In Redemption: Last Battle of the Civil War by Nicholas Lemann a new idea called reconstruction is starting to arise in the nation. The book itself sets up the reader to picture one of the bloodiest wars of all time. The main idea of the book is how Reconstruction failed because of hostile and rude schemes by the Democratic Party and white southerners during elections. The main reason for reconstruction was to put union backs together and free the slaves for once and for all, the ideas were doomed soon as they were looked upon due to the. Southern Democrats were poised to win with little to no interference at the ballot box both locally and eventually, at the national…
The First Way of War Review Dr. John Grenier is a historian that specializes in US military history. Dr. Grenier is a Lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force. He is also a professor at the Colorado United States Air Force Academy. The tile of the book is The First Way of War: American War Making on The Frontier, which means that Dr. Grenier is planning to explain how the American colonists shaped America and how the techniques and methods used in the wars in the Americas molded the modern American military. His introduction, Dr. Grenier recognizes English-…
also used as a reference. McDonough focuses on the under-examined facets of the Civil War in…
The fifteenth-century Renaissance and the beginnings of European exploration, conquest, and colonization are part of the same narrativeone in which culture, science, religion, politics, and power are inextricably intertwined. Innovations in science and technology made long-distance travel and exploration possible. The desire of rulers for wealth and power financed conquest, and the desire of the Roman Catholic church for converts provided religious motivation for the subjection of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Upon reaching Central Mexico, Spanish explorers found themselves confronted with the Nahua people, commonly known as Aztecs, of whom the largest tribe was the Mexica. Stuart B. Schwartz's Victors and Vanquished: Spanish and Nahua Views of the Conquest of Mexico contains opposing versions of the defeat and destruction of the flourishing sixteenth-century civilization of the Nahua.…
In the book “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Remarque, the author uses nature, and comradeship, to describe what the characters are going through. Erich uses nature in several ways, such as describing how the soldiers are facing terrible hardships, also it reflects on their sadness, and provides a contrast to the unnatural world of war. The author also uses the theme Comradeship through all the horrifying pictures of death and inhumanity, he talks about when Paul and his friends pick on Himmelstoss and beat him. We think it’s funny because Himmelstoss deserves it for being rude to them, and Paul and his friends are just giving him what he deserves. As we start going farther into the book, we start to realize that beating on someone isn’t funny anymore. We read the how the soldiers feel after assaulting and killing other people, it gives us a disturbing thought about war.…
“The first bombs, the first explosion, burst into our hearts.” (Remarque 88) This is what the soldiers felt like in Erich Maria Remarque novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul Baumer, a young man serving in the German army during World War One, is constantly being faced with the horrible and terrifying aspects of war. From seeing, his fellow soldiers lying dead on the battle field, to learning how to survive on the western front of the war. With his rifle by his side and his comrade’s right next to him, he knew what his job was to do in the war and that was to serve his country. Although Paul fought for his country in the War, Corrie Ten Boom a member of the Dutch reformed church was faced with the horrific scenes…
War has a tendency to bring out both the worst and best qualities of human beings. These conflicts and their resulting effects on people are often depicted in literature. One of the best examples of war literature is Erich Marie Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front. All Quiet on the Western Front depicts the everyday struggles of German soldier Paul Baümer and his comrades. Throughout the war, the servicemen maintain a strong bond between with each other. However, this bond even extends to the enemy on occasion, showcasing the universality of humanity. Two key themes in All Quiet on the Western Front are comradeship and the universal nature of mankind, and Remarque often demonstrates this.…
In the short story, “How to Tell a True War Story,” the implicit problem that is created about the story by its first line, “this is true,” is that the readers may think the line is sarcasm and not believe the information being said. The readers will question if the story is true or not. Throughout the story the narrator says how many war stories are not true so I do not know what to believe. The author, Tim O’Brien, says that nothing can be believed to be true, which makes the story ironic. He says, “In war you lose your sense of the definite, hence your sense of truth itself, and therefore it’s safe to say that in a true war story nothing much is ever very true” (95). I would think that this story is not true after that being said.…
