'With the Old Breed' Commentary

Paper Summary:

This paper summarizes and reviews E.B. Sledge's work "With the Old Breed", and relates that it is Sledge's first-hand account of the atrocities of the Pacific Theater. The paper discusses Sledge's explanation for the intense mutual hatred developed between the Japanese and the Americans and notes that he goes through a number of evolutionary stages with respect to his views on war, as a representative of American culture's perceptions of war. The paper also maintains that the book is, if anything, an anti-war book and that Sledge is a compassionate and understanding individual who understood that the conditions under which the soldiers met excused them from personal blame.

From the Paper:

" It is an inherent element of every war that the soldiers on each side are indoctrinated and propagandized to be lieve that the enemy is sub-human, animalistic, treacherous and brutal. To dehumanize the enemy in such a way makes it easier for soldiers of the other side to kill such enemy with as little hesitation or regret as possible. In the case of the Japanese and the Americans, however, the dehum anization was more intense because it was fueled by the soldiers' willingness to the terms. War was "sold" to both sides as a means whereby the "good" soldiers fulfilled a mission to kill the "bad" soldiers. Both sides were taught that the other side was so evil and brutal that it would be better to die than to be captured. Such an attitude creates much fear, but it also creates soldiers who are will ing to kill in order to survive, in order to avoid being cap tured and tortured."

Sample of Sources Used:

• With the Old Breed, E.B. Sledge

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• Analytical Essay # 126381 : "'The Old Man and the Sea' and Symbolism"
• Book Review # 73864 : "Christ Imagery in "The Old Man and the Sea"

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