In this essay I will compare and contrast the story of Steven Cranes - A Mystery of Heroism and the poem a War is Kind. I will try to determine what the actual meanings of these writings are. I do not feel that anyone is a hero or has a sense of being noble in these writings. In the poem war is kind, there are several contradicting statements. For example, "a field where a thousand …showed first 75 words of 284 total…

…showed last 75 words of 284 total…the cruelty of war. Some examples are, "And it was as if his arm was at all a part of him, but belong to another man" and "From the ruck of bleeding and prostrate horses..." In conclusion, Steven Crane has consistently illustrated the horrors of war. His way of presenting war is from a cynical point of view. His quoting "War is Kind" is his way of telling the reader about the futility of war.