In “A Mystery of Heroism” and “War is Kind” a short story and poem, respectively, by Stephen Crane, Crane highlights and emphasizes the aspects of war such as heroism and the irony of war. Both works take place during the Civil War and both depict scenes of battle from the war. In “A Mystery of Heroism,” Fred Collins, a soldier who is thirsty, goes to the well in the midst of battle to get water. On his way back, he sees a dying man who’s last wish is a drink of water. Collins grants this wish, yet the water is spilled once he arrives back at camp; he is never able to get a drink for himself. “War is Kind” is a poem written stressing the ironic view of war. In both of Crane’s works he makes the distinction of true heroism, as well as connects the two pieces; Crane does not truly mean war is kind in his poem, he is being ironic due to the harsh realities of war.
In both of Crane’s works he underlines the true meaning of heroism, meaning a person who risks their life for a high moral principle. While the characters in both works could be misconstrued as heroes, they are never heroes in the context of the definition. In “A Mystery of Heroism,” many believe that Collins’ act of giving the dying solider a drink was heroic, yet this is not a high moral cause. Collins was simply being humane by giving the solider a drink. At first, he does not want to be in the field any longer, and tells the dying man he can not permit his last earthly desire. Yet, his conscience gets to him, “He came dashing back. His face now turned gray, and in his eyes was all terror. ‘Here it is! Here it is!’” (Crane 462). Although it petrifies him, he gives the solider a drink. He does not do this for a high moral principle, nor for nobility. Collins simply gives...
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...nk of water. A seemingly simple task was turned dangerous.
Crane was able to capture both the horrendous reality and the romanticized view of war in both of these works. Crane expresses this through irony. He amplifies the public’s view of the greatness of war his poem, to ridicule, in a sense, this view to more deeply express his opinion that war is a harsh reality, the opposite of what most civilians make it out to be.
Works Cited
Crane, Stephen. “A Mystery of Heroism.” Elements of Literature. Ed. Robert Anderson, John Malcolm Brinnin, John Leggett, Gary Q. Arpin, and Susan Allen Toth. Orlando, FL: Holt, Rhinehart, and Winston, 1993. 457-462. Print.
Crane, Stephen. “War is Kind.” Elements of Literature. Ed. Robert Anderson, John Malcolm Brinnin, John Leggett, Gary Q. Arpin, and Susan Allen Toth. Orlando, FL: Holt, Rhinehart, and Winston, 1993. 463. Print.
Though in his short life Stephen Crane was never a soldier, his novel The Red Badge of Courage was commended by Civil War veterans as well as veterans from more recent wars not only for its historical accuracy but its ability to capture the psychological evolution of those on the field of battle (Heizberg xvi). Walt Whitman, on the other hand, served as a field medic during the Civil War. He was exposed perhaps to the most gruesome aspect of the war on a daily basis: the primitive medical techniques, the wounded, the diseased, the dying and the dead. Out of his experiences grew a collection of poems, "Drum Taps" , describing the horrors he had witnessed and that America suffered. As literary artists, a wide chasm of structure and style separates Crane and Whitman. The common cultural experience, the heritage of the Civil War connects them, throwing a bridge across the darkness, allowing them, unilaterally, to dispel notions of glorious battles and heroic honorable deaths. By examining Crane's Henry Fleming and the wound dresser from 'Whitman's poem of the same name, both fundamental literary differences and essential thematic consistencies emerge.
O’Brien, Tim. “How To Tell a True War Story.” The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford St. Martins, 2003. p. 420-429.
But in truth a true war story will stir great feelings, but may not contain a moral at all. In fact, a true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior, nor restrain men from doing th...
Vivid imagery is one way with which writers protest war. Crane uses imagery to glorify, and shortly thereafter demean and undercut war, through the use of imagery, by placing positive and negative images of war close to eachother. “Blazing flag of the regiment,” and “the great battle God,” are placed before “A field where a thousand corpses lie.” (A) These lines’ purposes are to put images into the reader’s head, of how great war may appear, and then displaying that there are too many casualties involved with it. In Dulce Et Decorum Est, a man is described dyin...
When Stephen Crane first wrote, The Red Badge of Courage, it wasn’t revered throughout the nation. Instead, it circulated abroad, where the English loved it. Eventually, after many years, the same fame happened here, causing Crane to earn a spot in literature history. However, many have asked how he accomplished this feat without having the experience most would require to write a book like he did. I believe that his lack of experience actually aided in his endeavors and the real question that should be asked is what is Crane trying to show us throughout his book and I believe a big hint is in the title. Crane is trying to show us the true definition of courage. His way of doing so is by having readers follow the thoughts and emotions of Henry
Through reading this poem several times I decided that the message from the poem is that war is full of horror and there is little or no glory. Methods which I found most effective were Full rhyme and metaphor.