As the Joads ride on their journey to California, they travel as a whole, one unit, one family. And on one night they camp off the side of the road, and run into the Wilson's, creating and merging into one large family, with one goal in mind, reaching California. But as the days of traveling continue, the family struggles to stay intact due to obstacles such as the staggering heat, lack of money, automobile breaking down, doubts brought upon by people who have been in California, and even death. But Steinbeck defines "family" as a unit with members who think of other members before themselves, and Ma expresses this idea clearly with Granma's death. The Joads have a connection where each member truly has someone to have their back when in need. Tom shares this with Casy and Al, Ma and Granma, Pa with Granpa and Uncle John, Ruthie and Winfield, Rose of Sharon and Connie, but then there's Noah who doesn't feel the same love which is one of the reasons that persuades him to depart from the family. They also have a structure in which Tom, Pa, Al, usually make family decisions and the eventually the final verdict is given to Ma. Overall, family is suppose to take care of each other when in time of need and work as one rather than individuals.…
Tim O’ Brien’s “How to tell a true war story” construes the relationship between the war experiences and the ways of storytelling. O Brien’s story telling as a narrator shows that the storyteller has the power to form his listener’s experiences and opinions. His way of describing situations are unique because his story distorted the reader’s perceptions of beauty and ugliness by making different situation and scenes seem pleasing, even though it contains improbability…
The United States emerged from World War II , its continental territory unscathed, and richer and more powerful by far . Also , the United States should be pound of the fewest casualties they have . In no doubt , the United States is the empire of the world .…
The book "The Warrior Ethos" written by Steven Pressfield is about what it means to be a warrior, in the present time, and also in ancient times. In the book it gives many examples such as the ancient Spartans as well as modern day war fighters such as the Marines. It also discusses the differences and similarities as to what the warrior ethos actually means to the individual, as well as to the unit. The author breaks the book into three parts, academies of war, the external war, and finally the last part, inner wars. These three parts essentially start from the ground and work their way up. The academies of war is basically giving examples of real stories where military members showed the meaning of the warrior ethos. For example, Pressfield brings up that in ancient Greek times, when King Leonidas chose the three hundred Spartan warriors to march on Thermopylae based on their wives and mothers. He knew they were going to die and he chose the warriors based on how their families would react to the war effort. Positive reactions from the families of the fallen soldiers creates a positive reaction in the populous. The second part, the external war, is exactly that. How we implement the warrior ethos in an actual battle. The author elaborates on how militaries that are born and raised in harsh environments tend to thrive when they go to battle somewhere else that is less demanding of them. He also discusses how battles and struggles bring soldiers closer and create a brotherhood that is like none other, in the sense that they will die for each other without hesitation. The third and final part, inner wars, is about what the warrior ethos means to each individual, and how it is almost always the same for each person. At first mentions that as warriors, we must always been mindful of consequences, because unlike civilians, consequences are very real in our world.And in turn, we must temper our "brute aggression" with…
If You Survive, written by George Wilson, is a first person account of a US Army officer in the European Theatre during the Second World War. His account took place over an eight month period of constant combat which began days after the Normandy landings and up to the Battle of the Bulge. Wilson’s story begins as a young infantry lieutenant right out of Officer Candidate School, who was sent to war as a replacement officer. Only a few days after the Normandy landings, his regimental commander informs the group of replacement lieutenants that if they survive their first battle he will promote them.…
The Wars by Timothy Findley is at first initially thought, a book about World War I but the pluralized title suggests that it is much more than that. With a closer look it becomes easier to recognize how structurally complex this novel is as it concerns itself around a number of ‘wars’. First, there is the raging war World War I, as well as domestic disputes within the Ross and d’Orsey families while the war rages, although there is still the internal struggle in which most characters face, most notably Robert. One of the most critical themes in this novel is the climatic change both Robert Ross and the society in which he lives undergo, as World War I overturns the past and destroys the fundamental and moral…
Erich Maria Remarque wrote the novel All Quiet on the Western Front to show readers the impact that war and death had on soldiers during war times. Many men returned from the war with missing limbs, missing clothes, and missing minds. They felt displaced and lost in their own bodies and in society. The death toll in World War I was tragically high, and it left families without brothers, sons, husbands, and uncles.…