...Through Bao Ninh’s The Sorrow of War, we learn that Vietnamese soldiers are met with a harsh reality that completely contrasts their perception of life and political structure, and therefore, soldiers like our protagonist, Kien, lose their identity and morals. For soldiers, experiencing war first hand causes them to lose civilized human qualities like compassion, respect, and values, and instead creates an animalistic behavior in people. Firstly, before they even get to the battlefield, the shift in behavior is present amongst soldiers. When the train taking the soldiers to where they will be deployed is attacked, a man rapes Phuong. He tells her, "If we have to die, then let’s die. Isn’t that right darlin’? Stay here with me. Have pity on...
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...The Sorrow of War is a novel written by Bao Ninh, based on the Vietnam War and how it has brought tragedy to soldiers and citizens physically and mentally. Other than the war being a focus of the novel, the relationship between Phuong and Kien is the center of attention. Phuong plays a huge role in the novel and it soon build up to the end of her relationship. In the Novel, Ninh portray Phuong as a character who changes throughout the novel, making her feel unsure of her own feelings. Also, the author expresses the downfall of their relationship by using upset diction to reveal the characteristics of Phuong as impure and independent. Phuong’s characteristics eventually led to a failure relationship. To show internal conflict within Phuong, Ninh makes her as a rape victim to show how it has physically affected her as a person, changing her to feel insecure. Phuong truly loves...
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...that the youth should reject him now that everyone seems to be against him. The poet exhorts the youth not to wait to reject him until after these other, less important, sorrows have passed. At least if he is rejected now, his other problems will pale into insignificance. Sonnet 90 continues directly from the previous sonnet, which ended, "For thee, against myself I'll vow debate / For I must ne'er love him whom thou dost hate." In the final couplet of Sonnet 89, the word "hate" proves a shocking contrast to the speaker's usual use of the word "love," and it is echoed here in the line one of Sonnet 90: "Then hate me when thou wilt; if ever, now." In the conventions of the sonnet, "hate" means a beloved's disdain more than the modern-day meaning of the word. This sonnet also continues the downward spiral of loss and wretchedness that began with the sense of a final separation in Sonnet 87: "Farewell, thou art too dear for my possessing." However, the reality of the separation is up in the air. It is unclear whether it has already occurred, or whether it is impending. The use of the word "if" in line 9: "If thou wilt leave me," suggests that it is not even certain whether the fair lord has decided finally on the separation; it might be the case that the poet is worrying over a suspicion. The imagery of a war is used to convey the speaker's feelings concerning losing his love in addition to all the troubles that already plague him. He is already under siege by "the spite of fortune...
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...Maxton Becker Representations of War David Houston 9/24/2014 Pain War is represented numerous ways in the book Troilus and Criseyde by Chaucer, but the most prominent, in my opinions, is pain or rather the “double sorrows of Troilus”. Throughout this book Troilus cries, complains and is at a kind of war with his pain; his pain takes the form of self pity, loss of his lover Criseyde, and anger which he takes out in battle. He mourns the loss of Criseyde which overall allows his enemy, pain, to defeat him. Pain is a kind of war represented in this novel and is as well a major theme in the story. Pain is a motif from the very first sentence of this book shown in the first stanza. “The double sorwe of Troilus to tellen, That was the kyng Priamus...
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...the poem “Times they are a-changing” by Bob Dylan are alike in their use of symbolism, imagery, and theme. Both authors use symbolism to communicate sorrow. Claude McKay uses sorrowful symbolism to illustrate problematic issues that arose for people during the American Revolution. However, the character in McKay’s poem never gives up his hope and love for his country. Symbolism is employed in the McKay’s “Sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth” to describe the oppressive nature of his country. In addition, “Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood” which signifies that, the character’s country treats him as someone who does not exist. In other words, the character’s own home town neither appreciates nor loves him. Likewise, the symbolism in the song “Times they are a-changing” by Bob Dylan also illustrates negative emotions. Dylan also uses painful symbolism to reveal the problematic issues that occurred in his poem as a result of motivating people to fight for revolution. Moreover, Dylan used (verse 1, line 6), to illustrates that fight for ones right may also result with pain and sorrow. An example is “You’ll be drenched to the bone” which symbolizes the sorrow one must go through while fighting in order to obtain peace and harmony. In other words, without standing up for what are right, people will suffer consequences of sorrow...
