Analysis of E.E. Cummings Poems
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In the eyes of many people, war is an unnecessary evil. It is good for nothing but killing and pain. Pain not only for those that died but pain of the friends and family that lost loved ones. E.E. Cummings and Steven Crane speak of war in many of their poems and neither are very warm with their writing in regards to the matter.
Crane?s works are very clear in the fact that he believes war to be foolish and unproductive. In the poem ?Do Not Weep, Maiden, For War is Kind,? Crane uses sarcasm to express his views on war.
?Do not weep, babe, for war is kind.
Because your father tumbled in yellow trenches,
Raged at his breast, gulped and died,
Do not weep.
War is kind.?
There is an obvious feel of sarcasm within this poem. What young child would take care in the fact that their father died in a trench, gasping for a breath and not finding one? No one would take comfort in that fact, this is much to what Crane refers to in his poem.
In the poem ?my sweet old etcetera? written by E.E. Cummings does not condemn war as Crane?s poem obviously does but at the same time does not give it glory and praise. It takes a more passive stance. Expressing that war is not fun but a duty and a privilege, ?my mother hoped that I would die etcetera bravely of course my father became hoarse talking about how it was a privilege .? It appears that many consider it an honor to die during war. However, the next stanza speaks of how the person who is actually at war would merely like to sit and dream about his girl.
War, in many ways, is not an enjoyable experience. It may be considered honorable but that probably gives little help to those who have to suffer the many consequences. Both authors are not too fond of the idea of war, Crane, of course, more so than Cummings.