Poem 281 The Death of a Soldier

The speaker of this poem is an outside view - some one looking in and accurately showing the details of a soldier's death. This is effective in that they separate themselves from the event so that it does not become biased or glorified or de-glorified; it is what it is. It does not rhyme but is structured in an orderly fashion: three lines to each stanza. This structuring may possibly represent soldier-like life: always drilled out and following the rules.

This poem's main focus of representing the death of a soldier is found by the use of personification. Stevens states, "Life contracts and death is expected..." and "Death is absolute and without memorial". These statements signify how unimportant the death of a soldier is and how extremely different it is from anyone else's observed death. Personifying death, too, and not just a specific soldier's death is a significant way to bunch all of their deaths together making them even less specific and just something that happens. Another way Stevens effectively represents a soldier's death is not by his detailed description but by his lack of one and his ability to get straight to the point. The lack of details represents how the death is not really even thought about just easily passed on by the others around him. This lack of detail and metaphor such as, "Death is absolute and without memorial, as in a season of autumn, when the wind stops", shows how abrupt the death is but nonetheless ignored and unnoticed.

I thought this poem was effective in its interpretation of a soldier's death. Also in the time period, and even now perhaps, it effectively plays a role in opposing the war but not outwardly stating that. The poem does not offend but rather enlightens the reader on how cruel war is on a soldier and how deaths are "expected". It allows the reader to realize that their deaths are neglected and that is just how it is but it does not outwardly suggest that war is wrong and that we need to savor the lives of soldiers. It accurately, and quite subliminally, informs the reader on the realities of a soldier's life and death.