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...If anyone knows anything about Vietnam it is that many lives were lost. All through school students were only taught the very top layer about the Vietnam War, such as dates, places that the war took place, and straight statistics of the war. The parts that were left out are the tragedies, and the permanent scars this war left. Students are told about the number of deaths that occurred, but they are not told about the lives that were affected, or how disturbing the war really was to the soldiers that fought in it. Much can be interpreted by what people write. The great thing about interpretations is that each writing can be interpreted differently. Just like Tim O'Brien's book titled "The Things They Carried." It is a very deep and touching collection of stories about the Vietnam War and many people’s experiences in this destructive war. One story that is a touching and very intriguing is titled, "The Man I Killed." A reader can look at this story and relate it back to things they learned in school, but the point of the story is not this but rather things that cannot be taught in public schools. This specific story goes inside a soldier's mind and shows the reader what they are thinking when they kill someone. The way that O'Brien starts this story is with great description that helps the reader visualize what is going on. He describes a mangled body that someone had recently killed; again not part of teachings in public schools. The story goes on to tell what the victims background...
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...The human journey is a tapestry woven with threads of happiness, sorrow, and change. It’s a story of growth, perseverance, and finding purpose amidst life’s trials. Timothy Findley’s novel The Wars delves deep into the psychological and emotional turmoil experienced by soldiers and their families, with a particular focus on the interplay between male and female characters. The tragic demise of Rowena Ross, Mrs. Ross's stoicism and emotional control, Marian Turner's nurturing role and compassion and Juliet d'Orsey’s youthful innocence and idealism, all serve as poignant examples of the complex journey that is the human experience.Through their stories, Fidley explores how people deal with hardships, redefine gender roles, and find solace in...
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...The Inner Depression of Beckmann’s Characterization after the War “The Man Outside” is a play by Borchert that portrays the dark aftermath of the war that has greatly affected the physical and mental health of Beckmann, a soldier who fought in the war. The depression and guilt that plagued Beckmann for the rest of his life was the result of losing too many people that he loved and the horrified situation of the war has been haunting him forever. The first instance that shows Beckmann was depressed appears in the first dream scene. Beckmann says, “I want to sleep – to be dead… to sleep in peace at last” (Borchert 86). Even though Beckmann has survived the war and has a chance to live again, his mind refuses to let go of the past and so he cannot find peace of mind. He chooses to die instead of living his life despite his peaceful surroundings after the war. It shows us that the situation of the war is imprinted in Beckmann’s mind; he cannot forget. It appears as a nightmare to him and haunts him forever, making him suffer and fall into depression all over again, repeatedly. Beckmann finds out that his family, the ones he thought he could go home to, do not care about him after all. This intensifies his depression greatly as he has no one else to turn to. “The woman used to be my wife – just called me Beckmann, … and the other fellow who was with her … and then these ruins... and somewhere underneath lies my boy … He was just one year old… I couldn’t bear it” (Borchert...
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...Titan Cronus, who is Zeus’s father. Cronus knew that one day one of his children would overthrow him so he ate all of his children. But Zeus was able to hide from his father. To overthrow Cronus, Zeus started a war which is called the Titanomachy, which destroyed all of the Golden Race. All of the humans of the Golden Age who died before the Titanomachy died in their sleep, without pain. The humans felt no pain nor sorrow. “The soil brought forth so profusely that all toil was unnecessary.”...
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...Should Wars Be Obsolete? With history comes conflicts over struggles for power and dominance between countries. Wars not only cause destruction, but also hardship, sorrow, and stress on their family members. There are many views on wars, and whether they should be solved by force or by verbal reconciliation. Words like peace, power, devastation, and despair come to mind when I think or hear the word war. War not only helps strengthen our nation, but it will help bring in jobs and we can help our nations in need. The U.S. has been in many wars and spent precious lives, without it we would not be where we are today. On December 8, 1941, the U.S. signed a declaration to go to war against Japan and later with Germany. World War II was known as “the good war” (Pauwels). Although WWII was one of many gruesome wars the U.S. had fought it was widely celebrated as a “crusade.” Many veterans lives were lost in this war. G.C. Marshall says "We are determined that before the sun sets on this terrible struggle our flag will be recognized throughout the world as a symbol of freedom on the one hand, of overwhelming power on the other” (Marshall). On August 6, 1945, and August 9, 1945, two atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki changing the world forever. These bombs symbolized strength and power to all of the world. The U.S. not only won but, established dominance throughout the world. This war brought many jobs and helped bring the United States out of the Great Depression...
