Contrary to other literary history works, “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Remarque Erich Maria is so unique because of the way it displays such a realistic view of war and the associated loss of humanity, innocence, and emotion that accompany it. Throughout this novel, Remarque proves his point that war is unnecessary, and dishonorable. The novel really emphasizes on the accumulating body count everyday, showing every aspect of how war is absolutely gruesome and such a waste of pure lives. Also, “All Quiet on the Western Front” shows how the position of being in war can change a person dramatically preventing them from returning to their previous lives, and scarring them permanently.…
The essays by Ambrose, Broyles, Hedges, Kudo, and Styron collectively discuss War in varying contexts, highlighting the effects both before and after war. Some articles intersect on the supporting the idea of another, while others clearly hold opposing views.…
War requires unity behind a cause and a war without a cause leads to chaos. In Going After Cacciato, Paul Berlin, a soldier is faced with the harsh reality of war in Vietnam and imagines his journey to Paris, a place that stands for peace and hope. The author, Tim O’Brien, depicts Paul Berlin’s ambivalent views—whether to stand by his obligation to serve his country, even when it leads to destruction or to follow his own values to gain a sense of his true intention of gaining a sense of tranquility in order to reveal that war divides our morals and no definitive purpose.…
Uncertainty characterizes war; “How to Tell a True War Story” conveys this feeling of chaos and having no control over future events. “In the midst of evil” (77) everything is unexpected and terrifying. Leaving the reader with an uncertainty of reliability, the narrator teaches that a war story does not “depend upon” (79) the truth of events. Moreover, during a war there is the permeating feeling of “a ghostly fog” (78) that clouds vision of anything new. No longer having any “clarity”, “chaos” becomes a constant and the “only certainty” (78) is that…
The author, Tim O’Brien, is deployed into the Vietnam war when he is a young man. Throughout the novel, the effects of the war on him are shown and they are profound, he has seen death and suffering; he has he seen death but he has also been the cause of it. He describes everything in the war and the effect that it had on him personally and how it continues to affect him in the present. In the beginning of the novel, O’Brien describes everything the other soldiers carry with them. This is his way of showing that the war is personal to everyone. Based on what each of the soldiers carry with them, he is able to understand their fears and what is important to them. This concept is demonstrated when O’Brien says, “It was very sad, he thought. The things men carried inside. The things men did or felt they had to do.” This quote exemplifies the impacts of war on a person’s individualism by saying that during strife, people only did what they thought they had to in order to remain alive. Their own thoughts and ideas mattered less than surviving. Throughout the novel, especially when the author speaks of the present day, it is clear that he is still affected by what he experienced Vietnam War. He is continually influenced by the death and horror that he experienced. His own personal trauma, including when he was shot, impacts his present life as a veteran. The effects of the war on him…
War has always been something that seemed pointless to me; it seemed like violence with no other purpose but to harm people. I felt sorry for the people who had to go to war, for the people who died, and for people who could never go back to normal after a war ended, because of the mental or physical impact it had on them. Howard told us his story, his opinion about war, and the book “The Things they carried”. He changed my way of looking at war a lot, partly even my opinion about war.…
War itself is the enemy of mankind. In the historical fiction novel “The Cellist of Sarajevo” written by Steven Galloway, the characters are surrounded by war which allows the author to illustrate how the characters lose their humanity and ultimately crush their compassion.…
War is hell, but that’s not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead.” (Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried)…
War is a very controversial topic for many people. Depending on the person’s outlook on the war, it can be depicted as something good or bad. War brings destruction wherever it goes, whether it is on a place or the people, and it ultimately is inevitable. War also protects a country from having further destruction and keeps the people at home safe from any danger. As a person can see in many recordings of war, there are many comparisons and contrasts that are expressed through soldiers, veterans, and civilians. Some comparisons seen in many of the testimonies given by effected people are dehumanization, dislocation, and alienation; but they also have contrasts that can be seen through nationalism, technological advancements, and the coming home for many…
There always exists a time when war is present in our lives and one must act with honor to do what is needed to survive and live together as a nation. The human instinct to survive and build confidence is instilled in individuals within the daunting atmosphere of combat; where inherently good people are asked to kill other entities. However, the effects that come with the act of war are inevitable and one must struggle with the predicament of keeping one’s sanity intact. Humans are inherently good until thrown to the darkness and dysfunctional effects of war. Similarly, In Tim O’Brien’s “Song of the Tra Bong”, a story about how a young man from the Vietnam War pays to have his significant other sent to his station unfolds as a dramatic turn for the worse. The young man, Mark Fossie, deals with the pain of seeing his significant other, Mary Anne, animate a drastic transformation to the ultimate obscurity and frightening notion of war. At first glance, one may have the impression that O’Brien’s short story might shroud the idea of love and relationships, but underneath the surface, Tim O’Brien paints a grim picture of the effects of war on human nature and how it can distance humans from moral and emotional anchors, both physically and psychologically, and perhaps result in the loss of innocence.…
Now that the bridges built between the two men have been broken, there is no denying the strong identicalness. Becoming aware of these things can be agonizing.These atrocities of war also cause men and women to feel unreal.. The importance of things change. Their emotions become out of whac and their feelings of self-preservation minimize but that is how they are able to carry out the mission. As said in "Why Soldiers Don't Talk", "During this time a kind man is capable of great cruelties and a timid man of great bravery, and nearly all men have resistance to stresses beyond their ordinary ability"(Steinbeck 7).War has forced them to overcome their original and regular feelings so they can perform for their country. Most of them can put up a wall to shield their system from their unharmonious memories, but not all of them can. The rest that cannot put up a resistance to the cruelties, have to endure through them and figure out a way to deal with it effectively. Trying to manage the out of control emotions, is always an arduous burden. In some…
To conclude, there is no doubt that the conflict of war is a useless encounter that affects many innocent people’s lives, the economic stability and physiological wellbeing of soldiers. It is evident that in some circumstances society makes war to ensure peace, and on the surface this seems rational, even plausible. However, in reality throughout the journey there is a great human and economic cost…
While he may not be for the war, the façade of bravery and courage is soon washed away with realities of unfairness and the surveillance of the government as they are forced complete tasks. The messages lying in the novel, life is not entirely fair and war is diminishing to its soldiers, are evidentially proved throughout the…
Carman Slone Sue Oakes CS1100: Summer 2017 July 6, 2017 Unit I: Midterm Exam Comparing Literature from the Great War One may know very little of what war was really like. Maybe you have a close friend or loved one that has experienced it first hand. Perhaps you are a history buff or possible a war hero yourself.…
This story addresses the Inherent violence of war. Based on damage and fear it addresses readers to see the true reality that it brings. It provides examples of people's lives who have been affected and it shows ironic ways of making people see the truth, of what soldiers go thru everyday. This story creates the support of war tragedies and relates to most war scenarios from a battlefield. Usually war has two…