Question

Do you think that the narrator of the poem,” “Small Pain in my Chest”romanticized the war? Give a reasoned reply.

Answer 1

Michael Mack talks about suffering anguish torment and affliction and horrors of war.He doesn't romanticize it.He has deftly portrayed the trauma of war Veterans who either dont return from battlefields or have painful memories burned in their soul and these memories remain indelibly branded in their hearts.The story of the fatigued thirsty soldier lying amidst corpses sends a shiver down our spines.These soldier talks about a deadly explosion which devastated the surroundings and in seconds all his friends succumbed to the brutal attack.This is the brutal reality of monstrous war.The poet also reflects on the reality that no soldier is so gallant and so stout hearted that he can easily bear the immense pain of wound he receives.The poet doesn't romanticize war,rather he painfully captures its bitter reality.The haunting scene of dead bodies,blood-shed,groaning,choking and helpless crying,frustration and violence is the distressing reality of war.This has been well delineated through the physical and mental agony of the suffering soldier with a small pain in his chest.