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Summary of Bertolt Brecht

The poem "General, Your Tank" by Bertolt Brecht is an anti-war poem that addresses Generals. Each stanza begins with "General" and criticizes how Generals celebrate victory while soldiers are forgotten and killed. The poem notes that the General's tank and bomber are powerful machines, but need humans to operate them. Humans are also useful to Generals as they can fly planes and kill in war, but their defect is that they can think, which may lead them to question and avoid war due to its destructive nature. Ultimately, the poem argues that war glorifies Generals while costing the lives of soldiers, and that humans have the power to think critically about war and stop its horrors.

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3K views1 page

Summary of Bertolt Brecht

The poem "General, Your Tank" by Bertolt Brecht is an anti-war poem that addresses Generals. Each stanza begins with "General" and criticizes how Generals celebrate victory while soldiers are forgotten and killed. The poem notes that the General's tank and bomber are powerful machines, but need humans to operate them. Humans are also useful to Generals as they can fly planes and kill in war, but their defect is that they can think, which may lead them to question and avoid war due to its destructive nature. Ultimately, the poem argues that war glorifies Generals while costing the lives of soldiers, and that humans have the power to think critically about war and stop its horrors.

Uploaded by

ashiya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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summary of Bertolt Brecht's General, Your Tank General, Your TankBertolt Brech

The poem “General, Your Tank” is an extract from Bertolt Brecht’s anti-war poem A German War
Primer. This poem presents his concern for humanity. It is also an anti war poem where the poet
ironically presents the horror of war. His works in general project his concern towards soldiers in
war. He states that in general the soldiers fight and get killed in a war but it brings glory to the
General. The General is celebrated as a hero whereas the soldier is forgotten.The poem is addressed
to the Generals and each stanza begins with the word General. The poet is the speaker and the
addressee is the General. It is in second person narration and it looks as if the speaker is talking to
the general in the present. The poet states to the General that his tank is a powerful vehicle which
can smash down forests and can crush hundreds of men. Though it is a powerful tank, it needs a
human to drive. The General’s bomber is also a powerful one as it flies faster than a storm and
carries more weight than an elephant. It too has a defect that it needs a mechanic. Both powerful
machines need a human to operate it or to make it powerful. The General has humans who are
useful. They can fly and kill in the war and they too have a defect that is they can think. The
machines’ defect is they need a man to operate but they are powerful. Where as humans’ defect is
their ability to think may be about the consequences of the war. Here thinking becomes a defect as
it may enable humans to avoid war by understanding its destructive nature. The poem is an ironic
one as it celebrates the two machines as powerful in the beginning and later claims that it needs
human to be operated. Unless a human operates they are just objects without any use.Through the
repetition of certain terms the writer is trying to create an impression upon the readers. He believes
that if the humans know about their power they can stop the horror caused by war. Through this
poem the poet tries to activate the defect of humans in the positive way to create a peaceful world.

Fire and Ice Poem and Explanation

Some say the world will end in fire Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those
who favour fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction
ice Is also great And would suffice. ROBERT FROST In this poem, the poet expresses the two ways in
which the world may end. Some people say that the world will end by Fire while others say that it
will end by Ice. The poet says that he is aware about the “fiery desires” of human emotions, so he
will favor those who say that Fire will end the world. Then, the poet rethinks again and imagines, if
the world has to die twice, then Ice has the capability, similar to Fire, to destroy the whole world.The
poet compares fire and ice with the self-destructive nature of human beings. According to the poet,
Fire stands for desire, greed and lust. There is no end to such emotions. The more humans try to
fulfill them, the more rapidly these emotions spread, similar to fire. These feelings often engulf
human life, and they get trapped in them. As a result, people become egotist, selfish and cruel. On
the other hand, the poet describes Ice as the rigid, rough and hateful side of human emotions.
People become harsh and do not care about the emotions and feelings of others. They are
indifferent to others’ happiness and sorrow. Thus, the poet says that since Ice and Fire both are
growing with such rapid speed the world will end soon, either by Fire or by Ice. The poem conveys a
beautiful message that human emotions rule over them. If humans don’t control their emotions,
they will ruin their life and bring it to the verge of chaos.

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