War Is Kind Analysis

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It’s no secret to anyone that the ambience of tragedy and unrelenting chaos that war consists of leaves its soldiers nearly disarmed emotionally. This internal conflict sparks a need for a way out, such as an outlet. For many veterans, that outlet is writing. Some glorify it, honoring the men who sacrificed their lives in the name of their country. However, some describe it in such troublesome detail that it could be considered in protest of war itself. They take elements of battle, hardship, and aftermath to create a literary scene that makes you feel as if you were there. They support these elements with the use of imagery, irony, and structure. Writers use imagery to show the nightmares of war. The gritty, ultimately grim scenes of…show more content…
It could even be argued that using irony with the concept of war allows the author to show a truly deeper meaning by stating it ironically. For example, in “War is Kind” by Stephen Crane, the author uses irony to advise supposed family members of a nameless soldier “Do not weep. / War is Kind.” (4 / 5). Stephen Crane was a war correspondent for the Spanish-American War, one who is responsible for monitoring the action of the war. Because of this, he has most likely seen the horrors of war firsthand. The true meaning of this tone in the quote is that war is not kind at all, for its cruelty shows to impact the soldier and his loved ones. To continue, in “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen, the poem describes reaching for gas masks in the event of an attack as an “ecstasy of fumbling” (9). This is ironic in the sense that you don’t expect anyone to be ecstatic in an attack. Furthermore, in The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, an excerpt ironically describes the death of an ally following the author’s list of safety gear that they were tasked to wear to protect their lives. These passages all have a sense of irony to them, however none of these are possible without
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