Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori

Ambrose Bierce, a well-respected and passionate writer, offered an insight to the American Civil War by giving the readers a glimpse at an important event that took place during this time period through his short story “An Incident at Owl Creek Bridge”. The story revolves around a young man who devoted his life into the war effort, however, ended up dying because of an unwise action he got tricked into doing. In the story, Ambrose used personal observation, story telling skills, and startling…

What is the limit of pain one feels from being ashamed? Shame is powerful motivator that can lead one to make life changing decisions. Tim O’Brien’s autobiographical war novel, The Things They Carried, details the motivation and the effects of shame soldiers faced during the Vietnam war. The Vietnam war, lasting from 1955 to 1975, was fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam over the idea of communism and capitalism. As North and South Vietnam joined with allies to try to defeat each…

Louisa Thomas, the author of Conscience: Two Soldiers, Two Pacifists, One Family — A Test of Will and Faith in World War I, paints a picture of the way World War I created conflict not only across a nation, but within a family, and individuals as well. This conflict forever alters the lives of those involved, this story is just a small glimpse into what millions experienced and will continue to experience with tragedies similar to this. She tells the story of the four Thomas brothers whose…

“Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom” (Russell). Bao Ninh writes about soldiers turning to superstition during the war by the way he portrays soldiers lives and deaths as having a deeper meaning than war, and Kiens thoughts both during and post war. The deaths having a deeper meaning is shown when Kiens entire platoon was killed. Kiens thoughts towards what kept him safe during the war, and his father's death…

War stories are gruesome. They capture the reality of war--death, grief, and pain. “The Sniper” and “Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?” (by Liam O’Flaherty and Tim O’Brien respectively) are both shining examples of this; unpacking the glorification of victory to reveal how humans are dehumanized and trained to kill other people. Their differences outline a common theme: how war dehumanizes people from killing and guilt, and how that all builds into a catastrophe later on in life. “The…

Coping Mechanisms in Times of Crisis During the Bosnian War In Safe Area Gorazde by Joe Sacco, the ideas that Sacco illustrates in his vivid comics are based on the relationship between the destruction of the people of Gorazde and how they coped with unimaginable situations in the traumatic world they called reality. Sacco is able to clearly depict the agonizing hardships of the Muslim people during the Bosnian war in times of death and destruction. The sympathy one may feel for the characters…

Poet Bruce Dawe wrote the Poem Homecoming, in 1968, depicting the returning of deceased soldiers from the Vietnam War to their homes. The poem was written to convey the common theme of the horror and destruction of war, it’s main message being the last line, “They’re bringing them home, now, too late, too early.” Meaning that they are returning too late, too early in their lives, as these soldiers were most likely in their early twenties or late teens. This poem has a subtle suggestion, or…

We’re All Australian Now by Banjo Patterson discusses how Australia united after rallying against a common enemy during war and was written to encourage Australians fighting abroad during World War One in 1915. The theme of this poem is to show the pride that Australians felt during WWI while they were proving that they were an individual country that could fight for themselves. This poem also shows how Australia united as a country instead of being just separate states that had their own…

“The Open Road,” and the poem “Beat! Beat! Drums!” give two different vibes when you read them. When I read “The Open Road” i got the feeling of freedom which is completely the opposite of the vibe from “Beat! Beat! Drum!” “Beat! Beat! Drum!” made me feel like something bad was to come. The Theme of “Beat! Beat! Drum!” was that war was going to happen, everything is going to change and bad things are rising up. In the first stanza the poem talks about no happiness or piece shall be had through…

In the poem Success is Counted Sweetest, by Emily Dickinson, the author uses varied imagery to state the speaker’s attitude of the war as well as the theme. The speaker believes that there is no victory in war due to all the deaths accompanying the battle. This is shown with the various instances of imagery, very descriptive words that paint a picture in the reader’s mind, such as success being nectar, vivid descriptions of the soldiers in the war having difficulty defining their victory, and…