The Death of a Soldier-Wallace Stevens-281

Speaker: This poem is told from an omniscient point of view. The unknown speaker, presumably the poet, talks of death and the continuation of the world when someone dies. Such an all-knowing perspective makes this poem slightly eerie. It makes the reader seem sure that the speaker is right, that he/she speaks only the truth. Without identifying a speaker, the reader cannot blame anyone in particular for what he is reading. The reader does not feel that the poem is obscured by personal bias, and its point more readily accepted.

Rhyme: There are no rhymes in this poem. In poems with rhyme schemes, the reader becomes used to the rhyme, relying on it, and trusting it. Since there is no rhyme scheme in this poem, there is nothing to count on. The reader just reads through and accepts it for what it is, without thinking twice. There is no need for the bounce of a rhyme scheme, for that would give levity to the subject of the poem. This poem needs to uplifting, it is intended to be dark.

Meter: The stressed and unstressed syllables of this poem make it flow continuously. It is an easy flow from the beginning to end, without giving the reader time to comprehend what he thinks until it is over. Such a fluid and rapid movement over this poem contributes greatly to its effect.

The author uses assonance in this poem. He puts words together such as "as in", "is expected", and "is absolute", in order to maintain the flow of the poem. The assonance of these two words allows for the reader to flow right over them, just as life can flow right over an individual. The consistancy of this fluidity helps the reader arrive at the end of the poem, so he/she can contemplate his feelings of the subject of death after, and not during the poem.

Also, alliteration is used. "When the wind..." is an example of this alliteration. By emphasizing the wind in such a manner, along with reference to time (the word when), the author is showing that a person's death does not stop nature. Time will reign supreme, and the natural flow will remain uninterrupted.

Reaction: This poem made me contemplate different philosophies on life and death. It is depressing to think that human life is so meaningless, that the natural world will be unaffected if I die. I've been thinking about this topic a lot since reading the poem, and i have split feelings on the subject. It is slightly reassuring and calming to know that we mean nothing in the scheme of things. It makes our mistakes and wrongdoings seem unimportant, our fears minimal. But at the same time, it also makes our accomplishments and our succeses seem minimal and unimportant. It is quite a double-edged sword. Sure, we all want to feel important. We all want to feel like we changed the world in some way during our lives. But the reality is, almost all of us will be forgotten within a century of our death. And that century is nothing in the span of time...