Analysis of "War is Kind" by Stephen Crane

The speaker in "War is Kind" is a military person that is bringing bad news to a family.
The news is- a loved one has died in battle. The first section of the poem focses on how the
military person re!ests that the woman he is speaking to stops weeping. The military person
attempts to assre her that war is kind" bt the reality is that the entire poem is a lie. #n reality"
war is not kind. War is very violent. The entire poem is written literally to say that war is kind"
bt the nderlying message is that war is not kind and that war is done to keep loved ones safe.
Some more incite to the first paragraph is that the speaker gives the reader a detailed look
at how the warrior died "yor lover threw wild hands towards the sky$ And the affrighted steed
ran on alone %Crane lines & and '(". The warrior that died was riding a horse when he was killed
in battle. )ow" with knowing this information" it can be assmed that either the warrior that died
in battle was a member of the cavalry or a high ranking military person. This warrior who died
mst have been someone of importance. *ossibly" this warrior+s death not alone broght sorrow
to the woman and her family" bt also to people of the contry that the warrior foght for.
The second section has some powerfl se of imagery- the sonds of the drms and the
corpses lying on the battlefield. ,t this section has a lie to it "-ittle sols who thirst for fight" $
These men were born to drill and die %Crane lines . and /(." #t is tre" hmans were born to live
and at some point die" bt it is wrong to think that a person who is a warrior is only there to
prepare for war and to die in battle. #t takes a very special person say yes to the call to serve in
the military. A member of the military knows that they are at risk of dying in battle" bt if they
die in battle" they wold be dying while trying to protect their contry and the people that they
love. #n reality" war is not kind.
With the start of the third section" two shifts occr. The first shift is that the military
person now speaks to a dead military person+s daghter. The second shift is that the speaker tells
of how a different soldier died. The speaker now is talking to a different family ",ecase yor
father tmbles in the yellow trenches" $ 0aged at his breast" glped and died %Crane lines 1' and
12(". Again" the speaker says that war is kind and re!ests that the daghter does not weep. The
father that died in battle did so to keep his daghter and family safe. The girl+s father was a
common soldier. 3e was in the trenches and doing the down and dirty things that soldiers do in
times of war. ,t the bottom line for both soldiers is that they did what their dty was as soldiers
and this is fighting for the people that they love and want to keep safe.
The forth section makes heavy allsions to a very powerfl symbol of America- the
eagle- "4agle with crest of red and gold %Crane line 1/(". The eagle is America+s national bird.
5r soldiers serve to protect the 0ed" White" and ,le of the American 6lag. 5r soldiers serve
to protect the 4agles that fly over or land. 5r soldiers serve to protect s American citi7ens at
home. We are nited and or military is driven to protect the things and symbols that America
stands for.
Another society of warriors that the eagle meant a lot to was the 0omans. The lines
8Swift bla7ing flag of the regiment" $ 4agle with crest of red and gold %Crane lines 1. and 1/(9
make a strong allsion to the 0omans becase they carried flags of their regiment into battle. The
0omans had many different symbols and the eagle was one of them. The regiment flags in their
society were very important. #n or society and in the 0oman society" soldiers are loyal to one
another" serve besides each other" and die alongside each other. ,t the bottom line is" no matter
what society a warrior is from" they serve to protect the people that they love and the way of life
of their society.
The poem is written in a hidden way. The tre story to the poem is of a military person
whose :ob is to tell families the horrible news that someone they love has died in battle. The
soldier is there to comfort the family. The soldier has done this with hndreds of families" bt the
families always react in similar ways- they weep and the soldier always responds by comforting
them. Take pride in yor contry. 4n:oy what yo have and do not take the little things for
granted. 6reedom is not freely given to people. #t is foght to have in the first place and mst be
foght for to maintain.