Chaos or Peace, Your Choice War never changes. It starts with a drop of blood and ends with a sea, but it isn’t the spilling of blood that stops the chaos. Peace is brought by the magnanimous who look past each other’s faults, not the cold-hearted and unsympathetic. The short stories “Lather and Nothing Else” and “Gregory” both explore the theme that it is better for opposing sides to show trust and empathy with each other rather than displaying ruthlessness and needless violence because mutual understanding PREVENTS FURTHER CONFLICT. Captain Torres trusts the barber not to slit his throat which then leads to them being empathic to one another and developing a relationship, similar to when Gregory trusts the guerrillas with his life which …show more content…
In “Gregory”, the guerrilla soldiers eat with Gregory and also listen and talk to him. Gregory even knocks a scorpion off a soldier’s leg, saving his life. The guerrilla soldiers can’t help but think, “‘Eh, well, these people have the same headaches in their country as we’ve got’ “(Ioannides, 2). This passage is significant because the soldiers empathize with Gregory, understanding his problems and they find common ground with each other. This common ground leads to mutual understanding, which leads to peace, the ultimate goal. Similarly in “Lather and Nothing Else”, Captain Torres trusts that the barber will not leave an oozing gash in his throat when he visits the barber for what seems like just a shave. While leaving the shop Torres says, “‘They kept saying you would kill me. I came to find out if it was true. But killing’s not easy. Believe me, I know’ “(Tellez, 4). This portion of dialogue is meaningful because IT SHOWS HOW MUCH TORRES TRUSTED HIM and the barber understands that Torres does not unnecessarily kill the rebels. The two empathize with each other, gaining mutual understanding, therefore DIFFUSING THE
These men are transformed into guilt-laden soldiers in less than a day, as they all grapple for a way to come to terms with the pain of losing a comrade. In an isolated situation, removed from the stressors, anxieties, and uncertainties of war, perhaps they may have come to a more rational conclusion as to who is deserving of blame. But tragically, they cannot come to forgive themselves for something for which they are not even guilty. As Norman Bowker so insightfully put it prior to his unfortunate demise, war is “Nobody’s fault, everybody’s” (197).
Many people lose things everyday, but the truth is you never know how much you need something until it’s gone. In the books “Going Over” by Beth Kephart and “brown girl dreaming” by Jacqueline Woodson the theme; you never know how much you need something until it’s gone is perfect for both books because of the tragic loss of Jackie’s grandfather and the separation of Ada and Stefan. This theme is supported by Jacqueline’s move to New York, Ada and her deep longing for Stefan since the wall separated them, and Jacqueline losing her grandfather.
Another unique aspect to this book is the constant change in point of view. This change in point of view emphasizes the disorder associated with war. At some points during the book, it is a first person point of view, and at other times it changes to an outside third person point of view. In the first chapter of the book, “The Things They Carried,” O’Brien writes, “The things they carried were largely determined by necessity (2).
In A Separate Peace, John Knowles demonstrates how the boys’ “separate peace” has underlying war imagery through their symbols and behavior. It’s obvious that the boys have the war on their minds because it appears in small,
The Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger once said “Perjor est bello timor ipse belli”, which translates to: “the dread of war is worse than war itself”. With this quote, Seneca identifies that war has both its physical and mental tolls on its participants. The psychological and emotional scars of war do much more damage to a solider than the actual physical battles. Tim O’ Brien repeats this idea many years later in his novel “The Things They Carried”, by describing how emotional burdens outweigh the physical loads that those in war must endure. What keeps them alive is the hope that they may one day return home to their loved ones. Yet, the weight of these intangible “items” such as “grief, terror, love, longing” overshadow the physical load they must endure since they are not easily cast away.
