Although World War I (WWI) drastically altered our perception of politics and military tactics, its most devastating effect was the subversion of our humanity (Khalief Ghani 54). This is evident as the amoral actions committed by individuals on behalf of their governments ultimately compromised the benevolence of humanity overall. From their political culling of human life, a paradox emerges whereby national heroes can also be regarded as disgraced global citizens.
Hence, the poets and authors of the First World War sombrely explore the emotional complexities of modern warfare from the perspective of those who serve. Their own experiences as soldiers within WWI enabled them to evaluate the political tactics that encouraged enlistment, as well …show more content…
Even though society justifies murder within this context, critical evidence proves that soldiers who kill whilst at war, experience long-lasting trauma and stress (Webber et al. 470-478). In Remarque's All Quiet on the Wester Front, Paul Bäumer explains that whilst on the front, "I don't think at all, I make no decision - I just stab wildly and feel only how the body jerks, then goes limp and collapses" (148). Yet, the reality of his actions eventually breaks through the psychosis as the political constructs of "group membership [and] social identification" (Sambanis, Skaperdas and Wohlforth 281) begin to fade …show more content…
Even though "these men are worth/ Your tears" (Owen, "Apologia Pro" 35-36) relatives of the soldiers fail to acknowledge the hell in which "we fight" (Sassoon 7) and the horrid places "we're killed" (8) by euphemistically referring to death in action as "retir[ing]" (9). Similarly, national governments do not know how to appropriately memorialise the souls of the deceased as they immortalise their dead through trivial "decorations" (Sassoon 3) which only pay homage to their actions during WWI and not their personalities