Abstract The writers Lawrence LeShan and RupertBrooke are examples of individuals who offered different, even contrasting, perspectives about the concept of war. For the purpose of this paper, an analysis is conducted wherein LeShan's "Why We Love War" and RupertBrooke's ?The Soldier? are compared. The comparative analysis includes a discussion of how the two authors created and expressed their own concepts of war and how these different concepts serve as an illustration of how the different realities of the writers contributed and influenced to the formulation of these "war" concepts.
From the Paper "Rupert Brooke, on the other hand, presented a functionalist view of the war, by evoking feelings and ideologies of patriotism and nationalism. Where LeShan centers his discussion on the nature and concept of war throughout human history through the social science perspective, Brooke offers an individualist or humanistic view of the war. The writer, through his poem, ?The Soldier,? presents the psyche of an individual as he engaged in the war, the feelings and opinions of a person who is willing to die for his country. The poem illustrates how death becomes a means to an end, and this "end" is, ideally, to bring forth peace and unity to the whole world."
Abstract This paper analyzes and contrasts two sonnets written respectively by the British WWI poets RupertBrooke and Siegfried Sassoon: "The Soldier" and "Dreamers". The writer discusses how both poets modified the traditional structure of the sonnet to accomplish their poetic ends. Brooke's poem is elegiac in tone, focusing on national identity and acquiescing in death as a doorway to eternity, while Sassoon's is a bitter and ironic protest against the injustice and inhumanities of war.
From the Paper "Sassoon writes in a voice of protest, not acquiescence, unlike Brooke, despite his use of the sonnet form. "Dreamers" begins with a striking image, the image of soldiers going off to war, presumably by train to the front lines, rather than in the middle of an internalized thought like Brooke's poem. Brooke's poem focuses on an individual soldier who will be remembered, Sassoon's the vast, nameless masses of men who will die and be forgotten. Some of Sassoon's dreamers are good, some are bad, all have different problems and jealous conflicts at home, but they are in the process of being blended into one in the form of a purposeless army whose cause they can little understand."
Abstract This paper examines the poem "The Soldier" and looks at how it deals mainly with the thoughts and feelings of a man who loves his country dearly. "The Soldier" is a very short poem which consists of only two stanzas. The paper discusses how the poem seems to have been written towards the end of the war, when the poet wasn't sure if he was going to survive those last few days and how the lines are full of very patriotic words and descriptions of the English motherland. It also shows how it is a wartime poem which skilfully draws our attention to the morale of the soldiers during that particular period.
From the Paper This poem deals mainly with the thoughts and feelings of a man who loves his country dearly. War seems to be something much deeper in "The Soldier" than is usually though of. "The Soldier" is a very short poem which consists of only two stanzas. This poem seems to have been written towards the end of the war, when the poet wasn't sure if he was going to survive those last few days, and the lines are full of very patriotic words and descriptions of the English motherland. It is a wartime poem which skilfully draws our attention to the morale of the soldiers during that particular period.
Abstract This paper compares two of Gwendolyn Brooks' books of poetry: "Street in Bronzeville" and "Bronzeville Boys and Girls". It examines the way in which each poem depicts black life and the influence of Bronzeville on Brooks' writing.
From the Paper "With her stunning use of form and language, Gwendolyn Brooks is often considered one of the most innovative American poets of the twentieth century. More importantly Brooks stands out as a post-Harlem Renaissance writer who speaks honestly and passionately .."
Abstract This paper examines a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks' "Song in the Front Yard" and explore its peculiar construction; use or non-use of poetic devices and its underlying message. In particular, the paper delves into the manner in which Brooks carefully uses her art to amplify her message and how her narrator pining for freedom encapsulates the yearnings of young female children and of African Americans more generally, in 1940s America.
From the Paper "The following paper briefly examines a poem, "A Song in the Front Yard", by Gwendolyn Brooks. In particular, the paper looks at the structure of the poem, the poetic devices employed and the underlying message of the poem (at least in the view of this writer). In the final analysis, the message of the poem seems to be about the allure of the "night life" and (more subtly) about how Gwendolyn Brooks wants to explore the world around her in a way that most young girls - certainly African-American girls - could not in the days of her youth. To begin with, the structure of Brook's poem contributes mightily to its power. For one thing, three of the four stanzas in the poem are comprised of four lines, with only the third stanza (comprised of eight) breaking this pattern (Brooks 1993)."
