Some people still wonder if war can be justified by its principles or cause. It can be argued that war can be justified due to the principles of freedom and justice that soldiers are willing to die for. However, many argue against this saying that war should be avoided at all costs due to collateral damage and the massive loss of innocent life. In the book My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier, Tim faces the biggest dilemma of his life when he has to decide whether to side with his brother who believes in the principles of war or his father who believes war should be avoided at all costs. When the novel comes to a conclusion, Tim decides that he is neutral and does not agree to either argument due to the irony contained within the deaths of
Back during the Revolutionary War, families were divided and many people were trying to decide one question. Should they join the side of the Patriots, Loyalists, or remain neutral? War can be a brutal, violent, and cruel way of achieving power or freedom; and in the process, many lives are lost. However, sometimes war is necessary as it helps get rid of tyranny and injustice. In the book My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier, a boy named Tim Meeker lives in a family where his father is a Loyalist, and his dear brother is a Patriot.
In both books, readers are able to understand the motives of the war, attitudes of Americans and the hostility of battles through the letters of soldiers.
Vowell’s writing style is superior to Dillard’s because she makes allusions to warfare and separaion, which accentuates the gravity of the emotional quarrel she faced in her youth within her own family. Vowell begins her essay by explaining her and her father’s contrasting political views. Her home is described as a “house divided… [her] home [could be seen] for the Civil war battleground it was… the kitchen and the living room were well within the DMZ… guarded by totalitarian states… each of [them] declared [themselves] dictator” (Vowell). The American Civil War earned the nickname a “battle between brothers,” because Americans were killing other Americans over the distribution of federal power. By alluding to the American Civil war, Vowell parallels the hostility arising over the dispute of political ideals by a growing country at war with the arguments she had with her father.
War is one of the most controversial and fascinating aspects of human life, which includes sacrifice, argument, and worst of all human death. The argument of war is whether or not the sacrifice of human life is necessary or not. The authors of My Brother Sam Is Dead are totally against war; they are neutral and they give Tim the same idea as them in the novel. They even show the irony and cruelty of war in the book by the punishing and ironic deaths of Ned, Sam, and Life. This novel is based in Redding, Conneticut during the time of the Revolutionary War.
My Brother Sam Is Dead Chapter 1: Page 1-22 Sam is Tim Meeker 's older brother. Tim always looks up to his older brother. Sam then comes home in a uniform at the tavern during April. He starts out by saying "We 've beaten the British in Massachusetts," which sparks up a fight between him and his father which is a loyalist (someone who respects the government and the king). Sam has a discussion with the guests at their tavern and his family on how the Minutemen had surprise attack on the "Lobster backs" (the British) in Lexington.
Like any other war, much of the damage and casualties resulted from civilian deaths when the raging armies swept through the colonies. The Loyalists- those who supported Great Britain and King George- and the Patriots- those who supported the principles of freedom and independence- alike were both hurt, killed, imprisoned, or otherwise dragged into the war, even when they did not join the army for either side. The Collier brothers use various instances of deaths throughout the storyline of My Brother Sam is Dead to show how the injustices and violences of war inherently manifest themselves. The irony of Jerry Sanford, Eliphalet Meeker, and Samuel Meeker’s deaths ultimately induce Tim to make the decision to remain neutral for the duration of the American Revolution.
Not only does the book highlight the positive reflection on the events of the American Revolution, but gives an overall unbiased insight of the happenings on through Martin eyes. Martin has been successful in portraying the truthful picture of the American Revolutionary War that includes the flawless character and moral perfection coupled with the problems and burdens that befell the army, and how they took it In the initial events of the book, Martin enters the war as a young boy who is anxious to protect his country and experiences noteworthy adventures along the way of his dream. He fights against the
In the book My Brother Sam is dead, a boy named Tim tells about his family’s life during the Revolutionary War. He lived in a town that was very loyal to King George. His biggest problem though was that his father was a loyalist and his brother, Sam, was joining the war to fight against the British. Who is right? Sam is.
Killing is an action that can never be undone. In the novel War Brothers, Sharon E. Mckay examines the impact of this action. War Brothers is a story about four children fighting for survival after their capture by the LRA. During their time in the LRA, they all learn what the true meaning of family is and how you have to look out for not only yourself but others too. There are three characters in the novel that are impacted in different ways by the choice to kill.
People are brutal, whether it be a harsh commander with deathly penalties, or even a rude soldier, demanding supplies or a roof from a civilian. Many think war is not the only way, there can be a peaceful solution. Two such people are the authors of My Brother Sam is Dead, James and Christopher Collier. They show this belief through the life of Tim Meeker, who struggles to decide who to side with, his brother, Sam, or his father. The ironic and horrible deaths of Jerry, Ned, and his own brother, Sam, eventually force Tim to choose neutrality.
Mr. Patch-Withers grumbled, with a flushed face. ‘How do you expect our boys to be as precise as that thousands of feet up with bombs weighing tons!” (Pg 10 chp.1)In war innocent people will die and you can't do anything about it. In conclusion you now see the theme war is unforgiving by the three reasons war affects friendships, changes lives, and war takes lots of lives. War affected Gene and Finny's relationship, war changed life by having to draft or enlist, war kill lots of people by the bombs and gunfire.
Perry for example was already uncertain of his future and his knee injury already had him on edge. towards the end of the book after burning the corpses of his past comrades he lost all faith, and innocence. So the theme of the book is that war is devastating to person both mentally and
The majority of people during the American Revolution fought for liberty without realizing the actual cost and brutal reality of war. In the novel My Brother Sam is Dead, the Meeker family consisting of a Father name Life, a Mother named Susannah, a rebellious teen named Sam, and a conflicted teen named Tim, journey through the life of colonists owning a tavern during the Revolutionary War. Sam departs from his family to fight alongside the Patriots going against his Father, a Tory. War brings a lot of terrible things, but some examples are families splitting, clash of generation, and an overall theme of principle vs reality. The soldiers who fought in the war thought they were fighting for liberty, when really they caused havoc and awfulness.
I couldn't hear the words, but I could hear the sound—his heavy, hard voice going on and on. Then there was Sam's voice and he was shouting, too, and then Father again”, (Collier and Collier). It also creates death which results in permanently split families apart. This shows how war tears and breaks families apart. Splitting families apart is the final reason why war is futile.