“Do Not Weep, Maiden, for War is Kind”, is a poem written by Stephen Crane. This poem tries to explain and inform the reader that war is not kind, even though the title says the opposite. When thinking about war the things that come to mind are normally: terrifying, death, cruel, unhuman, etc. The poem tries to tell the reader the opposite, and there are clues that help understand the real meaning of war. This poem is written in sarcasm and repetition. Imagery is seen throughout the whole poem. The title says one thing, but it means the opposite therefore, it is written in a sarcastic way. It is contrasted by specific scenes of death and suffering. The only way war can be “kind” is if it is death ending suffering.
O’Brien, Tim. “How To Tell a True War Story.” The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford St. Martins, 2003. p. 420-429.
The world of Stephen Crane's fiction is a cruel, lonely place. Man's environment shows no sympathy or concern for man; in the midst of a battle in The Red Badge of Courage "Nature had gone tranquilly on with her golden process in the midst of so much devilment" (89). Crane frequently anthropomorphizes the natural world and turns it into an agent actively working against the survival of man. From the beginning of "The Open Boat" the waves are seen as "wrongfully and barbarously abrupt and tall" (225) as if the waves themselves had murderous intent. During battle in The Red Badge of Courage the trees of the forest stretched out before Henry and "forbade him to pass. After its previous hostility this new resistance of the forest filled him with a fine bitterness" (104). More omnipresent than the mortal sense of opposition to nature, however, is the mortal sense of opposition to other men. Crane portrays the Darwinian struggle of men as forcing one man against another, not only for the preservation of one's life, but also the preservation of one's sense of self-worth. Henry finds hope for escape from this condition in the traditional notion that "man becomes another thing in a battle"‹more selfless and connected to his comrades (73). But the few moments in Crane's stories where individuals rise above self-preservation are not the typically heroicized moments of battle. Crane revises the sense of the heroic by allowing selfishness to persist through battle. Only when his characters are faced with the absolute helplessness of another human do they rise above themselves. In these grim situations the characters are reminded of their more fundamental opp...
As a poet, Wilfred Owens wants to show the effects of warfare from the viewpoint of a soldier during a War. Owens uses his own experience as a fighter to capture the reader’s attention and get across his point. He often uses graphic imagery and words to depict his thoughts about war. Wilfred Owens, poems, “Dulce et Decorum est” and “Anthem for doomed youth” talk blatantly about the effects of warfare on the soldiers, their loved ones, and those who make an ultimate sacrifice by making a statement about the efficacy of war.
Wolford, Chester L. "Stephen Crane." Critical Survey of Long Fiction. Ed. Frank N. Magill. English Language Series. Vol. 2. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Salem Press, 1991.
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, one of the most significant and renowned books in American literature, defies outright classification, showing traits of both the realist and naturalist movements. It is a classic, however, precisely because it does so without sacrificing unity or poignancy. The Red Badge of Courage belongs unequivocally to the naturalist genre, but realism is also present and used to great effect. The conflict between these styles mirrors the bloody clash of the war described in the book – and the eternal struggle between good and evil in human nature.
The simple definition of war is a state of armed competition, conflict, or hostility between different nations or groups; however war differs drastically in the eyes of naive children or experienced soldiers. Whether one is a young boy or a soldier, war is never as easy to understand as the definition. comprehend. There will inevitably be an event or circumstance where one is befuddled by the horror of war. For a young boy, it may occur when war first breaks out in his country, such as in “Song of Becoming.” Yet, in “Dulce et Decorum Est” it took a man dying in front of a soldier's face for the soldier to realize how awful war truly is. Both “Song of Becoming” and “Dulce et Decorum Est” are poems about people experiencing the monstrosity of war for the first time. One is told from the perspective of young boys who were stripped of their joyful innocence and forced to experience war first hand. The other is from the perspective of a soldier, reflecting on the death of one of his fellow soldiers and realizing that there is nothing he can do to save him. While “Song of Becoming” and “Dulce et Decorum Est” both focus on the theme of the loss of innocence, “Song of Becoming” illustrates how war affects the lives of young boys, whereas “Dulce et Decorum Est” depicts the affect on an experienced soldier.
Kaplan, Amy. “The Spectacle of War in Crane’s Revision of History”. Bloom, Harold ED. New
“Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind”, by Stephen Crane is a touching poem that has a lot of universal themes that reflect in Civil War literature. This poem tries to tell that war is kind, but war is not kind at all. War is tragic moments in some people's lives. Some people have to sacrifice their lives for the people and their families. “Do not weep, babe, for war is kind./Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches, /Raged at his breast, gulped and died”. To explain this quote, I am trying to convey how they dad fought in the war for his children and family. War is not kind, it takes your family members from you.