Free Essay

Dead Men

In:

Submitted By rohullah786
Words 1328
Pages 6
Sixteen Dead Men
By William Butler Yeats
O but we talked at large before
The sixteen men were shot,
But who can talk of give and take,
What should be and what not
While those dead men are loitering there
To stir the boiling pot?

You say that we should still the land
Till Germany’s overcome;
But who is there to argue that
Now Pearse is deaf and dumb?
And is their logic to outweigh
MacDonagh’s bony thumb?

How could you dream they’d listen
That have an ear alone
For those new comrades they have found,
Lord Edward and Wolfe Tone,
Or meddle with our give and take
That converse bone to bone?

“Man down, Man down”. A frightened voice screamed from miles away. Another hero gone, I thought silently. I glanced over at Gerry. He stood tall like a man of six foot height as he loaded up the truck ready for battle. His deep blue eyes had dark rings around them which extenuated when he is tired. “See you soon mate”, he limped into the truck drove off. That was the last time I ever saw Gerry again.

The missiles struck, screaming in with pinpoint accuracy, bursting with blinding flashes, brighter than a thousand suns. Buildings disintegrated and vanished. Trees and houses exploded into flames. The flames were so fierce that they devoured all the oxygen around them suffocating those people who had sought refuge in deep shelters. The very ground trembled from the mighty screams of those who were attacked or injured.

I stayed there in the same position, crouched behind a rock that sheltered my useless body. I couldn’t hear anything except for the racing sound of my heartbeat. I thought of my loved ones. What would my mom think when her only child never returned home or how will my wife Marie cope with our first newborn child Chris. I didn’t want him to grow up without a dad, just like me. A great silence descended over the land

I knew I had to move to a different destination and find help. I tried to stand up still. I was soaked from head to toe in sweat. I carefully picked up my rifle which was covered in unknown blood. I hobbled up and skipped over the hundreds of lifeless bodies. The pall of smoke and dust blackened the sky.

James lifted himself up, placing his hands on the trench wall and hoisting himself up to get a better view. A whistle blew somewhere behind him and dozens of men poured out of the trench in front of him. With another whistle the men alongside him rose up out of the trench, leaping over the one in front of them and sprinting out into the dead-man’s zone.

Readying himself to die, James hoisted himself over the trench and ran out into the open area between the two fighting lines. Ahead of him the first lines of the penal outfit “attack” were beginning to reach their destination, running headlong towards the enemy lines with their rusted rifles and bayonets, only a single clip of ammunition in each weapon. These men were not expected to kill anything. They were what the officer’s called “tramplers”, disgraced soldiers sent running towards the enemy lines in hopes of tripping land mines on their way, effectively clearing the advance for the real soldiers.

James watched as the men ran towards their deaths, enemy machine gun nests and riflemen picking them off before they could get close enough to the enemy lines to shoot. To his horror, James saw a group of men running together before an explosion lifted out of the ground, sending body parts and limbs flying everywhere, the individual pieces of the men even tripping a few more land mines in the process.

“I’m going to fuckin’ die,” James whispered to himself as he crouched down near a shining piece of metal half buried in the ground, his hands shaking uncontrollably.

Sent behind the tramplers James and the other men were told to look for the telltale signs of enemy tank mines and disarm them. Unlike most of the men with him, James actually had experience with disarming tank mines, having been an engineer before he was captured as a POW. With a deep breath James steadied himself for what he was about to do.

Reciting the routine in his mind, he carefully brushed off the dirt from the square piece of metal, realizing he had indeed found an anti-tank mine. With careful movements he worked his fingers around the rim of the device, wiggling his hand through the dirt and feeling for the specific shape of the trigger mechanism. When his fingers touched the slender piece of metal he wrapped his forefinger around it and slowly withdrew the object.
With the useless mine before him James dug it out, tossing it aside and crawling for the next half-buried mine. Just before he reached it a young man crouched down next to it, obviously baffled by what he was supposed to do next. Reaching down the boy grabbed the pressure sensor, trying to pull the mine straight out of the ground.

“STOP!” James tried to yell at him, but in the second it took for him to form the words the mine had already triggered. A shock wave knocked James onto his back, a shower of dirt and charred flesh raining down on him from the sky a moment later.

An intense ringing perforated his eardrums, so loud that it overcame the very sounds of the battle. The taste of copper coated his mouth as he coughed up some blood, groaning as he realized he had just been hit by a tank mine at close range. Shaking the shock away the best he could James got himself to shaking legs, moving for the next landmine he could find, oblivious to the bullets flying left and right.

