The War Prayer Rhetorical Devices

Mark Twain writes about the ironic mindset of people in the early days of war in “The War Prayer.” In the beginning, the people in the country were rejoicing and idolizing the soldiers going off to war. They pray to G-d to keep their soldiers safe and for them to win the war. While they were praying in church a worn man comes and reveals that they are praying for their country to win whilst praying for the downfall and sorrow of other individuals. Twain uses tone and irony to describe the shortsighted mentality of people in times of war.

In the beginning, the tone conveys the excitement and nationalism of the country in the early days of war. “Bronzed hero's, welcomed, adored, submerged in golden seas of glory!” The trepidation over war was contagious because they would idolize the soldiers. They had this unrealistic, idea of what would happen to their veterans. Furthermore, they automatically assume that their boys are returning, unharmed physically and

mentally. “Help them to crush the foe, grant to them and to their flag and country imperishable honor and glory.” This is a classic mentality that has transcended time. In the ancient civilization of the Aztecs, warriors were highly honored in society. If he was successful he would be merited the ability to wear certain garments that the common person could not. This idea of warriors being prized is still present in this narrative. The enthusiastic tone of the country was stimulated by the notion of immortalization.

The feverishness of the population is ironic because their prayers for the safety of their soldiers is wishing for the despair of the enemy.

Although the bulk of the population was enraptured by the prospects of combat, one individual was not blind to what warfare was really like. He points out how naive they are in their prayers.“Help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded.” When people fight in a war, there will always be a loser and being victorious means ruining a country and their people. There has to be a field that is littered with corpses and the wounded. “Blas their hopes, blight their lives….. We ask it, in the spirit of love.” The stranger is pointing out how ironic their prayers are. They ask G-d for help because they love him and simultaneously asking for Him to ruin lives of others. Love should not be used in the same context as war because war devastates a country, rather love can build

one.

Mark Twain uses tone and irony to depict the reality of warfare. He portrays nationalists as people who are obsessed with the glory of battle and the adoration that soldiers receive when they come home. When they pray for the safety of their children on the battlefield they are blind to what they are actually hoping for, the death of others. Instead of accepting the message of the stranger he is dismissed and was “believed afterward that the man was a lunatic.” Twain ends the story with this sentiment because it shows how short-sighted people are. War is not something people should accept lightly. A battle is not a place where soldiers become godlike, rather it is a place where people’s lives are decimated.