The Things They Carried And War Is Kind

War has a meaning that goes beneath the physicalities that some people consider as the effects of war. Those involved in war, whether they are a soldier or family member, are also affected by emotional burdens that last long after the struggle of physical war is over. This aspect of war is explained in the poem “War is Kind” by Stephen Crane and in the book The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. In these works of literature, the battles soldiers have to fight are explained in both situations in perspectives that only experienced veterans can explain. The hellish reality of death and killing is brought to further understanding through the information from the two authors and their own methods of writing. Also, the topic of war and the hardships

To summarize the work, Crane begins the poem with the main character speaking to a woman about her late lover, telling her “Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind,” (1). This first line starts off the poem with a sense of irony, as war is the opposite of kind in most situations. Crane proceeds with the description of war in the second stanza when he says “Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment” (6), “The unexplained glory flies above them” (9), and “A field where a thousand corpses lie” (11). These three lines provide a thorough example of the reality of war, this time straying away from the sense of irony. Next, the poem depicts another death in the third stanza. This time, the narrator is speaking to a “babe,” telling the child that her father died in war. Once again, the speaker advises “Do not weep, babe, for war is kind” (12). In the fourth stanza, the lines “Swift blazing flag of the regiment, / Eagle with crest of red and gold” (17-18). In the middle of the fourth stanza, Crane uses irony when he says “Point for them the virtue of slaughter, / Make plain to them the excellence of killing” (20-21). These two lines are ironic since Crane is putting a sense of positivity and joy behind war. Then, the speaker is telling a mother about her dead son in the last stanza. Also, there are two more lines with a hint of irony, as Crane says “Mother whose heart hung humble as a

As for his literary background, O’Brien’s works focus on war experiences in general, and The Things They Carried is no exception from his writing pattern. For example, “Almost all of O'Brien's writings deal with the Vietnam War and his stories commonly blend memories of his own experiences with fictional treatments of such themes as courage, heroism, brutal violence, and emotional upheaval in the face of death and destruction by impersonal, global forces” (“O’Brien, Tim”). This statement shows that O’Brien focuses on different aspects of conflict in his writing and how his own experiences can mirror them. Next, “Critics have frequently noted that though O'Brien's work focuses on the Vietnam War, his narratives branch out into broader themes—for example, conflict among family members, betrayal, gender conflict, loss of faith, and social ideology” (“O’Brien, Tim”). As mentioned here, O’Brien is not only focused on the physical part of war. He includes the struggles of those affected by war whether they are soldiers or not. Gard mentions that “O'Brien's own war experience makes his writing particularly visceral. He was stationed from 1969 to 1970 in Quang Ngai Province, one of the deadliest areas in the war zone.” This quote shows that O’Brien’s first hand experience allows him to effectively recreate the reality of war in his