Stephen Crane: War is Kind
Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment,
Little souls who thirst for fight,
These men were born to drill and die.
The unexplained glory flies above them,
Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom —
A field where a thousand corpses lie.
Swift blazing flag of the regiment,
Eagle with crest of red and gold,
These men were born to drill and die.
Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
Make plain to them the excellence of killing
And a field where a thousand corpses lie.
Harsh. Crane questions the value of war: is it worth it? Many of us wonder that from time to time. The level of sarcasm utilized throughout the poem suggests that Crane does not approve of war. Emotions such as patriotism and nationalism, duty to the country, and democratic beliefts are ususally stated as reasons for war, however, Crane believes that these are just emotions that we invent in the future when we are lonely and guilty and wondering why we ever did something so horrible. Governments use these emotions to stir support, but it never lasts. War is not so kind after all.
Silly…
This is silly, but I kept be reminded of it during my reading of Wallace Steven’s Emperor of Ice-Cream
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
Wallace Stevens: the Emperor of Ice-Cream
Call the roller of big cigars,
The muscular one, and bid him whip
In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.
Let the wenches dawdle in such dress
As they are used to wear, and let the boys
Bring flowers in last month’s newspapers.
Let be be finale of seem.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
Take from the dresser of deal,
Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet
On which she embroidered fantails once
And spread it so as to cover her face.
If her horny feet protrude, they come
To show how cold she is, and dumb.
Let the lamp affix its beam.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
Life, Steven’s explains, must go on, and everybody lives to seize the day. Ice-cream in this poem represents sensuality and pleasure; as ice cream melts, so does opportunity. Although a woman has died and it seems to us that death should provoke sad proceedings, her death brings about an opportunity for a party and for the neightbors to get together. This woman is dead, but they are living and experiencing pleasures such as ice-cream and socializing. “Let the lamp affix it’s beam” appears to encourage a refocusing of the attention not on the gloominess of death, but on the lightness of living. Is this behavior disrepectful of the deceased? Or is it a way of celebrating their life? Personally, I am torn. If I died soon, I would probably want my funeral or wake to be full of people celebrating my life and their own. However, I think there is always time for mourning.
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