Hello friends today we are discuss this question, the question is -The poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’ rests on two contrasting pictures. Discuss the use of contrasting pictures in the poem.
Arthur Rimbaud presents two contrasting pictures in his poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’. The beauty of the valley is compared with the brutality and futility of war. Initially, it seems that the soldier is sleeping in the midst of Nature peacefully. But in the concluding line, the harsh reality is revealed. The two bullet wounds in the side of the soldier’s body is set against Nature’s splendour. The warmth of the sun is contrasted with the coldness of death and the plentiful greenery of the valley is contrasted with the short-lived life of the soldier. The contrasting pictures arouse sympathy in the readers for the helpless victims of war.