“The truths are contradictory”(80). Based on Tim O’Brien, many argue that war is grotesque, but war could also be beauty. Although war is not lovely because of all the killings and awful moments, it could also be beautiful. As O’Brien mentions, war is like a cancer under a microscope. The soldiers can see horrifying moments in the battle, but the battle scene is glorious. The soldiers admire on the harmony of nature and the troops. Basically everything in a war could look beautiful in humans eyes, but every soldier hates war at the same time. The truth reached by the reader from this contrast is that why some might like going to war and what makes soldiers to keep going in
“Song of Napalm” by Weigl is one of the best poems, he wrote this poem to his wife. The audience are the people has experience of horrifying war or the people. This poem is about the Vietnam War and
How can different perceptions about one topic be expressed in poetry? The main theme that the two sets of poems convey is war, but it’s expressed in different point of views through the use of diction that builds tone. The tones of these poems play a big role in conveying the differences between the different eras that these poems are written in, and shows how societies have changed from the Victorian era till the time of World War I.
In essence, these two poems are drastically different works of art. "Dulce et Decorum est" is a more graphical and relational work compared to the latter, as you go on a journey as a soldier who gets to experience traumatic and graphic events, it begins to alter what you think about war and conflict. As you read on, it gives you graphical wording to prove that the saying "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" is a misrepresentation of actual war. After reading, the underlying message becomes apparent, it wants you to alter your current perceptions about war and how pointless they really are. In contrast, "The Things that Make a Soldier Great" aims to clear up what soldiers really go to war for, they are not there for "The pomp and pride of kings" but only when you "Endanger but that humble street whereon his children run—You make a soldier of the man who never bore a gun.", soldiers fight to protect their homes, not their kings. The poem aims to glorify soldiers and certain aspects of war, it goes on to prove that in reality there really isn 't good vs bad on the battlefield, it 's just a man who "sees his children smile at him, he hears the bugle call, And only death can stop him now—he 's fighting for them all.", and this is our hidden meaning.
To many people take the toll of war,to many lives have been taken from the toll of
Over the course of the years, war has been perceived as violent and unnecessary and most Americans hate the idea of it. They can’t understand the justifications for why America goes to war and they absolutely won’t stand for it. But there are some things that war provides and contributes to America that people often overlook. “The War Works Hard,” by Dunya Mikhail claims that war “works with unparalleled diligence! / Yet no one gives it a word of praise (49-50).” Mikhail claims that when people think of war they think of all the negative things that are the result of war like the “lifeless and glistering” bodies and the ones that are “pale and still throbbing (15-16)”. People think of losing their loved ones and destroyed countries, families, and many other things
In the poems “Disabled” by Wilfred Owen and “The Bright Lights of Sarajevo” by Tony Harrison, both poems present the truths of war. However, both differ in terms of setting and contrast that help depicts the similarities between their theme. Disabled takes place within World War I as Owen vividly describes the subject’s amputation, but the poem is centered around the subject’s adjustment to civilian life after war. In The Bright Lights of Sarajevo although Harrison discusses the consequences of partaking in war in the town, he illustrates the way in which life goes on regardless the horrific impact. Through use of setting and contrast, both poets contribute to presenting the theme of the realities of war.
The war can be seen in many different aspects, sometimes good most times not so good. The war past, present and future can be a hard topic for most. War novels, writing about the war, or even talking about the war can be very difficult for most people to talk and share their experiences. People are affected by the war in many different ways, and tend to deal with the affects differently. The effects on war not only affects the person who experienced the war hands on but also the people around them also. In my paper I will be going over two novels, comparing the way that these two authors presented and remembered their war experiences. The two novels that we have just read, were Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War by William Manchester
War has always carried an amount of uncertainty. The harsh truths about war have often been looked at through rose colored glasses. However, the harsh, unromantic realities of war always seem to dominate . Writers, media, and organizations have portrayed soldiers in countless ways. However, the roles which these men and women have played in the defense of our country cannot be so easily summed up.
When a gear has been fully developed and created it is moved from the assembly line into a machine. This machine slowly begins to wear at the gear and degrade it. By the end of its time in the machine, the gear is nearly unrecognizable, rusted and disfigured. Much like a gear and its machine, soldiers are often left unrecognizable by war. In Tim O’Brien’s, The Things They Carried, the author depicts stories from his time in vietnam and his time after. He talks not only about his experiences but, also his platoon members experience. War degrades the lives of war and post-war soldiers by completely ripping them from their normal lives and into war.
Furthermore, this war was definitely one of America’s most divisive events in recent history, where there was many protests on the homefront. Consequently, with the many differing opinions on this war, which the memorial created some arguments between Americans. In fact, Komunyakaa was a part of this war . For instance, Kevin Stein writes in his journal article from The Massachusetts Review, “Komunyakaa creates a soldier's history of Vietnam from an African-American’s perspective, and not surprisingly, our view of what it was like to be an American in Vietnam, particularly a Black American...” (Stein 541). Therefore, Komunyakaa had personal experience from this specific war and the kind of effects it can have on himself and other veterans. Consequently, Komunyakaa was not the only one, where there were many young men who served in the Vietnam War who had to experience the brutality of war. In which, this is one of the reasons why this particular poem is universal, when regarding the themes, because a whole generation can relate to this. Therefore, the historical context, in addition to some context of the author, which only further demonstrates why Komunyakaa chose this specific theme to explore in his poem “Facing It.”, in
Bruce Weigl’s poem “Song of Napalm” juxtaposes Timothy O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. Each work of literature depicts the struggles of the authors in a fictional, yet documentary way of their experiences and time fighting in the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War which erupted from 1955 till its end in 1975 affected people all across the seas. In America, men were called to military service to bear arms against North Vietnam and the attempt at the advancement of communism. Throughout the two works of literature, Weigl and O’Brien, both speak on their experiences during the Vietnam War. While both speak of the same topic, each author has varying reactions and testimonials to the conflict. Even though they each experienced the same war, each person
All Quiet on the Western Front was a novel published by Erich Maria Remarque in 1929. It is said to be the greatest war novel of all time, and it still continues to impact life today based on its universal themes. Just like how war impacted people 's lives back then, it still continues to. This novel discusses the effect it has on the soldiers, and the amount of devastation caused. War is horrible, and it always affects the community; whether it be economically, physically, or mentally.
Within the context of recent history, Wilfred Owen is often considered the greatest writer of modern British war poetry. Composing the vast majority of his poems in a one-year time span, Owen found inspiration from his personal experiences fighting in World War I and fellow poets joining in the fight around him. Born in 1893, Owen grew up the oldest of four children, enjoying a particularly close relationship with his mother while his father remained distant. Owen graduated from Shrewsbury Technical School at age eighteen. Afterwards, Owen took numerous odd jobs throughout Europe, seemingly at a loss for his purpose in life. Owen returned to England in September 1915, a year after the Great War began, and enlisted in England’s Artists’ Rifles
In the poems “A Psalms of Life” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Because I Could Not Stop For Death” by Emily Dickinson, “Beat! Beat! Drums!” by Walt Whitman the themes, mood, structure and literary devices has similarities and differences. In Longfellow’s poem “A Psalms of Life” its theme focuses on how everyone should live a life for today. The theme is expressed in his poem as Longfellow states, “Lives of great men all reminds us, we can make our lives sublime, and, departing, leave behind us footprints on the sands of times”. As in Emily Dickinson poem, the theme is based on the cycle of life the inevitability of death. The poem “Beat! Beat! Drum!” theme is the ravages of war.