Barbed Wire By Mary Emeny
Barbed Wire by Mary Emeny
Mary Emeny?s poem, ?Barbed Wire,? depicts war as a negative force, destroying every decent aspect of human existence. Written during the Vietnam War, the work displays Emeny?s negative views on war. In one way or another everyone experiences and identifies with the presence of war. Although some wars are fought for justifiable reasons, every war tears into the lives of those undeserving. The tragic effects of war consume the innocent creating an unconquerable path of entanglement.
The physical effects of war overwhelm the naive causing pain and suffering. Initially, war entangles the lives of youth, destroying the innocence that they experience as an aspect of their life. The girl ?glid[ing] gracefully down the path? (1) and the boy ?rid[ing] eagerly down the road? (9) have their enjoyable realities striped by the harshness of war. Likewise, war enters women?s lives creating turmoil. The woman who works ?deftly in the fields? ( ) no longer is able to experience the offerings of life. The ?wire cuts,? ( ) pushing her away from the normal flow of life. In addition, man undergoes tragic obstacles as a result of war. ?A man walks nobly and alone? ( ) before the
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