“It’s time to be blunt… I want you to feel what I felt” (O’Brien 171). There are two sides to every war and throughout the novel The Things They Carried, the author Tim O’Brien creates a war in the reader’s mind centered on trust. O’Brien forces the reader to realize the impact of a true war story where, instead of giving an accurate account, he blurs the lines about the importance of trust and gives an emotionally driven anecdote. The author establishes ethos in a unique way by impacting the credibility of a story rarely with facts and forcing the reader to focus on what is more important to him: evoking emotion. These emotions envelop the entirety of Tim O 'Brien 's short stories, showing his clear intentions to make the reader feel what
During times of war, man is exposed to the most gruesome aspects of life such as death, starvation, and imprisonment. In some cases, the aftermath is even more disastrous, causing posttraumatic stress disorder, constant guilt, as well as physical and mental scarring, but these struggles are not the only things that humans can take away from the experience. War can bring out the appreciation of the little things in life, such as the safety people take for granted, the beauty of nature, and the kindness of others. These universal consequences of fighting all contribute to what war is really capable of doing, sometimes bringing out the best and worst in people, and constantly shaping society. In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien goes through this himself when he writes about setting up base camp in the Vietnamese pagoda, the return to site of Kiowa’s death, the story about the old poppa-san guide, and Mitchell Sanders’ “moment of peace”. When O’Brien includes these stories, it is not to insert joy into a tragedy, but rather to create a more wholesome and authentic feel into a tough, realistic war story. O’Brien’s’ “sweet” stories are there to show the hope he had during war, and also serve as a universal example that even in the darkest tunnels, it is always possible to find rays of light.
War can be defined as conflict and battle. Wars are waged intentionally to destroy bonds between relationships, however, there are also wars that occur within oneself. These wars negatively affect the mentality of humans as it is able to manifest conflicts within the mind. Through the use of literary devices such as: tone, mood, imagery and pathos, writers Paul Boyer, Tim O’Brien, and Kenneth W. Bagby are able to convey the idea that war has a substantial impact on the self. In the texts written by these authors, the notion that war is affects the self the most is apparent.
After war Daru had requested to be transferred to a small town, where the silence of the town echoes in the schoolhouse; and it was hard on him. Now that he has company the same silence still muter the house. He thought about war and how he fought next to other men, whom he got to know and to love. The presence of the Arab imposes on Daru a feeling of brotherhood that he knew very well, and that he didn’t want to share. Men that fought together, or share rooms, or were prisoners or soldiers grow a peculiar alliance. However, Daru tries not to think about it, such feelings aren’t good for him. Daru wishes the Arab runs away because he feels as much of a prisoner as the
Dealing with enemies has been a problem since the beginning of time. “I never killed anybody,” Gene had commented later in his life, “And I never developed an intense level of hatred for the enemy. Because my war ended before I ever put on a uniform, I was on active duty all my time at Devon; I killed my enemy there.” In A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, the value of dealing with enemies is shown by Gene, who was dealing with few human enemies, but his emotions created far greater rivals than any human could ever posses.
The Poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” attempts to make war seem as repulsive as possible. The author’s goal is to discourage people from joining the war or any future conflicts by shattering the romantic image people have of the fighting. The setting of this poem helps
In Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis and in Ishmael Beah’s A Long Way Gone, both authors commentate on the romanticism of violence that is often associated with war. Because of this, the authors are able to dispel misconceptions surrounding war. Furthermore, the memoirs allow the authors reflect upon their own experiences of war during their childhoods, as well as examine how cultural shifts perpetuated by both war and the increased influence of western culture that took place within their cultures shaped who they became. Through their memoirs, the authors portray the reality of war and violence through cultural experiences.
It is evident that the occurrence of war throughout history has made a lasting impression on soldiers and civilians alike. This has been expressed over the years through different works of literature. The cost of war to the individual is illustrated in “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, and “The Shawl” by Cynthia Ozick because each story shows some element of mental, emotional, and physical toll.
First, murder as a means of revenge is unjustifiable in the short story "Just Lather, That's All" because the barber is too proud to kill. The barber loves his profession and admitted in the short story "I am a good barber, the best in the town, if I may say so." (Tellez, pg 2-3). This quote helps prove the thesis because the barber is proud to say that he is the best barber in town so he would not like to jeopardize is career to murder someone as a revenge. Secondly, the barber is too proud of his profession than to be a rebel, and has told the readers "Yes, I was secretly a rebel, but I was also a conscientious barber, and proud of the preciseness o...
Peace is the antonym to war, an oxymoron, two terms rarely used in conjunction with one another. Throughout John Knowles’s, A Separate Peace, peace and war cross paths in many occasions. During the primary years of World War II, the students at Devon School went through much pain and distress but also built stronger friendships and harmony during their high school career. And just as the world works through the kinks and unoiled gears of life, the students dealt with the agony. They might not have all made it out alive, but they all learned something from it and became stronger through the experience. Where peace and war collide are some of the most momentous events in their lives that they remember forever. The summer before Phineas breaks his leg is a significant time when the students at Devon first experience peace and war. Other times are during the Winter Carnival and the moments prior to Phineas’ death.