The grim reality of war
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The what’s and how’s of war
Being factual, war can be defined as armed conflict between any two nations, tribes, or any
group that has a strong enough reason to kill another, war also typically involves a large amount
of death and destruction, and most of the time happens when two parties form a disagreement
or clash ideals with one another, or a country wants to achieve a specific objective, for example;
the first and second world wars
Blood, guts, and glory- the glorification
Nobody in their right mind would sacrifice their present and future for a cause from a person
they havent spoken to, right? Wrong, the glorification of war, and its aftermath is in my opnion
one of the most hideous acts that has graced our planet,the glorification of sensless killings, and
mindless sacrifice has been a practice ever since war started.
Take these images as an example, in the first you can see a tall man infront of a long american
flag, looking happy, and in the second you can see two eagles fighting, the bald eagle which is a
symbol of american patriotism compels people to join the army by promising glory, and a
purpose for killing a fellow human being, but what these posters dont show, is what actually
happens in, and after war
When reality hits
By the firsthand account of siegfried sassoon, a world war one veteran who has made an
amazing poem detailing what actually happens to people who enlist in a war, we can see in
what sense the glorification of war is insanley ironic. The tone and theme of this poem is mostly
about the people who have experienced war, and what effect it has had on them, which gives us
an idea of the reality of war, for example; the title “survivors” shows us that the soldiers have
earned the privlege of physically surviving the war, but the first few lines explain the double
edged sword that is surviving a traumatic event, with descriptions of PTSD stricken soldiers,
disfigured bodies, haunted nights and hallucinations of friends who died. You can see that
nothing listed in this poem is mentioned in these posters above, only the glory that you can
obtain, becoming an american eagle, a symbol of power for the people, nothing about the
horrors you will face during and after the war
War without reason, a barbaric and senseless murder
Two men walk into a bar, one orders a beer, and the other a rum, they both sit down and talk
about their problems and bond over them, two weeks later you have to face that same man, and
you are forced to view him as nothing else but a “foe” and moments later you have shot him
dead, this is how war really is, a mindless killing just because “they are on the other side of
someone elses ideals” truly one of the most savage practices known to man.
As in “the man he killed” by thomas hardy, which reflects the senseless aspects of war, it tells us
a story of two men, who crossed paths, once as friends and once as foes, resulting in one mans
death, all because they were “foes”, war overlooks everything and tells you “kill him, because he
is youe enemy”, without any second thought of how you might share common struggles, maybe
even helped eachother in a time of need, and how he might have enlisted for the same reason
you did.
In conclusion you can see just how absurd war really is, sacrificing yourself and your possible
friends in a senseless episode that forces you to kill meaninglessly, and to this day it has been
glorified as a act of power, strength and praise worthy.
Citations
https://www.nytimes.com/books/first/b/bartov-destruction.html?scp=23&sq=cost%20of%20war&
st=cse
https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/powers-of-persuasion
