Should Junger 's Account Be Considered A "Pro" or "Anti" War Book?
October 11, 2013
This essay will try to answer the question: should Ernst Junger’s book “Storm of Steel” narrative describing his personal experiences during his service in German Army on Western Front of WW1 be consider anti or pro war?
In order to answer this question it is first important to determine the fraises “pro-war” and “anti-war”. The term “pro-war” describes an attitude in which war is desired, necessary or justifiable. The term “anti-war” describes the opposite; war is viewed as immoral and is generally opposed and condemned. This paper will argue that there are grounds in the book to support both proposition.
“Storm of Steel” is a detailed account of events as experienced and observed by the author Ernst Junger. It describes the series of events from the time he volunteered to serve in the German army in 1915 until the summer of 1918, a few months before the capitulation of Germany in November 11, 1918.
It covers many major battles on the Western Front during the First World War including the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Cambrai, and the German offensive in the spring of 1918, dubbed “Operation Michael”. This constituted the last German effort to win the war.
Junger’s description of the war lends credence to the view that he may hold both pro- and anti-war sentiments since he depicts the war as simultaneously glorious and terrible. The admiration with which he describes the glory of dying while fighting for your country can easily be indicative of a pro-war outlook. On the other hand Junger also describes the horror of having to ignore the cries for help of a comrade who’s had his leg blown off by artillery fire, hence the case for an anti-war perspective.
The book clearly is written by a German patriot who is driven by a sense of duty to his country and as well as his fellow soldiers. On one of first few pages of the book he