Spotting a soldier crouching near a land mine James shouted again, this time catching the young man’s attention. He slid down next to him, taking the best cover he could while he disarmed the trap mine.

“Don’t touch the top sensor,” he coughed, spitting blood out and clearing his throat. Carefully he began brushing off the dirt around the edges of the mine.

“Work your fingers under the mine and feel for a slender metallic cylinder,” he said, doing as he did before, “And then remove it while making sure not to brush it against to bottom of the mine.”

He turned back to the young soldier to show him the triggering pin, only to discover a small hole in the slumped boy’s helmet. Shoving him on the shoulder James watched as the boy fell backwards like a rag doll, his helmet toppling off to reveal a mix of brain matter and broken skull. Unable to control his stomach anymore James let himself vomit, covering the young soldier’s boots with his breakfast.

From the thin fog of smoke behind him another whistle blew, signaling the real advance of the infantry. James merely sat in the blackened dirt, chunks of flesh and stains of blood covering his form from the past two minutes of battle. The well-armed and well-reinforced soldiers charged past him, roaring as one as they barreled towards the enemy line. James watched as they ran over the corpses of his fellow soldiers of the penal outfit, none of them tripping any landmines as they swarmed the enemy firing line.

With a sigh of relief James thought he had made through his first day as a penal soldier alive. That was until someone threw a loaded rifle at his feet and pointed a gun in his face, yelling three damning words down on him.

“Forward you coward!”

“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. We started dying before the snow, and like the snow, we continued to fall.

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Artforms

...Artforms 4/16/11 Francisco Goya, The Third of May, 1808 p.327 Visual Elements A.Line-There are actual lines in this painting from the rifles toward the man holding his hands up. When looking at this painting you view quickly from the right to the left and can almost feel the inevitable execution. There is also a line in the sand separating the light from the dark. Seems to be imply between the good of the Spaniards who are about to be executed, from the evil hooded men who are shooting. I believe that there is an implied line between the end of the gun and the man with his arms up. It is giving an action that you can almost feel the gunshot from the barrel executing the man. Especially how when looking from right to left it goes from dark to light, like the gun has been fired. B.)Shape-The geometric shape of the lantern stands out to me right away. Its rectangular shape and the triangle shape of the light which it creates draw my eye in this painting. It seems to paint a positive light on the people that are about to be executed. There are many more geometric shapes in this painting than organic. The organic shapes that I see are the rounded hill in the background and the contours that are created in the sand. These two in the painting are good examples of biomorphic shapes. C.)Mass-The mass is implied here and is created by the forms of the captives. They seem to go in all directions here with their arms and the way each is bent. It really creates urgency that...

Words: 1994 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

The Awakening

...Example Literary Research Paper Michelle Carerra Professor Krickstein English 1302 October 15, 2004 The Awakening of Gabriel Conroy Like the stories in Dubliners that lead up to it, “The Dead” dramatizes a moment of self-realization. The story portrays the gradual awakening of Gabriel Conroy, whose vision of his wife, Gretta, at the end of the story is at once a frustrating disappointment and a touching movement toward understanding and love. Robert Adams voices the view of more than one critic when he writes of “The Dead” that this “greatest of the stories in Dubliners stands apart from the rest, being warmer in tonality, richer in the writing, and more intimate in its subject matter” (83). Florence Walzl agrees when she writes that “’The Dead’ is markedly different from the earlier stories. . . .It is not only a longer, more fully developed narrative, but it presents a more kindly view of Ireland” (428). In one sense the “dead” of the title are all those who have lived and died, those who have gone before the festive inhabitants of Dublin who celebrate the Christmas season, Gabriel Conroy and Gretta among them. In another sense the dead are all those who, though alive and breathing, have lost their naturalness, their spontaneity, and most importantly, their passion. Gabriel, one of these, has lost touch with his past and with traditional Irish values. He looks instead toward continental Europe, toward the future, and toward change for an escape...

