War changes a soldier’s perspective of life, whether it is an optimistic or pessimistic view. Some soldiers will enlist thinking that they are taking part in the war because of the nationalism and pride they have for their country. It encourages them to fight knowing that they are protecting the rights and freedom for the future generation. The soldiers often go to war with little to no knowledge of why the government incited the war. Most of the time, they fight knowing only the propaganda the government feeds people, convinced it is the truth. Unaware of the horrors, the men will go in with a positive attitude. After their experience on the battlefield, they will leave a different person having experience first hand the horrors and destructions of war. Others will enter from a draft; they will not want to fight for their country. Instead they want to make it out alive. Seeing the horror invokes the savagery in man for the one goal of survival. Different reasons for entering the war results in different perspectives of what war is like. The bitter and resentful tone expressed in “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” by Randal Jarrell conveys the idea that a soldier is expendable, while the praising tone in “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred Tennyson suggests a soldier’s sacrifice to their country will never be forgotten because of their willingness to do any task. In “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner,” Jarrell 's perspective on war is that soldiers go into battle without realizing that the government does not care if they survive or live after the battlefield. He portrays this by using diction that evokes a feeling of detachment from the enemy in the war. All the government cares about is winning the war, no matter the cost. Most men are blind to the actual events of war. They only know what the higher power wants them to know. In order to get more people to enlist in the army, the government will show propaganda of people praising soldiers or soldier receiving awards for their bravery. Once the men become fighters, they realize that they “fell into the [hands of the] State “(1). The State, or government, told the honorable side of the story instead of the demonstrating the reality of war, which includes countless deaths. The diction Jarrell uses with “fell” has a connotation that the enlistment was not voluntary or the truth was not known. An innocent man believes in fighting for the country so that when he dies honor will come to his family. The truth is that the government will just “wash (him) out of the turret with a hose”(5). There is no remorse or compensation after soldiers die. The nonchalant attitude exemplifies how soldiers are treated after they died for their country. The men can easily be replaced and will be replaced. The state is desensitized against the death of a soldier because they have seen so much death, and another body laying on the battlefield will not make a
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The men are boldly riding into a battle where their chances of winning are low, but they do not let fear get the best of them. Without hesitation, they ride “into the valley of Death”(7). The biblical allusion suggests that they are leading and protecting the citizens from the horrors by charging into battle. They will be the saviors by risking their life to protect the greater population. The men may not make it back, but when the soldiers die, they will be honored for the deeds commited in battle. Everyone will “honor the charge they made” (53). The choice of the using the word charge demonstrates the effort the men gave to fight for the cause. The soldiers knew what they were fighting for and constantly kept looking forward to the positive outcome. They will never be forgotten because of the immense sacrifice they gave to the country. Even though “someone had blunder’d,”(12) the soldiers continued to march on. Not questioning orders is one of the reasons Tennyson implies a soldier should be honored for. They risk their lives not wondering if it is right, but instead for the fear of
The men are boldly riding into a battle where their chances of winning are low, but they do not let fear get the best of them. Without hesitation, they ride “into the valley of Death”(7). The biblical allusion suggests that they are leading and protecting the citizens from the horrors by charging into battle. They will be the saviors by risking their life to protect the greater population. The men may not make it back, but when the soldiers die, they will be honored for the deeds commited in battle. Everyone will “honor the charge they made” (53). The choice of the using the word charge demonstrates the effort the men gave to fight for the cause. The soldiers knew what they were fighting for and constantly kept looking forward to the positive outcome. They will never be forgotten because of the immense sacrifice they gave to the country. Even though “someone had blunder’d,”(12) the soldiers continued to march on. Not questioning orders is one of the reasons Tennyson implies a soldier should be honored for. They risk their lives not wondering if it is right, but instead for the fear of