ASLEEP IN THE VALLEY Arthur Rimbaud 1. Justify the title of the poem - 'Asleep in the Valley'. Or. How does the poet express the futility of war through his poem 'Asleep in the Valley'. The central theme of the poem 'Asleep in the Valley' is the futility and meaninglessness of war. Rimbaud himself has witnessed the horrors of war as a soldier and in this poem he reveals his strong anti-war attitude by expressing the tragic aspects of war. The poem presents us with a picture of a young soldier who rests in a small green valley among flowers and buzzing insects. He lies open mouthed with one hand on his chest and a soft smile on his lips.This peaceful picture suddenly changes when we find two red holes on his body. Bullet marks on the side of his body placed the soldier in a ...