Question

How does the poem small pain in my chest makes an impact on humanity

Answer 1

the soldier boy in the poem is described as a young man full of vim and zest.he does not want to accept his grave injury and his defeat and thus he repeats to the poet that his injury was just a small pain even though it was a grieve one.he also thinks about his wife and mother as well as the society and thinks that he has not been able to fulfill their expectations .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 poem "small pain in my chest" is a very symbolic poem. A small pain in the soldier's chest is a big pain in the conscience of humanity. In his physical agony , the soldier asks for a sip of water infact he is asking for some understanding and concern of humanity who suffers for no fault of his.
Again, at the end when the narrator holds the young soldier boy close to his heart, he could feel that their wounds were pressed -- The large one in the narrator's heart, against the small pain in the soldier's chest which symbolises the greater guilt on the part of humanity at not being able to give up wars.