Dan DeHelian AP Language and Composition Mr.

Quatrani 18 March 2010 Conscientious Objector

A conscientious objector is, by definition, one who refuses to bear arms in a military conflict or serve in the armed forces because of religious or moral beliefs. In choosing this name for her poem, Edna St. Vincent Millay makes it clear that she does not support war and the death that surrounds it. But she does not simply criticize war. Through her usage of allusions to war and business, defiant repetition and diverse symbolism, she highlights her conviction that any act which leads to the discord among humans is detestable. The allusions that Millay uses in her poem deal primarily with wars, which she is actively opposed to, but they also allude to more discrete aspects of society that involves human disharmony. The most obvious allusions are those to the Spanish-American War and World War I. He has business in Cuba (Line 5) alludes to the American conflict with Spain, during which Cuba fought for its independence. The business in the Balkans(Line 6), on the other hand, alludes to World War I. The conflict that led to a full scale world war originated in the Balkan region of Southeastern Europe between Serbia and Austro-Hungary, and escalated because of alliances countries had with the two nations. Millay uses these two conflicts to highlight the fact that Death is kept busy, and constantly at work. She despises this fact because she is in favor of harmony between

members of the human race, which is constantly disrupted by war. Also, when Death, leads his horse out of the stall, (Line 3) it implies that he is a horsemen, which is an allusion to the fourth horsemen of the apocalypse as is depicted in the bible. This biblical reference may have been used by Millay to criticize the immoral behavior of murder and to emphasize the corrosive effect it has on peace among humans. A more subtle criticism that Millay may have intended for is that of big business. During the time period when Millay began to write, big businesses had arisen and took control of the economy in America. Corporate consolidations formed, and would often times kill off the competition by lowering prices or buying them out. Millay saw that this type of behavior was causing discord among differing groups of humans, and conveyed it in her poem. Lines like many calls to make this morning and I am not on his payroll seem to allude to Death as a managerial figure, and are used to criticize the disharmonious business tactics being employed at this time. Another rhetorical strategy Millay utilizes to highlight her disdain for human conflict is defiant repetition. In using a number of lines that start with I will not she communicates her resolution to refrain from any activities that will lead to disharmony. I will not give him a leg up,(Line 10) when used in reference to Death, implies that she refuses to aid any authority or organization that may lead to the deaths of her fellow humans. She also refuses to, tell him which way the fox ran. The fox is most likely representative of military deserters or those who attempt to evade their enlistment in military service altogether. Millay is sympathetic to these individuals and refuses to aid their capture because she is against war and the disruption of peace. I will not map him the route to any mans door represents her refusal bring Death upon any human being,

be they friends or enemies. Millays philosophy is that all human life is valuable and that living peacefully and in harmony is the ideal way to exist. She also supports this philosophy by stating, I will not tell him the whereabouts of my friends, nor of my enemies either. Regardless of a persons status in relation to her, she is in favor of peace. This is one of the major themes of her poem. And although it is supported by her use of parallel sentence structures, it is supplemented a great deal by her use of diverse symbolism. The varied symbolic references Milllay uses throughout her poem may have different connotations, but they all support the overall theme of defiance to war and other acts that lead to discord. Although Death is undoubtedly a biblical allusion to the fourth horseman, it is also an important symbolic reference. Death represents any individual, authority or organization that advocates the disruption of peace among humans, be it war, corrupt business practices, or even racism. As I highlighted before, lines like I am not on his payroll and [Death has] many calls to make this morning allude to the corrupt and undesirable business practices that has arisen during this time period. Millay is criticizing these practices by associating them with the menacing and gruesome character, Death Also, Millays refusal to tell [Death] where the black boy hides in the swamp may be criticizing racism which has become all too common in this time period. In this case, Death represents any racist individual or organization (such as the KKK) that wishes to discriminate against or even kill members of minority groups in the U.S. simply because they are different. The black boy hiding in the swamp represents any minority group, specifically African Americans, who are discriminated against and persecuted by white supremacists. Millay believes that this racism is yet another factor causing social

disharmony in the world, and she criticizes it by refusing to aid the oppressive Death in any of his racist exploits. In the final two lines of the poem, there is a shift in perspective. Throughout the entire poem, the narrator is speaking indirectly, but at the beginning of the second to last line she begins speaking directly to the reader. Brother, the password and the plans of our city, are safe with me; never through me shall you be overcome. Her use of the word Brother is a symbolic reference to connection that all humans share; a connection which Millay wishes to emphasize in order to end the impersonal paradigms that lead to social discord. The password and the plans of our city represents any information that she may have which could lead to the death or downfall of a fellow human being. But she reassuringly adds, [they] are safe with me. She will not betray her brethren for any reason. Not even though [Death] promise [her] much (Line 19) And she solidifies this idea by ending the poem with, never through me Shall you be overcome. The word Shall is used because it by definition means definitely will and it is capitalized to emphasize her conviction that she will never betray another human being. At first glance, Edna St. Vincent Millays Conscientious Objector may seem like a simple antiwar poem. But upon careful investigation and consideration it becomes so much more. Her subtle allusions to corrupt business and discrete symbols related to racism show the she is not just against killing (although that is an important aspect of her philosophy). She is more so against any act that will lead to social disharmony, be it discrimination, corruption, or persecution and she conveys this quite nicely through the rhetorical strategies used in her poem. Unfortunately, the society that she criticizes and is eager to change has become deeply rooted within each and every one of us. It would take

a force far greater than one womans words to dislodge it, although thats not to say that her attempts are not noble and respectable. We should all strive to adopt this paradigm of cooperation and peace amongst humans. Even if it has become the green light at the end of the dock; ideal and attainable yet always just out of reach.