Words: 1783 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Gabriel’s Alienation in “the Dead” by James Joyce

...Natasha Nayo Lit.411 Yeats, Joyce and Woolf Presentation Review 2: Gabriel’s Alienation in “The Dead” by James Joyce Talking about James Joyce throughout this class and papers, it was only fitting to conclude by discussing about his last chapter in Dubliners (1914) ‘The Dead’. As the final installment [and the longest story in the collection] it had enough pages to describe the events that portrayed life in Dublin; at its peak of political revolution and colonization. The deceased and people described in this chapter hints the historical events of Joyce’s time. ‘The Dead’ takes place at a grand feast organized by the owners of the house, Aunt Julia and Kate Morkan and their talented niece, Mary Jane. In a cold January to celebrate the feast of Epiphany [which celebrates the manifestation of Christ’s divinity to the Magi] every relative and friend arrived to the party, including the most anticipated favorite nephew, Gabriel Conroy and his wife Gretta, whom will be the main focus of the story. “Of course, they had good reason to be fussy on such a night. And then it was long after ten o'clock and yet there was no sign of Gabriel and his wife. Besides they were dreadfully afraid that Freddy Malins might turn up screwed. They would not wish for worlds that any of Mary Jane's pupils should see him under the influence; and when he was like that it was sometimes very hard to manage him. Freddy Malins always came late, but they wondered what could be keeping Gabriel: and that...

Words: 1718 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Analyzing Billy Base's 'Dead Men Talking'

...There is a common saying that goes “dead men tell no tales.” Many forensic scientist and anthropologist would disagree with this saying. Anthropologist are able to identify the victims race, age gender simply by examining the bones. These deceased people are leaving clues to help forensic scientist identify their body along with solving the case at hand. According to the article “Dead Men Talking” by David Kohn, anthropologist Billy Base has solved many cases by simply examining the crime scene and the bones of the deceased. In line with the article “ Identifying the victim,” anthropologist can identify age by looking for infused bones and by using the Karley Method. The Karley Method is where the take a bone and cut it in half, from there you count the number of rings inside the bone, similar to finding the age of a tree. Teeth grow in particular order which can help determine age as well. To determine height the most common way is to measure a tall bone. Because most bodies are proportional the...

Words: 495 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Superbowl Commercials: Dead Men Tell No Tales

...This year's Superbowl commercials were very persuasive. Since a lot of people watch the Superbowl, people with ads want to get their idea's out there so that other people would watch and maybe even look deeper into them. This year's commercials were a lot about, cars, movies, candy, and furniture. One of the ads were about the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, "Dead Men Tell No Tales." It was a trailer showing off the new movie to make people want to watch it. The movie trailer persuaded the audience by the cut scenes and the explosion of action. One of the characters, also known as Johnny Depp, was on an interview about the movie. Johnny Depp says that, "It was really exciting to make." Pirates of the Caribbean fans were going crazy over...

Words: 374 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Paper

...Good Student Dr. Grogan Literary Methodology 17 February 2012 Mistaking Awkwardness for Arrogance: A Reexamination of Gabriel in James Joyce’s “The Dead” A figure as complex and multifaceted as the rich narrative from which he is taken, Gabriel Conroy has long interested readers seeking meaning in James Joyce’s “The Dead.” Initially regarded as “a painfully ordinary man” by Melissa Free, subsequent critics have more harshly accused Gabriel of arrogance and classism, based on his “Three Encounters” with the characters Lily, Molly Ivors, and Gretta (280, 283). However, though many sound arguments can be made in support of Gabriel’s arrogance, one might see this position as a failure to recognize two important factors: First, the nervous insecurity with which he often conducts himself, and second, the disparity between his inner thoughts and outer actions. Indeed, an ethical examination of the story’s “Three Encounters” reveals a highly self-conscious, socially clumsy Gabriel, whose sometimes-condescending thoughts rarely manifest in intentionally hostile behavior. One can first see this display of self-consciousness when examining Gabriel’s discourse with the character Lily, the first in the series of encounters by which he is often judged. For those critics who interpret Gabriel negatively, this might seem a reasonable place to start, for his amusement with the girl’s low accent – “[smiling] at the three syllables she had given his surname,” – is a clear indication that Gabriel...

Words: 1066 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

"The Dead" James Joyce

...“The Dead” In James Joyce’s short story “The Dead” we notice how not living life to its fullest potential can be detrimental to a persons self esteem. The title contributes to this revelation by setting a strong focus on death and mortality, which serves as a constant reminder throughout the story. Joyce chooses to reveal this to us in forms of motifs of music to structure the story, and with this use of musical references the meaning of the story comes out in so many different ways creating a melody, thereby binding the music, and story together. Joyce uses the main character Gabriel to reveal to us the overall reoccurring theme, and how emotionally dead these characters are which leads up to Gabriel’s epiphany at the end of the story. With a title like “The Dead” we imagine that it is going to take place in some gloomy place, like a graveyard. However, to our surprise the story opens up to a Christmas party in which Mr. & Mrs. Conroy, Gabriel and Gretta, are invited to attend. We do not get the feeling of gloom or death, but more of a warm inviting environment. However, with the progression of the story the focus shifts towards the isolation and insecurities that Gabriel is exemplifying. We first see this taking place when he is questioning himself about his speech that he is planning on giving later on in the night. Gabriel is wondering whether or not to quote Robert Browning because he “fears they would be above the heads of his hearers.” (2174) He feels...

