely death but is actually just the opposite in saying "we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow/Loved and were loved, and now we lie/In Flanders fields." This particular line demonstrates how life was lived to the fullest and now are at peace in Flanders fields. It is perceived as if the deceased want the living to live for them and not to let them down as they pass down metaphorically a torch of their lives. It is then explained that if the living fail to "break faith with us who die," they will not be at peace but in distress as they "shall not sleep." A reference to an after life is also alive within the context as the poppies grow, so do the deceased.