Hello friends today we are discuss this question, the question is -The poem ends a little abruptly but leaves the reader with utter surprise and shock- Discuss. Or, Why do you think the poet chooses to hold back the truth for the end, in the poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’?
The poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’ initially presents a very beautiful picture of landscape where a young soldier lies ‘open-mouthed’ on the green ‘sun-soaked bed’ of grass. Then, suddenly the mood of the poem turns into a sad and shocking one. The poet mentions the ‘two red holes’ in the soldier’s side and leaves the reader utterly surprised and shocked. He does this deliberately in order to bring out the theme or central idea of the poem, that is, the futility of war. War, in the name of peace and well-being of a nation, actually ends young lives with their dreams unfulfilled and lives unlived. This callousness of war moves the poet intensely, so he tries to portray his thought through his poem. The poignant ending of the poem, though a little abrupt, is like an alarm to mankind against the horrific effect of war.