Analysis of War in Poetry

             The situation to go to war is made by those who have something to lose in the political realm. If war were a decision made on an individual level it would be a mere fight. The Leviathan, as referred to by Thomas Hobbes, or system to which we all belong, denies individuality. There are individuals that lead movements or even make pivotal decisions, but they are simply social figureheads and not individuals in the governmental sense. Poetic skepticism acts as the tool by which poets illustrate the appalling nature of war. Regardless of being members of the Leviathan, poets maintain their emotional individuality and subsequently present a situation in a new light. Fame is often seen to be associated with the figureheads instigating the wars. This acts as a method of their own promotional arrogance but the beneficial aspects go no further than this. It is the commoner, or worker that endures the harsh realities of war and the poet is their spokesperson. Examples of the poetic skepticism concerning war can be seen in Bertolt Brecht"s "A Worker Reads History", William Butler Yeats" "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death", Siegfried Sassoon"s "Does it Matter?" and Randall Jarrell"s "Death of the Ball Turret Gunner".

             Brecht"s poem, "A Worker Reads History", begins by immediately questioning the recognition of the workers. "Who built the seven gates of Thebes? The books are filled with names of kings. Was it kings who hauled the craggy blocks of stone?" The building of the gates is remembered historically as an accomplishment attained by the kings and their subsequent dynasties. The individual work and devotion of the kings" people has been forgotten if it was, in fact, ever appreciated to begin with. The idea of social stratification has been about since the beginning of recorded time. Whether or not there is a need for a tiered society is not the debate.

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