This is the relevant part of the poem I'm gonna ask a question about:
Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victory with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their
brothers
in the shade, doing nothing
One of the souces that I looked described the green wars as wars wherein people utilize nature – to hide (conceal) themselves among the foliage of forests or make use of the environment. But what my teacher was telling was that it meant waging war against the nature. So I want to ask who is right?
Best Answer
Question: How would you interpret the meaning of “green wars” in this poem?
The answer is ..........we do not know.
The poet has this to say about green wars in stanza 4:
As “green wars” is not an original phrase or even a new one for that matter as it existed before “green” was readily associated with environmental issues, we would have to make non-factual assumptions to give a defined answer.
However in commentaries on the poem there are comments that it is environmental. But these are commentaries not the authors words.
Their answers are readily available on the Internet.
In the poem 'Keeping Quiet' by Pablo Neruda, Green Wars are conflicts caused by environmental issues.
https://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_meaning_of_the_term_green_wars_in_the_poem_%27Keeping_Quiet%27_by_Pablo_Neruda