War is kind, or so says the speaker of Stephen Crane’s poem of the same title. Is war truly kind? In the first part of your essay, analyze how war is portrayed.

In a formal essay of approximately four (4) pages, write on one of the following topics:

1. “War is kind,” or so says the speaker of Stephen Crane’s poem of the same title. Is war truly kind? In the first part of your essay, analyze how war is portrayed. Is it something desirable, or is it something else? What literary devices does Crane use to convey his attitude toward war?

In the second part of your essay, analyze how war is depicted in either Rupert Brooke’s poem “The Soldier” or Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est.” Again, what literary devices does this poet use, and to what effect? What is the speaker’s attitude toward war?

2. Emily Dickinson’s poem “’I’m Wife’” articulates the feelings of a young bride as she contemplates her new status as a wife. Anne Bradstreet’s poem “A Letter to Her Husband, Absent upon Public Employment” voices the emotions of a mature woman as she reflects on her relationship with her spouse.

Analyze each poem carefully: what sort of love is portrayed? How does each speaker feel about her husband and her role as wife? What literary devices does each author use to convey that attitude? Compare and contrast the two poems and drawn some conclusion about women and marriage.

3. Anne Bradstreet’s poem “A Letter to Her Husband, Absent upon Public Employment,” John Donne’s “the Sun Rising,” and George Herbert’s “The Altar” each describe love of the deepest kind: a wife’s love for her husband, a man’s love for his mistress, and a religious man’s love for his Creator.

Choose two (2) poems and analyze the types of “love” presented. What similes, metaphors, and/ or other poetic devices do the poets use to convey this emotion? Are the feelings described physical or spiritual in nature? Compare and contrast the poems, and draw some conclusions about whether one type of love described is “superior” to or just different from the other.

4. Differing views of the act of creation are presented in Judith Wright’s poem, “From Woman to Child” and William Blake’s “A Poison Tree.” Analyze in detail how each speaker articulates a distinct attitude toward the act of creation. What literary devices does each author use to convey that impression? How do these two poems compare and/ or contrast? Draw a conclusion about the representation of creation by certain poets.

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