Abstract The paper discusses how Brooks' white audience affected her writing. The paper also considers whether her work was more geared toward these white readers, or rather toward a black audience.
From the Paper "When Gwendolyn Brooks began publishing her poetry, her readers were in for a surprise. Appearing mostly in magazines aimed at upper and middle white audiences, Brooks' poems revealed the inner world of urban blacks, a realm previously unknown to white readers. Indeed much of the critical reaction to Brooks' poetry fixated on her race as a means of judgment; critics seemed to praise the work in spite of the fact that Brooks was an African American woman."
Abstract This paper reviews Catton's book which compares the characteristics of the soldiers who fought in the American Civil War to other soldiers. The main claim was that these soldiers were very young and unprofessional but highly motivated. The writer shows that the most striking difference between the Civil War soldier and those of the modern day was in their attitudes toward the army and discipline.
From the Paper "Known as one of America's most "popular", yet scholarly, historians, Bruce Catton (1899-1978) was the editor of American Heritage magazine and the author of several widely read books on the subject of the Civil War. His works, including this particular essay, are based on the foundations of accurate research and the ability to analyze the Civil War as both a broad, historically important event, yet also displaying an understanding of the individual, human conflicts involved. Soldiering in the Civil War is a vivid example of Catton's skill in presenting factual evidence and interesting anecdotes in a manner which allows the reader to gain an insight into the emotions, struggles and beliefs of all those who fought in the Civil War."
Abstract In this article, using primary sources only, the writer describes the effect of atrocities on American soldiers in World War II. The writer explores the horrors of war witnessed by soldiers who liberated Nazi concentration camps in addition to their moral outrage at the genocide. The writer discusses the differences between WWII soldiers and those who served in Vietnam, toward reaction to the horrors of war.
From the Paper While the phrase war is hell has entered the language as a cliche, the statement gains its power from its truth. American soldiers like soldiers from all cultures and in all periods of history have recognized that war is almost invariably accompanied by evil acts that go far beyond the carnage that one would expect from violent conflict between armies. In this report the horrors of war will be explored through primary source documents provided ... "
Abstract The paper shows how in the first wars fought by American soldiers, medical science and the government were both completely unprepared in coping with the problems of veterans after war. The paper discusses soldiers' opium addiction, the over-use of amputation and the lack of resources to overcome the physical and mental injuries of war.
Outline:
Objective
Introduction
Drug Addiction-Soldiers Disease Ignored
Quick to Amputate and Failure to Assist
Mental Disabilities of Veterans Post-War
Summary and Conclusion
From the Paper "The facts are that more Civil War veterans died from soldier's disease than were killed by war wounds. Immediately following the Civil War there were absolutely no reports whatsoever of addiction however, "there were 63,000 soldiers whose chronic diarrhea carried on after the war" (Adams, 1889 as cited in Mandel, 2008) Furthermore, there were more than 20,000 survivors of amputations that the Union doctors had reported. (US Surgeon General, 1883; as cited in Mandel, 2008) The work of Horatio Day entitled "The Opium Habit" which was published in 1868 relates information to the 'Soldier's Disease' stating: "The events of the last few years [Civil War] have unquestionably added greatly to their [confirmed opium eaters'] number."
Abstract This is a short review of the film "Buffalo soldiers" that traces the achievements of the African-American soldiers and the manner in which they were discriminated against.
From the Paper "The African American contribution to the Civil War and the American culture has largely been ignored. This has caused the concept of systemic racism to arise within the American nation that is creating a view of something less than a democratic view of the state. However, there are certain media contributions in the form of films, books and art that suggest that the African American contribution may not be openly acknowledged but in time the effort will be accepted. Buffalo Soldiers is one such film that chronicles the activities of the 10th Cavalry, which in 1880 battled renegade Apaches led by Chief Victorio. Unlike most of the war chronicles its not about Indians vs Cowboys but rather has adepth not found in most Western genre films."
Tags: African, American, war, civil, 10th, Cavalry, soldier
Abstract This paper describes the life of an infantry soldier in this time period. The main armies examined are Russia, Prussia, France and Britain. The writer focuses on their weapons, their mode of battle as well as military tactics. In addition the paper explores the day to day life of these soldiers - eating habits, sleeping habits and remuneration.
