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Contrast and Similarity in The Death of a Soldier ' and Two Soldiers

War is a constant in our world and it affects not only our society , but those soldiers who do the fighting to protect the rights of their country . It is a sacrifice for the soldiers involved in war , and one that may cause him to pay the ultimate price - his death . In both Wallace Stevens ' The Death of a Soldier ' and William Faulkner 's Two Soldiers ' the authors entertain similar beliefs

regarding the endurance of war and its ill effects on society , although their thoughts on the subject of a soldiers ' purpose and the very real possibility of his death vary

Wallace Stevens , in his poem The Death of a Soldier , compares war which always causes death , to such natural occurrences as the schedule of seasons . As certainly as death is an end to every human 's life , as certainly as years pass and autumn makes its annual appearance , so will wars be fought and so will they cause death . As nature is unmoved by human sorrow in that the winds may cease blowing but clouds will still move across the sky , so is war a soldier 's death will not cause the end of combat . Stevens ' perception of war , then , can be understood as a necessary occurrence but the soldiers who lose their lives in the conflict cannot expect to be remembered over time nor celebrated for their role in war . Their deaths constitute no pomp . The soldier is merely a small part of the conflict , and his death one of the natural effects of war

In William Faulkner 's Two Soldiers , the author portrays a soldier 's role in war as a duty performed for higher , patriotic purposes by those with a greater concern for their country . Pete feels duty-bound to join the fighting , while his father , who himself did a tour of duty in the first World War , is more worried about how Pete 's absence will impact himself and his farm . Pete 's father does not see a bit of use (85 in Pete signing up to participate in the combat of the second World War Pete 's mother , as well , exhibits an understanding of her son 's reasons for wanting to fight , but not the forces which make it necessary : You got to go , and so I want you to go . But I don 't understand it , and I won 't never , so don 't expect me to (85 . Faulkner portrays a soldier 's family as being motivated primarily by their own needs . However , war is always likely , and it is each generation 's duty to join the combat in defense of their country

Both Stevens and Faulkner tend to be in agreement that war is a requirement of civilization , much like the passage of the seasons and other occurrences in nature . As Pete 's younger brother states in Two Soldiers , the daylight had started while I...