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...The Vietnam War was the most controversial war in American History. Many believed that the US had no business being involved in that war while others think it was the right decision. Years after the war the government decided to give up a few hundred yards to a memorial for this war. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a very respects and appropriate memorial for those lives lost. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is made of black granite walls 200ft long and 10ft tall. It has the names of all 57,692 loves lost in Vietnam in chronological order. The walls come together at 1300 degrees to make a v-shape (Ayres). At the bottom the walls sink and dip 10ft. into a trench. The opposing side may say that this monument is “pointedly insulting the vets” (Carhart). However this monument is a subtle yet powerful statement to honor those...
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...enlist in the war, hoping to live a better life. They read newspaper headlines, see propaganda pictures and hear stories believing that the war is a one in a lifetime opportunity. After experiencing the war, many regret their decision to join and even flee. Josef, the main character of the novel finds himself regretting many of his kills as a sniper, even though he once never hesitated to pull the trigger. The combination of this propaganda picture along with the poem strive to prove a point that war is often falsely perceived as a heroistic act, acting like war is the key to a better life. This often leads to a false perception of war, and many young men joining in hopes of the benefits they never will receive....
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...genaflevering Are the horrible memories from the Irish Civil War still lingering in the grass on the field? What does the tears of the grandfather symbolize? “Field of Tears” is a short story written by Declan J. Connaughton in which he tells the story about an old man and his granddaughter called Rita. She frequently comes to visit him at the nursing home where he has to stay against her will, simply because he is too old and weak. She knows this and it’s also one of the reasons why she goes to see him that often, to spend time with him before it’s too late which makes every second she has with him precious. Rita wants to take him out for a drive and the grandfather guides her to a field he remembers from when he was stationed during the Civil War. As he sits in the car facing the sea, he starts to recall a memory from the field and suddenly Rita isn’t there anymore but his comrades from the war are. “Field of Tears” is a historical fiction short story that follows a man who took part in the Irish Civil War which followed the Irish War of Independence, where the Irish people fought for the right to be an Irish Republic. England wouldn’t let them have their will but they made a treaty that ended the British rule in most of Ireland. This wasn’t satisfying enough for some of the Irish republicans that didn’t want to take part in the “Provisional Government”, who supported the treaty and this lead to a civil war between these two opposing groups. The story gives us a glimpse...
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...waWar essay In every war there have always been families left at home and fearing for their loved one lives. These two texts “WAR” a story by Luigi Pirandello and Soldiers' families call for pullout from 'unwinnable' war in Afghanistan by Matthew Taylor, the different ways addresses families and friends deal with the loss of their deployed sons, brothers, uncles, etc… The two texts belong to different genres and are written in different historical epochs. “War” is a short story and fiction and is written in the year 1934. “Soldiers'…” is an article written in 2010. In the analysis and in comparing you need to be aware of the different genres and positions. For example the time and the reasons for war in the two texts have a big impact on people's attitudes and reactions. In the article the message obvious and has a political purpose. In “WAR” Luigi Pirandello has sympathy with all the families who have seen a loved one go to war and tries in this text to give examples of how people are dealing with their problem in different ways. He seems neutral in his way of describing the different characters’ reactions and it means that you as the reader are freer to form your own opinion and interpretations. The two main characters, the fat man and the woman have different ways to handle the grief. The fat man has lost his son to the war, but doesn’t feel the same kind of sorrow like the other people. He is not really sad for his son’s death, but is very proud because his son died...
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...Christina Kirchner English 10 November 18, 2015 Religious Rituals In his sonnet Anthem for Doomed Youth, Wilfred Owen criticizes war. His tone is first bitter, angry and ironic. It is filled with intense sadness and an endless feeling of emptiness. Owen strongly uses imagery and sound to convey his idea of war. Throughout the poem, he uses an extended metaphor to contrast a funeral at war to a traditional funeral at home. Owen opens the poem with images of death on a battlefield. He jolts the image of a slaughterhouse and the men “who die as cattle.” He displays the image of the way men are treated like “cattle,” being slaughtered. The vast number of soldiers dying emphasizes the absence of bells rung: “What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?” Instead of pleasant church bells, “the monstrous anger of the guns” and “the stuttering rifles” marks the deaths of the soldiers. Owen turns his poem into a mockery of a religious funeral service. He states the absence of a traditional funeral with prayers and bells for the dead soldiers. The prayers and bells are thought to glorify the deaths of the soldiers and that fighting is noble and purposeful. The “hasty orisons” are irreverence. Instead of sounds of a choir’s holy songs, Owen hears the sound of chaos and the explosions of bombs. He is drawn to another sound of mourning when the sounds of the bugles call to mind the remaining towns with half their men killed: No mockeries now for them; no prayers...
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