From the Paper "The ordinary life of the average infantryman in the eighteenth century is little known by most modern-day warriors and students of military history. This is unfortunate, because what he endured and lived through in the royal armies of Europe was a unique experience. Whether in the Prussian, French, British or any other service, the military life of the foot-soldier ? from recruitment to training and garrison life ? made for a difficult and dangerous though an undoubtedly extremely interesting career."
Tags: american, century, eighteenth, england, france, frederick, german, great, history, military, prussia, revolution, soldiers, strategy, tactics, voltaire, warfare, weapons
Abstract This paper discusses the theme in "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" through a character analysis of the tin soldier. The paper points out that, while the theme of the story seems to be about true love conquering all, the underlying theme is about manliness and the suggestion that love seems to feminize men while they are in pursuit of their beloved, transforming them into an acceptable love object. The paper also examines an additional theme that suggests that those who are too sensitive cannot live through the harshness of the world.
From the Paper "At the beginning of the story, the tin Soldier is "different from all the others because he was missing one leg. He has been the last one to be cast and there had not been enough tin" (112). In this way, the Tin Soldier can either be viewed as disabled, having only one leg, or as symbolically emasculated. Soldiers, weapons and perpetrators of destruction, are often viewed as one of the highest forms of masculinity. Violent by nature and protective of their countries, the tin soldier symbolizes the opposite of love and romance, even if they are all "handsome [in] red and blue uniforms" and stand "with rifles sticking up over their shoulders" (112). Soldiers are deadly in their masculine beauty. However, the Tin Soldier in Andersen's tale is far from perfect and is less than a warrior. Andersen reveals the tin soldier's love constant love for the ballerina throughout the story. However, the tin soldier is unable to demonstrate through his bravery that he is worthy of this love. Moreover, the lacking leg may be equated with missing biological parts of masculinity. This Steadfast Soldier cannot procreate and therefore, must be less than a man. The reader might ask why Andersen would want to portray his protagonist as less than a hero. The response is that soldiers, in their courage and readiness to fight, are not true candidates for romantic love. The Tin Soldier, lacking a leg cannot approach his beloved ballerina to declare his love for her. He is afraid that the ballerina will not accept him because of his disability. Symbolically, he is distanced from the ballerina by their placement in the boy's room. Additionally, the troll who possibly "caused the window to open suddenly and the soldier to fall out of it" may represent nature's cruelty to those who are different."
Tags: analysis, andersen, children, christian, fairy, hans, love, soldier, steadfast, story, tale, tin
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to discuss the effect of heroin and marijuana on the U.S. troops stationed in Vietnam during the War. It describes the extent of drug use, why it occurred, who was involved in supply and demand, and why the effects were far less than anticipated by a country worried that returning soldiers would return addicted, with guns, from an environment of extreme violence, to conduct domestic drug wars and support the addictions it was assumed would persist with violent crime.
Abstract This paper examines the lives and work of three writers who were soldiers. It is evident that the experiences of Tim O'Brien, Harold Moore, and Erich Maria Remarque on violent battlefields affected them once they left the armed forces, especially in terms of how they portrayed war in their books. The paper shows that because they were combat veterans, they were in a much better position than most writers to examine the choices human beings make when confronted by war, and to explore the consequences of those choices.
Abstract This paper examines how the four texts, "A Dead Boche" by Robert Graves, "The Soldier" by RupertBrook, and Vera Brittain's "Letters from a Lost Generation," are typical of World War I literature. It analyses the three texts in terms of language form and structure and the way the writers use the genre of their choice to express their thoughts and feelings. The influence of the time of composition and the significance of the gender of the writer is also discussed.
From the Paper "Graves employs various literary techniques in A Dead Boche to emphasise the brutal reality of the First World War. By addressing the poem to the reader in the first stanza, "To you" the reader becomes instantly involved with the poem and is forced to reconsider their attitude to war and to confront the real atrocities of a truly total war. By 1916 many soldiers were disillusioned by the war and particularly by the continuing demand for patriotic poetry which talked of "valour", "honour" and "sacrifice" and which in the style of the Victorian poets like Alfred Lord Tennyson, glorified death with chivalric language. Graves speaks directly to those who think of war with ideas of "blood and fame" and to those who, for a long time succeeded in ignoring the horrible reality of the war in their wilful ignorance and hypocrisy."
