The Voices Of War: An Exploration Of The Poetic Responses To Conflict And Struggle

Poetry on war or war on poetry?

War, the decision maker divided not only countries but many untold stories. War plays an important role in the world’s history. War, the flag riser has also made many flags fall down. War is the best solution and the worst decision. There were poets who admired war and there were poets who warred with words against war.

^{Soldiers Source: Pixabay}

War a positive note?

War itself isn’t an optimistic word and where do the poets find positivity on it? A poet is a creator who can celebrate even a war. But what’s the point in justifying a war? This poet who writes good out of war makes optimism out of pessimism. And, That’s the job of every poet. A soldier who gave his life for the cause of the nation is remembered for lives by these poet’s words.

^{War an end? Source: History.com}

Blood and Pen

A War poet becoming a voice to the voiceless. A dead soldier’s pride becomes dust with dust as soon as their blood stops flowing in their body. The blood, they shed for the nation is calculated by the words of the poet, who writes commemorating the departed souls whose silent weeps are never heard by all the others. A soldier would weep not because he has died but did not fulfill his duty to his country, family and self. So, the duty of a poet lies here as a conversationalist between the departed war heroes and the world.

“The Last of The Light Brigade”

This poem by Kipling has frozen the historic moments of the Britain. With his verse he has immortalized the soldiers and they still live with us. In this society people crave for all those which is of no use. While the only cravings of a soldier would always be his nation alone. Rather exaggerating the monarch Kipling out stood as a writer to say about the glory of the Soldiers.

“Beat! Beat! Drums!”

The drums and its sound play a significant role in a war. This poem has used the sound as a major symbol. He speaks about the participants of the war. A true patriot would be very much passionate on hearing the sound of a drum. This poem explains us the reactions of common men on war and the response of a drumbeat. This poem neutralizes the concept of a war. This poem does not care what’s right and wrong. This poem glorifies the concept of war and war alone.

“The Man He Killed”

This poem’s speaker is the soldier himself. A soldier is the one who tries to prove the justice in a war. The loss of innocent lives. A war is the rage without a reason. The description of the murder that each and every soldier commit every time in a battlefield. The soldier is meant to kill the opposing army’s soldiers without even knowing who he is. He’s neither his friend nor his foe. There’s no personal vengeance between them. But the fate lies there. That’s where the war’s morality becomes missing. War itself is not for a moral cause. Then the judgement of who has won and lost becomes nullified in this case. The defeated is lost because he’s defeated. The defeater has also lost because he has defeated him without even knowing why he has defeated.

Themes Highlighted

Lost Innocence

Human innocence is not completely lost. But it is hidden and faded away as time passes. War brings out the reality. Gruesome wars prove that human beings lack of empathy, a lot and the innocence is screened out. Innocence plays an important role in one’s peace. Children, that’s why lived in peace, earlier. Now, even children are stressed and are on their own battle of life. With the battle within oneself, the innocence is lost, Completely.

Battle Between The Strength And Weakness

Strength and weakness are both extremes and each one is better on its own pace. Sometimes weakness becomes more powerful than the strength. In a battle, the real battle is to find out who’s weak. The stronger one works for it. The poets express this aspect as the most prominent one in their poems.

^{Disastrous war Source: thespokesmen.in}

Human Insanity

Human’s level of sanity is tested at times and it is the concept of war which made the humans completely insane. The loss at one side and a gain on the other side becoming a balance is seen only on wars. Poets bring out what’s real and they critically analyze what’s what. Poets do not generalize war to a positive aspect. They’ll see to it that they provide justice to what they write. What they see remains reality. While, what a poet perceives would be super reality where the reasons would be justly placed in their words. When coming to the point of human insanity, War helps Human’s sadistic mind to come in light.

Spread peace, not War

War is not the real solution, instead it is an end. If a war ends with peace, there comes the real victory. What can a war cause be, the loss of lives of millions of innocent people? Whereas Peace saves the same. It takes a lot of money for a war but for peace, a smile is enough. War doesn’t only take place on a battlefield. It happens between two people and at times the same happens between one and oneself.

^{Nature's lost Source: Pinterest}

Why war poetry? And Conclusion

War teaches everyone some lessons. War ends but the impact that they leave, never leaves the earth. What makes a poet sane is whatever that happens in this world. When something goes wrong, Poetry becomes the voice to the voiceless. War poetry tells us the wounds of many people and the untold stories behind every drop of blood that touched the ground with the defeat of a soldier. War has got many elements out of which there were something good. A typical war poet who writes war poetry will never have objective ideas portrayed in his works. A good War Poetry will never be biased by the worse side of a War.

^{Quote on war Source: Quotefancy}