This was my second time reading Birdsong, and I still feel it is a amazing and emotionally involved novel. Set before and during the Great War, Birdsong tells the story of Stephen, starting in before WWI France and taking him right through the war which is a terrible period of history. I believe the writer (Sebastian Faulks) creates a moving, shocking character and stories- Stephen and his love affair, the hardships of trench life which makes me see and feel all this shocking description through the character’ eyes. At same time, this book records the great war as a hugely important reminder of the near past, of the sacrifices that were made by our very close ancestors to preserve our way of life. I learned a lot from this book and found it to be both illuminating and horrifying. I found it astonishing that the soldiers of …show more content…
I have to admit I had very little knowledge of WWI before I read this book, except for the bare minimum of how it started and how a great many young men died in the war. I also don 't normally read books with many battle scenes and with war as the main theme, but once I started reading the story of the war, I just couldn 't put it down until I reached the last page. What moved me most was the detailed description of the tension in the anticipation of the attacks (i.e., Battle of the Somme), the horror of being trapped in tunnels thirty feet underground in no man 's land, and the psychological effect of the sheer brutality of the war on the soldiers, which was unimaginable and destructive to say the least. The last chapter about the war was this truly remarkable story of endurance, bravery, survival and humanity that makes me admire the talent of writer. I also found the parts about tunnel digging very interesting to read as well. The descriptions of how both sides dug tunnels underground and laid mines under enemy lines was something that gives me a good insight into of how part of the war was fought on both
It shows an important part of history that is to be learned from, and never to be repeated. This is a great story about the war time struggle of an entire race of people held captive by their own
The story gives me a newfound respect for the Army and the soldiers who were deployed in Iraq around that time because of the constant harassment the insurgents gave the unit. Not because of the war crimes that were committed. It was a magnificent book about the implications and psychological effects war can have on people and what it can lead them do, It has a lot of examples of good and bad leadership that I can take away from it and apply it to my own leadership style. And I can be more prepared in dealing with peers and subordinates in times of
The book keeps you on your toes because when think they are going to escape something happens and the rebels find them once again. I honestly could not put this book down and it was an easy read and would recommend this
Both works focus on the horrors of war and what it does to the soldiers. The message the works convey both demonstrate how awful war is. They both demonstrate soldiers opinions on fighting and the war in general. Both are very good at using descriptive words and painting a very visceral picture
This book was interesting for me because it allowed me to relate to a character. I love reading novels that not only allow me to feel a connection with a character, but allow me to relate to their personality or
In the The Things They Carried, the emotions are more than just a mental problem, they become life changing conflicts. The author of this book is Tim O’Brien. Tim O’Brien is the main character throughout the whole book. In the beginning of the book, The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien goes in depth describing what each of the men carried with them. He started with actual things having to deal with war, then talking about the emotional burdens the men carried.
The movie Grand Illusion was very different from the novel All Quiet on the Western Front. The stories and settings were completely different, and had very little to do with each other. But even though the film and the book are completely different, they both give the same idea of the war being a horrible place, the movie had just approached the topic very mildly (in comparison to the book). The movie had avoided war on the battlefield, along with harsh conditions, and focused in a prison, instead. The novel however felt like a heavier topic, more emotional.
All Quiet on the Western Front is widely considered to be the greatest war novel of all time for a variety of reasons, but perhaps one of the greatest is that raw and honest depiction of the psychological defense mechanisms soldiers used to deal with wartime trauma. From shameless humor and the blockage of emotions to playing games and scavenging for food, Paul and his company were often close to blocking out the savagery of war around them. Through a variety of different activities, soldiers in All Quiet on the Western Front could come close to completely blocking out the war around them, but were unable to truly escape the horrid world they lived in. One of the most prominent psychological defense mechanisms used in the book can be found in Paul’s relations to his fellow soldiers. Distracting themselves with games and food took much weight off of their war-hardened shoulders.
The story and the characters really stood out to me. They really expressed themselves and the setting in the story was very cool to learn about. I enjoyed the pictures in the book because they guide the reader into the setting and the time period in the book. I recommend this book to people who are interested in learning about World War II and people who are interested in biographies and survival stories. One of my favorite quotes from the book was “A lifetime of glory is worth a moment of pain.”
The author compares the soldiers because he wants the readers
The peacocks become a central point of the narrator’s life. The narrator describes the appearance and attitude of these grand birds in great
Like when Janina and Misha were hiding from the Jackboots, I never wanted to stop reading so I could find out what happened. Overall, this book was great and it taught me alot about what people were feeling throughout this horrible
They knew they were soldiers, but they didn’t understand the true horrors that came with that title. And when they eventually did realize, they couldn’t leave. They could only continue to kill and destroy. “We had been fighting for over two years, and killing had become a daily activity. I felt no pity for anyone.
The Wars is a symbolic masterpiece that illustrates the great impact war brings on the microcosm of society and how individuals juxtaposed to the war are affected. The novel itself requires active reading; because without it, the novel would seem very simplistic; however, after further examination, readers can evidently recognize the complexity of Robert’s character with the aid of many heteroglossic components, techniques, devices, and the reworking of literary conventions. Robert’s physical, mental and emotional journey he endeavours, followed by the constant re-evaluations of his truths and becoming a more proficient soldier, can be seen through a formalist perspective with the use of foreshadowing to signify Robert’s transition from a sane to insane soldier; the utilization of animal imagery highlighting Robert’s development through the horrific experiences of war; and the several themes in the text to illustrate Robert’s evolution as a soldier through his inner
Present throughout the book is the theme of disillusionment. In the school, they’ve been told by their schoolmasters and parents that unless they join the war, they would remain cowards. They see propaganda after propaganda, all alluding towards the glory of battle and warfare. Out on the front, they realize that nothing was further from the truth. Their dreams of being heroes shattered, like when they compare themselves to the soldier on a poster in chapter 7.