Whitman’s War vs. Ours

Voices Lost in Modern Wars

Modern-day attitude towards war has become more impersonal. Instead of giving voice to the innocent and suffering, modern media choose to put emphasis on technological sophistication over human cost. The human dimension of war has faded from view largely because of the way technology has transformed both the practice and perception of conflicts.

Technology has blurred the way we see wounded people and deaths on the battlefields. Instead of depicting how the lives of innocent civilians have changed, the news mostly shows how advanced our modern war-fighting technologies are deployed on the battlefield. For example, much of the news on the Russian-Ukrainian war focuses on the damage dealt by drones and missiles rather than on how people are affected by this damage. CNN news, updated August 2nd, reports that “The death toll from Russia’s heavy bombardment of Ukraine’s capital this week has risen to 31 people, marking the deadliest single attack on Kyiv in a year.” This makes the conflicts seem more like statistics instead of tragic stories. Morally, we don’t see the “dirty” side of the war and are only shown the power of technology. This erases our sense of humanity since we are not told the true “human story” behind what these armed conflicts have done to innocent civilians or soldiers.

This stands in sharp contrast to Walt Whitman's somber words. He focuses on the suffering of the soldiers and the mourning mothers. In the poem “Come up from the Fields Father,” he describes a mother grieving for her son who died in battle, and the emotional impact his death has on her. Whitman tells us that, “By day her meals untouch’d, then at night fitfully sleeping, often waking.” He shows how the grief profoundly impacts the mourning mother. Her sorrow is not public, but quiet and haunting. Yet, because of Whitman, we get to know her pain. This poem shows how the damage caused by the war extends beyond the deaths on the battlefield.

In “The Wound-Dresser,” another great example, Whitman also depicts the deaths and suffering of the soldiers in the hospital. He doesn’t focus on the technology used but on the pain caused by the war. Instead of glorifying the war, he commemorates the wounded and the deceased. His words allow the soldiers’ lives to hold meaning and put a face to a faceless loss in battle.

With the number of conflicts happening recently around the world, it is important to shift our attention back to the voices of the innocent, the soldiers, and their loved ones. Wars should be seen as a mistake in history instead of a glorious showcase of technology or some sort of entertainment for those who are not involved. It is important to let people remember these conflicts as tragedies. We must remember that war is not for a show of machinery but for its human costs.

Jessica is a thoughtful voice in the YMS Liberal Arts American poetry program. In her writing, she explores the emotional costs of modern warfare and the role of literature in preserving empathy. Her recent essay, which contrasts Walt Whitman’s wartime poetry with today’s impersonal media coverage, reminds us that war should never be reduced to statistics. Through her words, Jessica calls readers to remember the human stories that too often go untold.