Conflict in Civil Wars

English > Analysis
English > Comparison
History > U.S. Civil War 1860-1865

A comparison of war in "The Capture of Atlanta" by General William T. Sherman, "Picasso's Guernica" by Sam Hunter and "The Sniper" by Liam O'Flaherty.

722 words () | 3 sources | MLA | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses three novels relating to different civil wars: "The Capture of Atlanta" by General William T. Sherman, "Picasso's Guernica" by Sam Hunter and "The Sniper" by Liam O'Flaherty. It compares the different views that are presented in each book regarding conflict in the American Civil War, the Spanish civil war and the Irish civil war.

From the Paper:

"These three writers address different aspects of civil war while showing some of the cruelty of war at the same time. Only Sherman tries to justify that cruelty, or at least to explain it away as simply something that happens in war. O'Flaherty shows the reader directly the real meaning of civil war specifically and of war in general, much as Picasso did in his painting of Guernica. Sherman was a soldier, and he gauged war while in the midst of it. Still, his view is too accepting of the cruelty of war and not sufficiently willing to try to end war without adding to the cruelty in the process."

Sample of Sources Used:

Hunter, Sam. "Picasso's Guernica." Source not known
O'Flaherty, Liam. "The Sniper." October 3, 2006. http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/sniper.html.
Sherman, William T. "The Capture of Atlanta." In Memoirs of General William T. Sherman. New York: D. Appleton, 1876. October 3, 2006. http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=94010122.