“War is Kind” Introduction

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“War is Kind” Summary

“War is Kind” Themes

• 

  The Cruelty and Senselessness of War

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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “War is Kind”

• Lines 1-5

  Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind.
  Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky
  And the affrighted steed ran on alone,
  Do not weep.
  War is kind.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 6-8

        Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment,
        Little souls who thirst for fight,
        These men were born to drill and die.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 9-11

        The unexplained glory flies above them,
        Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom—
        A field where a thousand corpses lie.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 12-16

  Do not weep, babe, for war is kind.
  Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches,
  Raged at his breast, gulped and died,
  Do not weep.
  War is kind.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 17-19

        Swift, blazing flag of the regiment,
        Eagle with crest of red and gold,
        These men were born to drill and die.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 20-22

        Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
        Make plain to them the excellence of killing
        And a field where a thousand corpses lie.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 23-26

  Mother whose heart hung humble as a button
  On the bright splendid shroud of your son,
  Do not weep.
  War is kind.

  

  

  

  

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“War is Kind” Symbols

• 

  Drums

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• 

  The Flag

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• 

  The Shroud

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“War is Kind” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Repetition

  

  

  

  

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• Apostrophe

  

  

  

  

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• Irony

  

  

  

  

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• Personification

  

  

  

  

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• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

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• Assonance

  

  

  

  

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• Simile

  

  

  

  

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• Juxtaposition

  

  

  

  

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“War is Kind” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Maiden
• Affrighted
• Steed
• Hoarse
• Regiment
• Drill
• Battle-god
• Babe
• Trenches
• Shroud

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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “War is Kind”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“War is Kind” Speaker

“War is Kind” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “War is Kind”

More “War is Kind” Resources

• External Resources

  • The Poem Out Loud — Listen to a reading of "War Is Kind" on YouTube.

  • The Poem's Original Context — Read the full text of the book War Is Kind, with illustrations from the period, at Project Gutenberg.

  • The Poet's Papers — Check out the Stephen Crane Collection, an archive of Crane papers and memorabilia, at Syracuse University.

  • More on War by Crane — Read the Project Gutenberg e-text of The Red Badge of Courage, Crane's famous novel about the American Civil War.

  • Biography of the Poet — Read about Stephen Crane's life and work at Poetry Foundation.