World War one, known as being the Great War/Battle, not only shaped civilization but it also resulted in millions of deaths. Nationalism, defined as a excessive patriotism, was the factor to ignite its start. This extreme patriotism, bordering on hysteria, appealed to the egos of citizens prompting them to consider themselves superior and more powerful, than the other nations. The French ambassador to Russia Maurice Paleologue described nationalism as “world madness” (“W.Bruce Lincoln in Passage through Armageddon: The Russians in War and Revolution 1914-1918”). Nationalism was the core cause of World War One (WW1) because it brought in Imperialism, militarism and alliances/paranoia, which resulted in tension, violence and aggression.
Merwin depicts those who died in the Vietnam war in ways that some readers may find hard to read. Descriptions of dead bodies and gruesome imagery are used. Although these depictions may be disturbing, they are accurate and necessary for Merwin to show the inhumanity of war. Instead of directly telling the reader about the deaths that the war caused, he paints a picture in the reader's mind of “rain [falling] into the open eyes of the dead.” (Merwin 10) Merwin knew this detailed description of the once living corpses would haunt the reader’s mind. He was sure to mention the inhumane manner the bodies were left in.
War is not about coming home a hero, it is the survival of your life and when you’re there; there is no way out, hence don’t listen to stories given about the great stories because it may be a lie. In addition, O’Brien says that a true war story “is never moral. It does not instruct nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior…you can tell a true war story by its absolute and uncompromising allegiance to obscenity and evil” (O’Brien 347). This quote proves the fact that we are born to expect events such as war to be an honor, however it is a hell; if it sounds too good to be true than it is a true war
The big failure America in the Vietnam War is the shameful history of tragic scene for arrogant American, whose pain is still difficult to ease. The crucial event also had a profound impact on today 's international situation. It is believed that the failure included political, economic, military and cultural background and other aspects, which are that common. When it comes to the controversial subject, I hope to put forward some fresh views from where I stand. 1.
The immediate results included death, destruction, displacement, homelessness, starvation, and disease. Colonial powers lost their colonies during a period that was marked by even more violence by liberationists, nationalists, or guerilla warfare. Perhaps the saving grace to this legacy would be the global institutions that were put in place to prevent another Great War, such as the Bretton Woods System and the United Nations. Furthermore, there were war crime trials (Nuremberg and Tokyo) to hold leaders accountable for their “conspiracy to
The Things They Carried is a warbook romanticized into a love story illustrating these concepts of love. There is nothing more clear to the eye than the amity created between the soldiers while serving their country, putting their lives in each other’s hands every day. As quoted “And in the end, of course, a true war story is never about war… It's about love and memory. It's about sorrow.” (O’Brien 134) Tim O’Brien’s purpose in writing this work was not to share his experiences alone, but to also make you feel what he felt, the affection and devotion he possessed for the others. The concept of love is not always the romantic love between significant others, sometimes it is exemplified through actions and behaviors of the friend right next to
This is because all battles are not the same. Some battles do not end quickly because when one side is attacked, the other side will respond with the same force they are attacked with, and each side will give their effort to win because that is the importance of winning, as long as you continue fighting and not giving up, it may take one baby step at a time or one humongous step. Throughout history, there are many notorious battles that are remembered even now and those battles will always be remembered because they made not only have they made history, but importance and meaning. One example is the Civil War, the famous war between the North of the U.S and the South, mainly focusing over the slavery of
The civil war was a bloody and gruesome fight to preserve a way of life that was looked upon as immoral and unconstitutional. John Sherman described in a letter the views of soldiers and men, “The same qualities that have enabled a single generation of men to develop the resources of a continent would enable us to destroy it more rapidly.” Government leaders and soldiers ignored the work that went into building America and were able to accept the killings fellow men or other innocent people without shedding a tear because of the need to feel superior to other men. Other leaders of war learned to settle with the consequences of war, “war means fighting and fighting means killing” (Forrest). The ability to kill because “it’s just war” is a learned characteristic after being involved in so many brutal and atrocious events. The human emotions become immune to sensitive events and the detachment is a mechanism to cope with the consequences of
War, an idea that has been in the history of man even before modern civilization or even civilization itself. Due to this, war itself has become the topic of many forms of literature, because of its ability to transcend he normal aspects of life, allowing authors, writers and poets to include many pieces of knowledge, lessons and themes in their work. Two authors that have attempted to do this are John A McCrae in the poem “In Flanders Fields” and Thomas Hardy in “Channel Firing”, in these works there holds many similarities and differences. Such as in both works the authors are clearly speaking on the negative gory aspects of war, and both have a point view of a person who is in a middle of the battle. These texts though differ in the fact that they use literary elements in different way to emphasis a point.
Wars are about memory and interpretations of the past. We must learn to reinterpret. Yes, losing tangible heritage does cripple the memory. But we need to believe in healing, through remembering. It’s the book that has been torn down.