Rhetorical Devices In Stephen Crane's War Is Kind

What sets one work apart from another? What makes a paper, book, or poem, amazing, rather than just okay? The answer to that question is rhetorical devices. To be more precise, it’s how the author uses rhetorical devices. Anyone can toss alliteration or rhyme scheme into their work, but using rhetorical devices to better communicate one’s message to their audience, using rhetorical devices to develop the theme, takes skill. Stephen Crane possesses this skill, and it is evident in his poem, ‘War Is Kind.’ In ‘War Is Kind,’ Stephen Crane effectively uses imagery, irony, and repetition to establish that war is barbaric, horrific, and cruel. To begin, Stephen Crane effectively uses imagery to establish that war is barbaric, horrific, and cruel. In his poem, Crane states, “Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom- a field where a thousand corpses lie” (Crane). This conjures an image of the metaphorical god of war looming over the battlefield, as well as the sight and smell of a field of dead bodies. This portrays the battle-god as the leader of the dead. This establishes that war is powerful, and that war inevitably leads to the death of many people, many of whom leave behind families that grieve

In his poem, Crane states, “Do not weep. War is kind” (Crane). This is ironic because war takes people away from their families, and from the lives they might have led if they had not died in battle. It contrasts with the theme of the poem, which garners the attention of the reader. This beckons readers to ask, ‘War leads to death; what is kind in that?’ The contrast between what is said and what Crane means makes the theme of the poem easier for the reader to see and understand. It brings his message into plain view; war is not kind, but horrible. Moreover, the quote could be viewed as repetition, because it is repeated several times throughout the poem for