Stephen Crane's War Is Kind

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Stephen Cranes poem “War is Kind” has many universal themes. The poem represents warfare, home, and patriotism. This poem and all of its themes convey back to other poems we have read about the civil war. The poem represents war, shots fired and death. The first theme that is conveyed in Cranes “War is Kind” is warfare. This poem speaks heavily on war, more specifically, the Civil War. Line 6 in the poem says “ Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment”. In these lines the “booming” of the drums go back to the theme of warfare because they make the reader think about bombs that are used in the war. The speaker is very enthused and concentrated on war that anything will relate back to war, even something as simple as a drum. Lines 7-8 in the poem read “Little souls who thirst for fight, These men were born to drill and die”. This also relates back to the theme of warfare because the lines discuss soldiers that were fighting. It explains that the men were born to fight and die for the country. …show more content…

Half of the poem takes place on the battlefield, and the other part takes place at home-away from the battlefield. The homes of the maiden, the babe, and the mother are broken places. Home is a symbol of love and families. Lines 1-3 in the poem say “Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind, Because your lover through wild hands to the sky, And affrighted steed ran along”. This quote represents home because the maidens lover is killed in battle. The image of man and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend comes to mind. One of the two pillars of the household is killed, which leaves the home a broken and incomplete