Reality of War in Cranes War is Kind and Tennysons Charge of the Ligh

Reality of War in Cranes War is winsome and Tennysons missionary work of the Light Brigade An overwhelming tendency to fight and battle has plagued humankind since the dawn of the written word. Countless wars have been fought since the dawn of man and most quantify such conflict exists simply for its own sake with no productive end. Immense human suffering and death can be caused by conflicts that keep up little logical justification. Since the birth of the written word, criticism and discussion have persistently followed the topic of war. In exposing the grim reality of war, two works of writings stand out as being both vivid and compelling. Through similar uses of graphic imagery and forceful diction, both Stephen Crane in his Do Not Weep, Maiden, for War is Kind and Alfred, Lord Tennyson in his The Charge of the Light Brigade evoke strong sentiment on the reality of war. The Charge offers a slightly more glorified view of war while still portraying its harsh essence. Ste phen Crane in his Do Not Weep, Maiden, for War is Kind uses several methods to convey his perception of war most strikingly, stark imagery. As the poem begins, a woman cries over the death of her lover who, while unexpended to die on the battlefield, threw wild hands toward the sky (2). His posture illustrates the physical pain he experienced as well as the longing he felt for his lover and his lost life (Cady 102). He threw his hands toward the sky in a vain effort to reach out to her and the life that had been taken from him. Cranes next stanza portrays an image of troops marching to their death, men born to drill and die (8). Crane endeavors to show the blind trust that soldiers are forced to broadcast in their leaders. The soldiers knew li... ... popular phenomenon when it forces people to make great sacrifices that lead to no sufficiently important goal. Works Cited Cady, Edwin H. Stephen Crane. Twayne Publishers. 1980 100-160 Foltinek, Herbert. Theirs Not to Reason Why Alfred Lord Tennyson on the military personnel Condition. A Yearbook of Studies in English Language and Literature 80 1985-1986 27-38 Knapp, Bettina L. Stephen Crane. New York Ungar Publishing Company, 1987. 136-140 Lowell, Amy. Introduction in The Black Riders and Other Lines. Vol. VI Russel & Russel. 1963 ix-xxix Pinion, F. B. A Tennyson Comparison Life and Works. The Macmillan Press Ltd. 1984 Saintsbury, George. Tennyson. Corrected Impressions Essays on Victorian Writers. Dodd, Mead and Company. 1985 21-30. Whitman, Walt. A Word about Tennyson. The Critic 10 Jan. 1987 1-2