Imagery In Stephen Crane's War Is Kind
The imagery of Stephen Crane’s “War is Kind”
Stephen Crane is an important poet to American Literature. He was one of the most famous writers of imagery, as well as naturalism. One of his poems, “War is Kind”, has many examples of imagery. This poem is also known as “Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind”, by its first line. Three examples of imagery in his poem are when her lover threw his hands towards the sky and his affrighted steed ran on alone; when the father tumbled in the yellow trenches, raged at his breasts, gulped, and died; and when these men were born to drill and die.
As you read the first stanza of the poem “War is kind”, imagery is expressed as the ‘lover’ throws his hand towards the sky while the frightened steed is running
about alone. (stz. 1) Crane tells how the maiden shouldn’t weep in sorrow over the loss of her lover. In this stanza the reader can gather that Crane possibly means the lover is drifting off after her dies. The cliché ‘war is kind’ exemplifies the hardened results of the war. War is everything but kind.
In the 13th line of “War is Kind” Crane states “Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches/ Raged at his breast, gulped and died”. (ln. 13-14) By this he sets an image of how brutal the actual death happened. He tells how his ‘breast gulped and died’ giving sight to the gasp of air the maiden’s father took. (par. 6)
In the second to last stanza, Crane tells “Swift blazing flag of the regiment/ Eagle with crest of red and gold/ these men were born to drill and die”. (ln. 17-19) As in the second stanza Crane mentions that ‘these mean were born to drill and die’ meaning that their destiny wasn’t necessarily everlasting life. (par. 7)
In conclusion, Crane exemplifies imagery in various different ways. All of these images put an actual representation of what actually takes place, in the readers mind. Cranes uses vivid details from real life war experiences.
Stephen Crane is an important poet to American Literature. He was one of the most famous writers of imagery, as well as naturalism. One of his poems, “War is Kind”, has many examples of imagery. This poem is also known as “Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind”, by its first line. Three examples of imagery in his poem are when her lover threw his hands towards the sky and his affrighted steed ran on alone; when the father tumbled in the yellow trenches, raged at his breasts, gulped, and died; and when these men were born to drill and die.
As you read the first stanza of the poem “War is kind”, imagery is expressed as the ‘lover’ throws his hand towards the sky while the frightened steed is running
about alone. (stz. 1) Crane tells how the maiden shouldn’t weep in sorrow over the loss of her lover. In this stanza the reader can gather that Crane possibly means the lover is drifting off after her dies. The cliché ‘war is kind’ exemplifies the hardened results of the war. War is everything but kind.
In the 13th line of “War is Kind” Crane states “Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches/ Raged at his breast, gulped and died”. (ln. 13-14) By this he sets an image of how brutal the actual death happened. He tells how his ‘breast gulped and died’ giving sight to the gasp of air the maiden’s father took. (par. 6)
In the second to last stanza, Crane tells “Swift blazing flag of the regiment/ Eagle with crest of red and gold/ these men were born to drill and die”. (ln. 17-19) As in the second stanza Crane mentions that ‘these mean were born to drill and die’ meaning that their destiny wasn’t necessarily everlasting life. (par. 7)
In conclusion, Crane exemplifies imagery in various different ways. All of these images put an actual representation of what actually takes place, in the readers mind. Cranes uses vivid details from real life war experiences.