W.H. Auden and Ambrose Bierce lived in times of major military conflict, and, albeit several decades apart, their differing traumatic experiences had a major influence on their writing. In Auden’s Shield of Achilles (1952) and Bierce’s Chickamauga (1891), the two writers express their respective viewpoints on warfare.
In these stories, Auden and Bierce articulate that a desire for glory drives nations and individuals to war, demonstrate their pessimistic views of the world, and show that the biggest loser in war is humanity and our world as a whole. Auden and Bierce share a belief that men are driven to destroy one another in war in order to acquire greater glory and fame. The two writers believe this is caused by a contrast between what …show more content…
They felt that no matter whose army outlasted or defeated the other, all would feel the death and destruction of war. Auden demonstrates this in Achilles when he describes, on Achilles’ shield, a post-war environment: “an artificial wilderness, and a sky like lead. A plain without a feature, bare and brown. No blade of grass, no sign of neighborhood, nothing to eat and nowhere to sit down.” (Auden, p.123) The society Auden depicts, described above, is bland, colourless, and devoid of life. There does not appear to be anything of any substance in this world. It is purely an empty, hopeless existence, perpetuated by war and violence. Everything that made humanity and the Earth beautiful and worth caring about no longer exists, having been ultimately destroyed by war. Similar to Auden, in Chickamauga, Bierce depicts the aftermath of a major battle. As well, like in Achilles, it is not only the armies that are butchered; it is the environment around them. While Auden depicts a barren landscape, bereft of foliage or any features at all, Bierce depicts the woods erupting in a pillar of fire. He explains, “Instead of darkening, the haunted landscape began to brighten… The fire beyond the belt of the woods on the farther side of the creek was now suffusing the whole landscape” (Bierce, p.45). The …show more content…
They warned that humanity’s incessant desire for war was caused by a desire to achieve greater glory, sharing pessimistic views about the future of humanity and our world because of this. They believed that the societies they lived in glorified violence to the point that it created an unrealistic representation of what war was, spurring individuals and countries to enter war seeking this glory. This is an issue still relevant to this day—many mediums, such as video games and movies, arguably glorify violence and may play a role in desensitizing our population to it. Were Auden and Bierce alive today, they would warn us the same as they did those many years ago—we cannot continue down the destructive, violent path we are on, or we risk destroying humanity and the Earth we live on. As Auden put it so simply in his poem September 1, 1939 (1939), “We must love one another or
In these stories, Auden and Bierce articulate that a desire for glory drives nations and individuals to war, demonstrate their pessimistic views of the world, and show that the biggest loser in war is humanity and our world as a whole. Auden and Bierce share a belief that men are driven to destroy one another in war in order to acquire greater glory and fame. The two writers believe this is caused by a contrast between what …show more content…
They felt that no matter whose army outlasted or defeated the other, all would feel the death and destruction of war. Auden demonstrates this in Achilles when he describes, on Achilles’ shield, a post-war environment: “an artificial wilderness, and a sky like lead. A plain without a feature, bare and brown. No blade of grass, no sign of neighborhood, nothing to eat and nowhere to sit down.” (Auden, p.123) The society Auden depicts, described above, is bland, colourless, and devoid of life. There does not appear to be anything of any substance in this world. It is purely an empty, hopeless existence, perpetuated by war and violence. Everything that made humanity and the Earth beautiful and worth caring about no longer exists, having been ultimately destroyed by war. Similar to Auden, in Chickamauga, Bierce depicts the aftermath of a major battle. As well, like in Achilles, it is not only the armies that are butchered; it is the environment around them. While Auden depicts a barren landscape, bereft of foliage or any features at all, Bierce depicts the woods erupting in a pillar of fire. He explains, “Instead of darkening, the haunted landscape began to brighten… The fire beyond the belt of the woods on the farther side of the creek was now suffusing the whole landscape” (Bierce, p.45). The …show more content…
They warned that humanity’s incessant desire for war was caused by a desire to achieve greater glory, sharing pessimistic views about the future of humanity and our world because of this. They believed that the societies they lived in glorified violence to the point that it created an unrealistic representation of what war was, spurring individuals and countries to enter war seeking this glory. This is an issue still relevant to this day—many mediums, such as video games and movies, arguably glorify violence and may play a role in desensitizing our population to it. Were Auden and Bierce alive today, they would warn us the same as they did those many years ago—we cannot continue down the destructive, violent path we are on, or we risk destroying humanity and the Earth we live on. As Auden put it so simply in his poem September 1, 1939 (1939), “We must love one another or