Reflection on war literature (Term 2 Ace)

The war i would be focusing on would be the American Civil War. This war took place between 1861 to 1865, which was originated in America. It was started as a campaign to request for equal treatment and human rights towards the people, black or white. The consequences of this was devastating, as it had left around 620 thousand dead. However, improvements were made towards the treatment of races, and had improved the lives of many, including african-americans, and had also managed to end the slavery during that time.





The poem I would focus on would be "The Civil War" by Anne Sexton. This poem is about the effect of the Civil War, and what they were fighting for. The justice of the african-americans. It uses a lot of figurative language, which gives a deep impression about the determination felt by the people to free the african-americans.





The author of this poem is Anne Sexton. She was born in November 9 1928. She was married and gave birth to Linda Gray Sexton. However, in 1954, she suffered from depression and had to seek counseling. However, this situation worsened, and in 1973, her life took a plunge as she was hospitalised 3 times and was divorced with her husband. Hence, after she finished her final literary piece, she commited suicide on October 4, 1974.





This workpiece is interesting as it shows the use of various literary devices such as metaphors and personifications. This would then give the poem a very strong feel on the topic as it uses different forms of description to describe the Civil War. It is also very unique due to the use of short line, of roughly about 3-4 word per line.





Other than this piece of literature, there are many other about the effects of Civil War, and the desaster it had brought along with it. Some other examples are "A Message" by
Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward. These pieces give a very vivid descriptions of how life was during that time, especially for the african-american, who suffered a lot due to the dicrimination shown towards them.