Words: 1062 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

The Dead by James Joyce

...Bhagyesh Patel The Dead by James Joyce James Joyce (February 2, 1882 - January 13, 1941) was one of the most preeminent Irish authors of the twentieth century. He is known for his literary innovation such as a strictly focused narrative and indirect style. Although not strictly originally, James Joyce brought the aforementioned writing methods were to an unparalleled height. James Joyce considered being one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century. The genre of the dead by James Joyce is short story or a novella. The story is Characters * Gabriel Conroy - The main character of the story. (Developed character because he’s the main character of the story and his aunts are Kate and Julia who trust him to keep an eye on things and his thoughts are revealed to the readers.) * Kate Morkan and Julia Morkan - Gabriel's aunts, elderly sisters who throw a party every year during Christmas time. (Developed characters because they through the party so James tell the readers about how they set up the party and stuff.) * Mary Jane Morkan - Niece of Kate and Julia Morkan. (Flat character because the author doesn’t really let us that much about them.) * Lily - Maid. (Flat character because she’s just A young woman who does the housework for the Morkans but lily seems to be acting differently recently because of a problem with her lover.) * Gretta Conroy - Gabriel's wife.(developed character because in the story they...

Words: 1215 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

James Joyce Influences

...“The Dead” by Joyce was written as a part of his collection, “The Dubliners”. James Joyce was greatly influenced by writing the short story reflecting what was all around him, which was a movement by the Irish in Dublin, Ireland. Ireland greatly influenced Joyce’s inspiration for writing. Consequently, he decided that he wanted to attempt to create an original portrayal of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, in his short story, “The Dead.” This short story by James Joyce, the author, is using the main character, Gabriel Conroy, to portray him slightly. This story takes place in the 20th century, in Dublin, Ireland. The main character, Gabriel Conroy, is a part-time book reviewer and a professor. He attended a party that was hosted by two of his aunts. While there he talked to a woman names Mrs. Ivors. Mrs. Ivors is a woman who is involved in a movement dealing with the Irish. Her job is to try to bring awareness and bring back the Irish language and culture. She talked to him about some of the views he had referring to the Irish and the English. This was one topic that they both disagreed on. While she tried to talk to...

Words: 899 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

The Dead: a Psychological Perspective

...The Dead: A Psychological Perspective James Joyce’s “The Dead” can be interpreted form a psychological perspective that focuses on the impact of the cognitive and subconscious influences that impacted the content of Joyce’s work. In analyzing “The Dead” from this psychological perspective, there are insights that reveal how confused, disturbed, insecure, and troubled Joyce was in his personal life. The first article is by Coen and is entitled “What Will Become of Epiphanies? A Psychoanalytic Reading of James Joyce’s ‘The Dead.’” One of the more interesting points that was made in this article was that Coen describes how there are elements being juxtaposed against one another in Joyce’s story. These contrasting elements represent death and life. One example of this contrast between life and death was where Joyce wrote, “The morning was still dark. A dull yellow light brooded over the houses and the river and the sky seemed to be descending” (Joyce). This description uses all dark and dull matter to symbolize death. The morning sky, which could be described as brilliant specks of color trying to break through the early morning dark sky, were instead simply referred to as dark. Then, right after this description, Joyce’s entire mood and writing style changed. He wrote, “…Gabriel’s eyes were…bright with happiness. The blood went bounding along his veins and the thoughts were rioting through his brain, proud, joyful, tender, valorour…” (Joyce). This excerpt is full of...

Words: 1382 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Character

...vignettes by James Joyce, his short story Eveline is the tale of such an unfortunate individual. Anxious, timid, scared, perhaps even terrified -- all these describe Eveline. She is a frightened, indecisive young woman poised between her past and her future. Eveline loves her father but is fearful of him. She tries to hold onto good memories of her father, thinking "sometimes he could be very nice (Joyce 5)," but has seen what her father has done to her siblings when he would "hunt them in out of the field with his blackthorn stick (Joyce 4)." As of late she has begun to feel "herself in danger of her father's violence (Joyce 4)." Ironically, her father has "begun to threaten her and say what he'd do to her only for her dead mother's sake (Joyce 5)." Eveline wants a new life but is afraid to let go of her past. She dreams of a place where "people would treat her with respect (Joyce 4)" and when contemplating her future, hopes "to explore a new life with Frank (Joyce 5)." When, in a moment of terror she realizes that "she must escape (Joyce 6)," it seems to steel her determination to make a new home for herself elsewhere. On the other hand, she is comfortable with the "familiar objects from which she had never dreamed of being divided (Joyce 4)." She rationalizes that: "In her home anyway she had shelter and food; she had those whom she had known all her life about her (Joyce 4)." As she reflects on her past she discovers "now that she ...

