Universal Soldier Poem Blog

 The Universal Soldier poem was a poem about war made by Buffy Sainte-Marie. The first stanza is about the actual soldiers themselves who fought in the war. I think this because the poet talks about the details of the soldiers like the height like 5 foot 2 and 6 foot 4. Other things like his weapons missiles and spears, age like 31 and 17, beliefs like Catholic, Hindu, Atheism, a Jain, Buddhist, Baptist, or Jewish. Buffy also mentions that they all "kill you for me my friend and me for you".

            The second stanza is about who and what the soldiers were fighting for. He says they are soldiers fighting from Canada, some France, some from U.S.A., some from Russia and some from Japan. They are not from any particular war like World War II or the Civil War but just literally soldiers from countries. According to him war will never end if they keep fighting. The third stanza is also about who and what they are fighting for except in this stanza the thing they are fighting for are democracy, communism and peace instead of their countries. What interests me is how he used the idiom he never sees the writing on the wall meaning he does not see obviously what will happen during war.

            The fourth stanza is about the universal soldier himself like how he gives his body as a weapon of war. Buffy also shows the universal soldier can be any soldier in the world when he says who would be by Caesar or who would be condemned to Dachau by Adolf Hitler.

            I agree with Buffy in his poem because what he is saying makes some sense to me. War really will not stop if everyone is fighting instead of co-operating. More people will just die. I really could not see the world not having any disagreements but at the same time I do not think violence is the answer especially not war.

By: Sean