Question

Explain the message of the poem a small pain in my chest?

Answer 1

In this poem the narrator meets a dying soldier who inspite of grave injuries has a smile to hide his deep wound. The soldier had fought the battle restlessly and shared his experiences with the narrator. The agony of  the soldier has traumatized the narrator who later dies of with a small pain in his chest. This poem is a anti-war poem which teaches us the side effects of war & the results it has shown in the lives of people. Hence, advising us to understand the real agony of people involved in war which had never given happiness to people or the nations fighting it.

Answer 2

the main theme of this poem is to avoid wars and to bring peace among nations. this poem described in the background of the Vietnamese war. this brings to the readers notice about the agony experienced by soldiers. the soldiers are most likely to be affected by PTSD-post traumatic stress disorder. this poem tell us the experiences of a soldier , who fought hard and is now feeling guilty as he cannot move on because of the "small pain in his chest". he also gives reasons as to why he was feeling tired or worn out. he asks for a sip of water and then , feels a bit better , but then again feels guilty at the thought of his family. as , he wanted to take a little rest before moving on , he ended up resting eternally. this poem is very sentimental in the last. the poet is very touched as he was unable to do anything to help this dying soldier.