Question

Irony of the poem asleep in the valley

Answer 1

The poem begins almost lazily, with attention to details like the slow pace of the stream, the reflection it makes on the grass, and the ample sunlight. Like the slow stream that passes through the valley, the poem advances to the second stanza. The second stanza brings our eyes to a young soldier who seems to be asleep among the ferns and flowers of the valley. The soldier lies with his mouth slightly opened, as if in deep sleep. The poet compares this to the smile of an infant, which is symbolic of tenderness and innocence. This is perhaps out of ordinary to describe a soldier innocent and gentle like an infant. In this, we see the genius of Rimbaud, who uses unexpected analogies to present harsh reality. One can assume that what he meant by this, was to tell us that soldiers are not the root cause of suffering, that they are not inherently violent individuals; they are merely instruments of war, plied to the ways of the masters of the world. So, in a way, they are innocent of the crimes they commit during a war. Thus, here we already see the beginnings of the Surrealist tradition, where strange juxtapositions are used to present reality.

Answer 2

Answer:

Arthur rimbond's “asleep in the valley” is an anti war poem. The entire poem is ironical. The soldier is in sleep. He has a smile on the face. His smile is like that of a child. The shooting effect, the sweat poise the poem gives are soon purshed into the corner. In the last line, we are upset at the sight of two red holes on the body of the soldier. It comes as an ironical twist to the poem. The smile of the soldier now begins to mock at us. We understand that like the soldier we are derived or rather disillusioned. A sense of waste caused by war prices us, the futility of war is impiled in the poem ironically.