A collaboration of short stories behind the scenes of an exciting era in American history. The author portrays many different point of views throughout the stories from the actual soldiers to the people who worked around the bases of Iraq and Afghanistan to the priests and chaplains that helped keep the soldiers sane. Though the book suffered slightly from its overuse of military jargon it flourished with great imagery and the clear, enjoyable voice. Also, the different point of views help correlate the different perspectives and at times touches upon Phil Klay’s personal connections to the book.…
All Quiet on the Western Front Is a Novel told from the perspective of Nineteen year old Paul Bäumer, a German Soldier who joins the war effort on the French front during World War I. Bäumer and a few friends get the idea to join the military after listening to patriotic speeches from their previous teacher, however quickly forsake these ideologies after experiencing the horrors of warfare on the front.…
Much like the present, there is a sort of intangible space between the older and younger generations. In All Quiet on the Western Front, youths like Paul Baümer must deal with the disillusion they feel towards what they were taught to believe in by those of the older generation. Once Paul and his fellow classmates are shipped off to war, he and the others learn that some of the things they were taught could not be farther from the truth.…
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.…
Animals, as most children learn in their childhood, can be a man’s best friend. Robert Ross, however, experiences a much closer relationship to animals than most people through out The Wars by Timothy Findley. We get some very solid emotions emanating from Robert when he’s on the ship and has to kill the horse. Pure fear courses through out both Robert and the horse and jumps out at the reader while reading through the scene. Robert and the horse are both terrified: Robert is scared because he doesn’t have the slightest clue how to kill a horse and the horse is probably scared because there’s nothing it can do to get up (in addition, it must be in agonizing pain from its broken leg). Neither the horse nor Robert can command their bodies—Robert can’t shoot the horse and he tries multiple times before he gets it behind the ear and the horse can’t stand up and gain control of its footing. They are similar in their fear and their lack of control.…
In a place soon to be known as The Valley of Death, in a football field-sized clearing called landing zone X-Ray, Lt. Colonel Hal Moore and 400 young troopers from the elite newly formed American 7th "Air" Cavalry, were surrounded by 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers dug into the tunnel warren mountainside. The ensuing battle was one of the most savage in U.S. history and is portrayed here as the signal encounter between the American and North Vietnamese armies. We Were Soldiers Once... And Young is a tribute to the nobility of those men under fire, their common acts of uncommon valor, and their loyalty to and love for one another.…
Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.” War creates many experiences that continues to play an evident role in many soldiers lives. One particular soldier, Mike Clark, globally shares his story of being a Vietnam veteran, and the difficult times that he underwent during the Vietnam War. Clark’s personal story is unique because of the difficult decisions he makes and the factors that cause him to make them. Clark explains the reality behind joining the military and witnessing the tragedies that are experienced during the war. While exploring Mike Clark’s Vietnam War story and remembering the war veterans, it is important to consider…
War is and always has been a topic of discussion in the world whether it be in the daily newspaper, a presidential campaign speech or a history classroom. Often we focus on past wars, current wars, fatalities, battles and countless other topics. Then, there is the occasional talk about men that have fought in history’s brutal wars. Veterans could tell story after story of the pain and suffering that they saw and experienced themselves. But you can only begin to imagine. Also seen in the movie Apocolypse Now.…
The history of war is what many spend time reading about in textbooks. Few, however, experience war and all that it encompasses. David Leckie, a marine during World War II, uses his book, Helmet for My Pillow, to share with readers the truth of what it was like to be a soldier. Rather than skimming the surface of his time on Parris Island and the Pacific Islands, he goes into unmatched, excruciating detail; every trench dug, every shot fired, and every fallen soldier passed was recounted by Leckie. Setting this story apart from any other, the first-hand accounts of combat, unlikely descriptions of the day-to-day actions of the soldiers, and the heart that Leckie intertwines with each part of his story all combine to make this thought-provoking,…
