The Symbol Of War In Stop The Sun By Gary Paulsen

Often, people react differently to misfortunes some tend to avoid the sorrow; some would speak up while some will mourn. In his novel Slaughterhouse-five, Kurt Vonnegut depicts the inhumanity and danger associated with turning away from discomfort (Tang). As such, Kurt introduces Billy, an individual suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after the Dresden bombing, to illustrate the devastating effects of war. From the human perspective, it’s often simple to ignore tragedies, for instance, the occurrence of death. However, Kurt emphasizes on the need to confront misfortunes. In slaughterhouse five, Vonnegut states, “That's one thing Earthlings might learn to do, if they tried hard enough: Ignore the awful times and concentrate on the

“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

Many people wonder if war is a necessary evil. War can end injustice and brutality. It can lead to freedom and liberty, and ensure the safety of future generations. However, war also costs lives, and it leads to brutality. War can tear apart families, and cause pain and suffering. In the book My Brother Sam is Dead, the main character, Tim Meeker, has to weigh these factors and choose what side he is on. Throughout the book, he is indecisive, and constantly debates which side he should choose. By the end of the book, Tim decides to become neutral after seeing and experiencing the deaths of Ned, Life Meeker, and Sam Meeker.

Combat, loyalty, enmity, bloodshed, and duty, all words that fit under the category of war. The novel Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand is about Louis Zamperini a strong willed man raised in Torrance, California. He started as a young troublemaker until he discovered his passion for running in high school. That very passion led him to compete in the Olympics. Later he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, a brave decision that would change his life. War and its affinities have various emotional effects on different individuals, whether facing adversity within the war or when experiencing the psychological aftermath.

War. It divides to conquer? Ending in triumph, or does it leave us broken? Who’s to say, it can do both. It all depends on the war itself. War is about principles. It can be used to end injustice, tyranny, or both. It can band people together to form a bond that is unbreakable, all fighting for the same cause. But that bond can have a high price. War kills soldiers, tearing them from family; it kills innocent people, just trying to survive. 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.

It appears as if mankind’s most destructive war is coming to end. Victory has been won at a steep cost in lives and treasure. We would not be here, however, had it not been for the valiant efforts of everyone involved in the war effort. While President Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb may seem controversial in the long run, its immediate effect is that it saved lives.

“Ten Kliks South” by Phil Klay and Tina M. Beller’s e-mail found in The New Yorker both contain universal themes that clearly represent the lives and emotions of soldiers who are stationed overseas. For one, “Ten Kliks South” is a personal account of a narrator’s first experiences of death under the circumstances of war. Likewise, Beller’s e-mail is also a first-person report on a traumatic rocket bombing in Baghdad. Both of these pieces illustrate a common portrait, of which there are American soldiers in a foreign and unknown land, a day of violence, and the progression of that such violence into intensive contemplation on the soldier’s respective situations. From both writers, the reader comprehends the daily emotions of war through the use of the first person technique and dialogue. The narrator from “Ten Kliks South” and Tina Beller both prove that: 1) the presence of death can drive soldiers into emotional whirlwinds, and 2) camaraderie is a vital part in recovering from emotional pain.

As Herbert Hoover eloquently put it, “Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die.” War has no mercy. It takes homes, tears families apart, and steals childhoods from innocent people. Such is the case in A Separate Peace, by John Knowles. While people of seniority make all the impactful decisions that have to do with the war, the young boys of Devon School are forced to accept the realities of war and join the fight. In the novel A Separate Peace, Knowles showcases a sinister tone throughout the first pages, when Devon School is described. Using diction and figurative language, Knowles integrates this tone into Gene’s narration.

To many people take the toll of war,to many lives have been taken from the toll of

“It is well that war is so terrible-- otherwise we would grow too fond of it,” were the words once said by the Confederate General, Robert E. Lee. Indeed, even opposing nations can agree that war is full of destruction and devastation. Despite this, there are those who believe that war is glorious. Too often, movies and literature depict war as a virtuous endeavor. Young men are often told during war that they should become a soldier, for honor and glory. As a result, many young men are pressured into joining the military, or even join willingly, due to this over glorification. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque and “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen discuss this very topic. Quite similar works, both feature ex-soldiers as their authors.

When talking about war, there are many books with few answers to what war truly is. Barbara Ehrenreich brings forth not only the possibilities towards understanding war but also the passion people from history have had towards it. One key issue she brings to light is humanities love for war, so much so that people would use excuses like holy wars to justify their need to fight in a war. She declares that war is as muddled as the issue of diseases and where diseases came from around 200 years ago. More so than that she even goes further on to state that these rituals that date back to prehistoric times are the cause of human nature during times of war rather than human instinct. Ehrenreich brings up the idea that war is human kinds natural high. She sails us down a road of self-doubt in humanity and makes society re-question the idea of antiwar acts all the

Life takes a strong toil when war strikes. People start to lose hope in survival and start believing in the wrong source of power. Revenge and world domination. Nevertheless, it takes one to realize what truly matters, and that is life. Consequently, there are factors to lead to one’s survival and hope for a better path. In the novel that Linda Sue Park had written; a Long Walk to Water. Tells a story of compassion, bravery, and a little bit of luck, during one of the worst times in Southern Sudan. Told from a perspective of a young boy named Salva. Moreover, throughout the book, Salva had many factors that made survival possible for him, they include; Marial, Uncle, some luck on the way. These are the factors that helped him survive, even when tomorrow did not seem possible.

Tim discovers the violence and thirst for power from the death of his best friend. His father’s death shows him the disillusionment and reality of war. Finally, the execution of his only brother makes him aware of the injustice and disloyalty of both sides. The pain Tim experiences and the desolation he sees in those around him prove to him that the fight isn’t worth the cost. Throughout history, people have had to suffer immense amounts of pain not knowing whether or not their descendents have a chance at freedom. War may bring freedom and prosperity, but not without the cost of killing the innocent and bringing misery and sorrow into the

In 2013 when Viet Thanh Nguyen began to write The Sympathizer, it had been 40 years since the Vietnam War. It had been 40 years since French and American military involvement ravaged a once beautiful countryside and littered lush forests with napalm. It had been 40 years since 2 million people were displaced from their country and left to die in the Pacific Ocean. In those 40 years, many works were published about the Vietnam War. These stories came from many, contrasting, perspectives. Young or old, male or female, the war was told differently by every person who was involved in the battle, no matter how small their role. Despite the cacophony of standpoints vying to tell the definitive tale of what happened in Vietnam, the perspective of

By 1975 the Vietnam war had claimed over 5 million lives, many of which were civilians. This has made it a war that Americans have been ashamed of and tried to forget. W. S. Merwin was outspoken on how he felt about war, which he shows in “The Asians Dying.” He makes a statement on the inhumane way the Vietnam war took human lives. ”The Asians Dying” will shock readers with its gruesome imagery and force them to look at what war does. Merwin uses the archetype of death to show the reader what the Vietnam war did to people, and how inhumane the Vietnam war was.