Bloody Battle

In response to The Fields of Monterey by Marion Dix Sullivan

The Battle of Monterey was a bitter-sweet victory. The Americans fought against the Mexicans at the brink of war fighting for land. Troops were sent down to Monterey to defend and fight against the Mexicans, which ended in American victory but then into a negotiation between the two countries trade the city for armistice. The battle was won, but ended in losing the city technically making the soldier's’ death for nothing. The emotions of victory and tragedy is perfectly shown in Sullivan’s poem, The Field of Monterey.

This poem was gave extremely good imagery and metaphors explaining the Battle of Monterey. Sullivan was perfectly able to squeeze all the emotions and moods of what time was like before, during, and after the war through descriptions of the seasons, “when spring was here” and when “the flowers of spring have faded” (Sullivan). The visual descriptions of the flowers and even the fruits painted an image of vibrant colors like the flushing of cheeks to bright red and the gold that papayas turn to when perfectly ripe set a tone of perfection, but the lines surrounding the beauty is deathly and dark. The poems transitions from rejoicing to mourning in a perfect three stanza poem.

The way Sullivan set the poem up was also very strategic and organized to embody the emotions felt during the battle. The repetition that Sullivan used for the line, “...in death are sleeping, on the the field of Monterey” (Sullivan) is both beautiful and tragic. The use of the word sleeping gives the idea of the soldiers lying dead on the field a more gentle tone, yet it creates the sense of sadness since they lie dead on the field of battle. Also, the transitions that Sullivan had from one stanza to another was not abrupt but subtle and smooth. Comparing the first stanza to the second, she was able to use the line, “...many hearts are bleeding, upon this glorious day” (Sullivan), both figuratively and literally giving the line two different tones. The poem brings out both the bright and dark side of the battle that day and expresses Sullivan’s view of the battle.

Sullivan was able to see the post-battle from two different perspectives, and from this poem, I believe that she was not a total fan of the battle. She explained how lively life was prior to the battle and how she “was crowned the queen” (Sullivan) before the time of the battle and that describes her emotions of pride and content before America even declared war on Mexico. She despises the fact that many died that day and the Battle of Monterey left a large indent on the hearts of family members of the loved soldiers.