Herman Wouk’s The Winds of War is based on a mixture of fictional and non-fictional characters in which are connected to Victor “Pug” Henry. Pug is a middle aged, United States Navy Commander with a wife, Rhoda, and three grown kids, Warren, Madeline, and Byron. His dream is to command an American battleship in the United States Navy. As the story starts, Pug is being assigned to naval diplomacy in Berlin, Germany six months before the invasion of Poland (1). While working as the attaché, Pug notices the plans for Germany to invade. It comes to his concern that this would immediately cause war with the Soviet Union. If Germany is to successfully invade Poland, they must make an agreement with the Soviets to not go to war even though they are obvious enemies. He submits a report predicting the Nazi-Soviet nonaggression pact. On August 23rd, 1939, the pact was written and signed by Germany and the Soviet Union (2). Once the pact was made public, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sees his report and is asked to be the unofficial eyes and ears in Europe. This is not necessarily the job he wants, but it gives him the upper hand in the political world. With this job, he travels to London, Rome, and Moscow. He meets very important people such as Winston Churchill, Benito Mussolini, and Joseph Stalin.…
The Witness to War: Serving a Nation oral history project focuses on telling veterans’ stories. Pairs of students interview a veteran, create a website for them, and present their veteran's story to their class. My partner, Kajsa Simon, and I interviewed Mr. Joe Souza, and through him, I learned a lot about the military as well as what makes a hero. From the Witness to War project, I learned that all veterans are heroes and that you don’t have to risk your life every day to be one. I also learned how to be a better public speaker, and this will be useful all throughout my life. This was the best project I have ever done, and it has made a lasting impact on my life. In this essay, I will discuss what I learned from this project, what I did to…
Then novel War and Peace was written by a famous Russian author Leo Tolstoy in 1865. The novel describes the war with Napoleon in which many countries were involved such as Russia, Austrian, Prussia, Spain, Sweden, and Britain. The novel mainly focuses on Russia. It reflects the different views and participation in the war of Russian aristocracy and peasants and also shows Tolstoy's negative viewpoint on the war.…
The first time I lied to my parents about there not being any homework; [MAKE THIS A COMMA INSTEAD OF A SEMI-COLON] it didn’t follow through. I started to smile and laugh [ADD COMMA HERE.] which meant I was not telling the truth. I just didn’t want to tell them because I knew they were going to harp on me. When I don’t tell them about homework I don’t have to worry about my parents coming into my room every five minutes checking that I’m doing my work. With not having them to remind me sometimes it works out better. [CUT DOWN THE PERSONAL STORY BY A SENTENCE OR TWO AND SHIFT TO A COUPLE OF SENTENCES ABOUT PEOPLE BEING DISHONEST IN THE WORLD TO AVOID BAD CONSEQUENCES.] I and the overweight man in the story both share something in common; not telling the truth. He starts off strong hiding his emotions about his kid [THIS IS TOO CASUAL: SAY “SON” INSTEAD.] going into the war. The man acted as if he wasn’t moved at the least bit by the fact of his son leaving him. He goes into detail about how their children don’t belong to them anymore and the government owns them. Though he’s only saying telling [?] the passengers that to cover up the truth regarding his son. In the end we find out his son turned out to be dead; and he did such a great job to cover it up to face the cold hard fact. In “War” by Luigi Pirandello he uses symbolism, plot, and setting [BE MORE SPECIFIC: WHAT KIND OF SYMBOL? WHAT ABOUT THE PLOT? WHICH SETTING?] to show that some people don’t tell the truth because they know that there might be a negative outcome.…
War tears countries apart, it tears families apart, but more importantly it tears one apart. The struggle the family of those in war faces is brought forth in the short story War by Luigi Pirandello. The author uses characterization to tell his story. The small restricted setting in which the passengers sit enables them to share stories and their experiences. They each have been affected by the war. Each has a son or more fighting for their country. They all face denial– the denial to accept what is actually going on and having little control over it. They cannot control the war and they cannot accept that their sons might die or have died. It is in human nature to deny the truth, to deny what hurts us, or what breaks us. We sometimes create a bubble around us that keeps the bitter truth out and lets us live peacefully, until the bubble pops. The relationship between the characters brings each one back to reality and leaves them face to face with the truth they had been avoiding.…
War, huh yeah What is it good for? Absolutely nothing,…