Words: 349 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

The Dead and the Gou

...The story centres on Gabriel Conroy on the night of the Morkan sisters' annual dance and dinner in the first week of January 1904, perhaps the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6). Typical of the stories in Dubliners, "The Dead" develops toward a moment of painful self-awareness; Joyce described this as an epiphany. The narrative generally concentrates on Gabriel's insecurities, his social awkwardness, and the defensive way he copes with his discomfort. The story culminates at the point when Gabriel discovers that, through years of marriage, there was much he never knew of his wife's past. JOYCE HOUSE, the fictional Morkan sisters' home. 15 Usher's Island, Dublin. Upon arriving at the party with his wife, Gabriel makes a joke that is not funny about the maid's marriage prospects; and he fidgets, adjusts his clothing, and offers her money as a holiday present. Not long after that, he gets flustered again when his wife pokes fun at him over a conversation they had earlier, in which he had forced her to wear galoshes for the bad weather. With such episodes, Gabriel is depicted as particularly pathetic. Similarly, Gabriel is unsure about quoting a poem from the poet Robert Browning when he is giving his dinner address, as he is afraid to be seen as pretentious. But, at the same time, Gabriel considers himself above the others when he speculates that his audience would not understand the words he uses. Later, when giving the traditional holiday toast, Gabriel overcompensates for...

Words: 652 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Shadows of Paralysis: “the Sisters” and “the Dead”

...It can be said that every story in the collection Dubliners by James Joyce has a tale of its own where “paralysis” is a central theme in all the stories. The idea of “paralysis” can mean a number of different things to different people depending upon their interpretation of a certain text. In general, what “paralysis” does is inhibit a character from doing what they want to do or know they should do, as if there is a kind of shadow in their life, just lurking and haunting them in the darkness. These shadows especially play an important role in two stories from the collection, “The Sisters” and “The Dead”; they act as a sort of imprisonment for the main character. In “The Sisters”, the narrator and main character is a nameless boy. The boy says at the beginning of the story, “Every night as I gazed up at the window I said softly to myself the word paralysis. It had always sounded strangely in my ears…like the name of some maleficent and sinful being. It filled me with fear” (“The Sisters”, 2). From this, the reader sees that the boy does not really know how to respond to the priest’s inevitable death. What kind of relationship exists between the boy and Father Flynn is hard to determine because the reader only sees their relationship through the eyes of the boy. As the reader is introduced to other characters in the story, they start to learn bits of information about the nature of their relationship, but the reader is still somewhat left in the dark. Throughout the story...

Words: 1081 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

James Joyce The Dead

...James Joyce published The Dead in 1914 it was his final story in the collection of Dubliners. James Joyce was an Irish writer, who had a major impact on the 20th century because of his modernist avant garde style of writing in his most famous work is Ulysses. The Dubliners are also one of the most notable works by Joyce. He was extremely involved in theatrical and literary he even wrote for the Irish Literary Theatre. Joyce was a heavy drinker and he underwent surgery for an ulcer it was a fail operation he passed away on January 11 1941. James Joyce wrote The Dead from an Irish middle class life in Dublin in the early years of the 20th century perspective. Gabriel Conroy is professor and part time book reviewer he is attending Christmastime...

Words: 1196 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Sixth Century Athenian Symposium

...the customs and traditions, my friends and I accepted. We had only heard about what goes on at symposium from older teenagers and among them their experiences varied, as well as their impressions. Needless to say, my friends and I were feeling a mixture of curiosity and fear. Prior to the evening’s festivities, my father had told me about the symposium and the importance of taking part in one within our culture. He had told me that it was an important event in a young man’s life where he learns from what is being discussing by the elder men as well as establishing important contacts that my help as I grew into an adult.4 The symposium was scheduled to begin after sunset.5 All the men, along with my friends and a few other boys my age, assembled in the house’s andron. This particular room in the house was specifically for symposiums. There were couches on every wall except the wall with the entrance.6 Before the symposium could begin, the men had to establish who the toastmaster was by rolling dice.7 The toastmaster had the power to institute and impose the rules of the...

Words: 885 - Pages: 4