Question Two David Malouf’s novel, Fly Away Peter tells of the events of the First World War through its protagonist, Jim Saddler, and his personal experiences. It also explores the tragedy and disruption that comes as a result of warfare. Through the use of narrative techniques Malouf clearly communicates his own personal attitude towards war which is that it is an unnecessary disturbance within the natural order that lacks overall purpose. These techniques, including symbolism, juxtaposition and intertextuality are also effectively employed throughout the novel to enhance the reader’s understanding of the key messages. Key messages conveyed throughout the novel relate to the effects of war as well as human experiences, these messages include
In Erich Maria Remarque’s, “All Quiet on the Western Front” the soldiers face fear, hardships, love, trust, and death together during World War 1. The question is, why? All soldiers were clueless to the reason why they had to leave their families, friends, and loved ones, only to return home to suffer from the mental and physical pain afterward. The novel focuses on Paul Baumer who enlists in the German army and experiences the horrors of war while trying to survive in the trenches. “War Some More” by Sandra Osborne connects well with the novel in the sense that war is brutal and brings forth hatred without a solid explanation as to why.
In war, there is no clarity, no sense of definite, everything swirls and mixes together. In Tim O’Brien’s novel named “The Things They Carried”, the author blurs the lines between the concepts like ugliness and beauty to show how the war has the potential to blend even the most contrary concepts into one another. “How to Tell a True War Story” is a chapter where the reader encounters one of the most horrible images and the beautiful descriptions of the nature at the same time. This juxtaposition helps to heighten the blurry lines between concepts during war. War photography has the power to imprint a strong image in the reader’s mind as it captures images from an unimaginable world full of violence, fear and sometimes beauty.
Onomatopoeias have been used extensively to make the reader feel like they are witnessing war. In stanza 2 he says; ‘ Between the sob and clubbing of the gunfire.’ Another example is; ‘The words choke as they begin.’ This use of onomatopoeia positions the reader so that they feel like they are witnessing the event happening. It makes the account of war more ‘real’ for the reader and demonstrates the anonymity of the many soldiers killed.
The poem features a soldier, presumably Owen, speaking to fellow soldiers and the public regarding those atrocities. Correspondingly, drawing on the themes of innocent death and the barbaric practices of warfare, Owen expresses his remorse towards his fallen comrades and an antagonistic attitude towards the war effort through a solemn tone and specific stylistic devices. The poem is structured as free verse, contributing towards the disorganized and chaotic impression Owen experienced while witnessing these deaths firsthand, enabling the audience to understand the emotional circumstances of demise in the trenches as well. Throughout the poem, Owen routinely personifies the destructive weapons of war, characterizing them as the true instruments of death rather than the soldiers who stand behind them. Owen describes how, “Bullets chirped…Machine-guns chuckled…Gas hissed…”
Similar is done in “the manhunt” with its structure in rhyming doublets and the pain and war that is presented continuously in the poem through images of gunfires and war in “first phase” and “blown hinge”. This contrast presented in both poems makes the reader feel as if the poem doesn’t really fit in and if the effects of war or war itself is being forced into something that it isn’t that the suffering and pain is so great that it can’t be fit into “ordered rows” or maybe it lets the reader understand that “suffering” isn’t really understood and therefore forced into something it isn’t. The effects of this are then both present with ‘suffering” being held together so tight that it is about to explode. In the Manhunt this is presented through “every nerve in his
Chickamauga by Ambrose Bierce is an essay written about the battle of chickamauga, Bierce uses imagery to show the horrors of warfare and the toll it takes on those affected by it. Employing imagery, Bierce shows the everlasting effect of war on soldiers, their families, and the people living in the war terrorized areas. He does this by explaining in disturbingly gruesome detail the condition of soldiers and the destroyed surroundings of battlefield areas. Bierce starts of his essay in a happy aspect using imagery words such as “sunny,” “heroic,” “loved,” and “happy” to better convey that people rarely know what real life war conditions are like until they are in them. Also to show that becoming a soldier is seen as a heroic act of bravery
Remarque emphasizes grotesque imagery in how war was gruesome and life changing for the characters in the novel. Through rich character details, All Quiet on the Western Front captures characters perceived feelings and impact of the war. Remarque established an ironic situation for his characters in order for his readers to fully grasp the uselessness of the war. The unfathomable 15% of soldiers whom has acquired post-traumatic stress disorder has shown throughout this novel that a true soldier fights for everything they've left
Ambrose was an American story writer that used cynicism and naturalism to tell the cruel costs of of war on civilians. He used “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” as a way to tell a story about Peyton Farquhar having a near-death experience similar to one he had in reality. With Ambrose’s military experience, he was well equipped to write about a traumatic injury that led to a near-death experience. His vault of memories including graphic images were used in each of his Civil War tales. Even though Ambrose Bierce may have seemed like a dark figure, he expressed cynicism of the Reconstruction era and shaped the writers who voiced disillusionment following
the novel Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, the story of Billy Pilgrim is utilized to investigate different topics about existence and war. Vonnegut's terrible war encounters in Dresden drove him to write about the detestation's and tragedies of war. Vonnegut's connection with Billy and alternate characters permits him to examine human responses to death and traumatic occasion. Vonnegut utilizes his characters, specifically Billy Pilgrim, to depict his convictions. An antiwar feeling, appeared through various characters, dominates the whole novel.
War is integral to the text, and aspects of it are explored extensively by Malouf. The poisonous manner in which patriotism drives unsuited young men to war is conveyed via perspective and contrast. Contrast of imagery conveys the overall nature of war, in its hierarchy and ugliness. Finally, language techniques such as emotive language and negative connotations are utilized to explore the gruelling conditions of war, and the emotional toll it takes. Malouf’s text conveys much about the horrendous nature of war and the phenomena surrounding it, via a variety of narrative and language
The Night is a story about war. A war that is way too different from the war that happened in different countries around the world. The challenge to the warrior and the sufferings of the noncombat. A terse, merciless testimonial, the book serves as a harsh reflection on war. The work serves as an example of a devastating effect of evil on innocence.
In “Masters of Chaos” by Linda Robinson, Robinson conveys a cruel tone in the first chapter called “Leaving Home”, the cruel tone helps guide the reader to understand the depressing message of self sacrifice. Initially, the cruel tone is first realized when Robinson is talking about a Special Forces soldier, Randall Wurst. After describing the weaponry used by Wurst, Robinson makes a complete U-Turn and talks about Wurst’s future saying “This was likely to be the last war he would fight” (Robinson 3). All throughout history humans were always in war, and there has never been a time of peace; To say that it will be Wurst’s “last war”, implies that he will die in battle,fighting for his country. Oh and the fun does not end there, Robinson then