Do Not Weep, Maiden, for War Is Kind by Stephen Crane

Summary: Do Not Weep, Maiden, for War is Kind is coming from the narrator's perspective talking about war, and the duality of it regarding family and glory for men.

Section One:

  • The narrator is talking to a lover or perhaps a wife of a man at war
  • The narrator consoles the lover telling her not to be sad because her man has died (we think this because the horse ran off alone); he says war is kind

Section Two:

  • Now the narrator is talking to the reader of the poem, or perhaps the soldier themselves
  • The narrator says the man fighting the war were destined to die, but there is some "unexplained glory" about the dying in the war

Section Three:

  • The narrator is talking to the child of the father that has died in the war;
  • The narrator tells the child not to be sad because her father has died; again the narrator says war is kind

Section Four:

  • Again the narrator is talking to the reader of the poem, or the soldier
  • The narrator says again the men of war were meant to die
  • The narrator says just tell the soldiers why killing is good in this case of war; what makes it a virtue; make it plain to the soldier and he will kill
  • There is a nuance of glory by talking about the symbol of the flag the soldiers carry into war

Section Five:

  • The narrator is talking to the mother of the soldier in this verse
  • The narrator tells the mother not to weep for her son, he says the mother has a humble heart which is placed like a button on the shroud of the son; shrouds are often used to cover a dead person;
  • The narrator tells the mother not to weep for her son that is dead; again war is kind

Other Notes:

  • When the narrator is talking to the reader he makes a point to explain that these soldiers have been told that war is good to the soldiers
  • The narrator explains war is good to the soldier either because the soldier is looking for glory; or their is some higher virtue the soldier is defending

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