Wallace Stevens - Research Paper Example

Thesis statement: The poem The Death of a Soldier by Wallace Stevens and the story Two Soldiers by William Faulkner make use of the same theme but through different ways because the poem represents the futility of war heroism and the story celebrates war heroism. Analysis: A. The view of war in the poem The Death of a Soldier by Wallace Stevens Wallace Stevens’ poem is not the celebration of death or war heroism. Instead, the poet points out the futility of war heroism. In the poem, the poet makes use of death as a metaphor to point out the soldier’s role in the world.

In Bloom’s work, the poet states that “Life contracts and death is expected, as in a season of autumn” (48). The soldier’s death is not glorified because he was aware of the fact that death was awaiting him and he cannot escape from the same. The soldier does not change the course of the war because his role is insignificant. To be specific, his role is to obey his superiors. The soldier’s role in the war can be considered as unimportant because he was only a tool to win the war. His identity as an individual is insignificant and no one will remember him.

One can easily identify that the poet is totally against the concept of war heroism. When the soldiers win wars, the reputation is gained by their nation. In Bloom’s work, the poet states that “Death is absolute and without memorial” (48). . Instead, his death is considered as a natural happening during war. This detachment or existential view upon life is the core of the poem. The poet does not concentrate much upon war but portrays the consequence of the same upon a soldier. To be specific, the poet provides ample importance to the life of the soldier and his duty-minded attitude.

Still, the soldier’s dedication does not help him to save himself from the clutches of death. Within this context, war is to be considered as a wrath upon the soldier which hinders him from leading a peaceful life. In short, the poets view upon war is not based upon heroism, but value of human life. B. The view of war in the story Two Soldiers by William Faulkner The story Two Soldiers by William Faulkner deals with the theme of heroism/ patriotism. In the story, the narrator is impressed by his brother’s attitude towards war.

In addition, a little boy is the narrator and the whole story develops through his eyes. One can easily identify that the little boy is totally impressed and inspired by his brother’s decision to be a soldier. In Grayson’s collection of stories, the little boy points out about his brother (Pete) that “And I laid there like I was already asleep, and pretty soon he was asleep and I knowed it was the wanting to go to the war that had worried him and kept him awake, and now he had decided to go he wasn’t worried any more” (82).

But the boy is not aware of the hardships faced by soldiers in warfronts. To be specific, the boy’s world of fantasy is filled with heroism. But his father, a World War I veteran was not in favor of Pete’s (the boy’s elder brother) decision to be a soldier. Instead, their father was totally interested in