Comparing Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, Edward Thomas’ And As the Team’s Head Brass, and the film Hedd Wyn
The wars of the Twentieth century have had a marked impact on the views and actions of societies all across the world. The impacts of World War I can be viewed vividly through the literature of the time period. In this period, each author had his or her own way of illustrating the effects of the war on their public. Three works dealing in particular with this representation are: “As the Team’s Head Brass” a poem by Edward Thomas, “Mrs. Dalloway” a novel by Virginia Woolf, and the film “Hedd Wyn.”
These three works illustrate a common ground in general, of their representation of war, but each offers a particular emphasis of the impact of WWI in Europe more vividly. In the common realm, each work illustrates that every member of society was affected by the war. Each of these works detail a society in which the general tone is a somber one, a tone plagued by worry over the loss of loved ones, and the inability to understand the meaning of the destruction of the war.
These three works illustrate the representation of war from three types of people. First, there are the people who had no direct contact with the war themselves, though perhaps a loved one or a friend of theirs may have died, they were not directly involved. The attitudes of those characters that were not directly involved in the war are distinctly different from those who have returned from participating in the war. Those not directly involved in WWI paint a much less terrorizing representation of the war than those who fought in it. In the last group are those who died fighting in the war. The impressions that war left on this group of people are illustrated through the letters and poems that they wrote during their time in the war. These last two groups represent war in a similarly dark fashion.
In Mrs. Dalloway, we are exposed to the general conscious of the London community through a variety of characters; most of them are members of the first group, those who were not directly involved in the war. Most of these characters are depicted as interested in getting on with their lives.
Between the years of 1914 to 1918, the whole of Europe was locked in arms, not only for pride but mostly for survival. The years of war brought devastation upon all societies. Men were massacred in droves, food stuff dwindled, and at times an end seemed non-existent. The foundation of the first Great War, one can muse, began as a nationalistic race between rival nations. By the onset of 1914, once the Archduke Frendinad had been assassinated in Saravejo, the march for war became not just a nationalistic opinion, but now a frenzy to fight. In battle, unlike previous wars, new weaponry caused drastic alterations in strategy. No longer will armies stand to face their rivals on the plains. Now the war will be fought in trenches, hidden underground from the new, highly accurate artillery. In many respects, World War I was a war of artillery, gas, and mechanization. Except as new weapons were becoming essential for battle, the leaders, on all sides, appeared too inept to fight this new style of warfare. Generals, or any leader for that matter higher in the chain of command, sent their troops in massive assaults. Regardless of their losses there were no deviations from the main ideology of sending massive waves of men and shells to take a position. On an individual level, the scene of repeated assaults and mayhem of the front line did little to foster hope for their superiors or even for the naiveté of their fellow countrymen who were not fighting. I submit that in times of sheer madness and destitution, as during World War I, men banded together to form make-shift families for support and companionship when all seemed lost; as exemplified in the novel All Quiet on the Western Front.
Tim O’Brien states in his novel The Things They Carried, “The truths are contradictory. It can be argued, for instance, that war is grotesque. But in truth war is also beauty. For all its horror, you can’t help but gape at the awful majesty of combat” (77). This profound statement captures not only his perspective of war from his experience in Vietnam but a collective truth about war across the ages. It is not called the art of combat without reason: this truth transcends time and can be found in the art produced and poetry written during the years of World War I. George Trakl creates beautiful images of the war in his poem “Grodek” but juxtaposes them with the harsh realities of war. Paul Nash, a World War I artist, invokes similar images in his paintings We are Making a New World and The Ypres Salient at Night. Guilaume Apollinaire’s writes about the beautiful atrocity that is war in his poem “Gala.”
In All Quiet on the Western Front, it becomes very apparent that some of the soldiers do not feel as if World War I was their fight, when comrades begin discussing the origin of war. One comrade, Albert states that a war is initiated by “one country badly offending the other” (204). This lead to a discussion over why the soldiers are fighting when truly it is one person or a small group of people that are directly offended by an opposing group in a similar position of power. Therefore, why must they discover the true horrors of war while simultaneously putting their lives on the line, when the ones who began the predicament, propelled false advertisement with propagandas that romanticized and glorified war don’t have to live as if the next second may be their
In any discussion of leadership, thoughts immediately begin to turn to examples of leadership gone wrong. These may include leaders who bully, threaten, or allow their mood to affect the environment of the agency (Reed, 2004, p. 67). The reason we focus upon these examples is the destructive impact they have upon the agency as a whole, as well as the individual officers unfortunate enough to serve under that type of leader. Leaders such as these foster an environment of backbiting and belittling as a method of control, resulting in an untenable environment for those officers who choose not to engage in such behavior and, as often as not, promotion of those that do. This kind of management gives way to:
Autobiographies, diaries, letters, official records, photographs and poems are examples of primary sources from World War One. The two primary sources analyzed in this essay are the poems, “Anthem for Doomed Youth” by Wilfred Owen and “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae. Primary sources are often personal, written from the limited perspective of a single individual. It is very difficult for the author to capture their own personal experience, while incorporating the involvement and effects of other events happening at the same time. Each piece of writing studied describes the author’s perception of the war. Both of the poems intend to show to grave reality of war, which often was not realized until the soldiers reach the frontlines. The poems were both written at battle within two years of each other. However, the stark difference between the two poems is astonishing. “Anthem for Doomed Youth” gives a much different impression than “In Flanders Field” despite the fact that both authors were in the same war and similar circumstances. The first two lines in “In Flanders Fields” “…the poppies blow, Between the crosses, row on row.” are an image o...
In the novel, Mrs. Clarissa Dalloway, a royal wife, shares almost similar views of the world with Septimus Warren Smith, a former soldier who fought in the World War I and now suffering from hallucination. These two characters share many things in common albeit the fact that they are not known to each other and they have not shared anything in their lifetimes. The novel is an in-depth “day-in-the-life” view of Mrs. Dalloway featuring what she thinks about her life, other people’s lives, her real feelings and the feelings of other people. She is told the story of a former World War I soldier and she takes her time to reflect in the man’s life and experiences. His life appears more like hers not in how they both live but their feelings, which is why I hold the view tha...
World War One was a massive event. It affected millions of people from all walks of life, and inspired countless written pieces. Nevertheless, without being there, it is impossible to truly be able to tell what the war is like. Therefore the use of setting is very important in giving the reader an idea of the circumstance. This is not to say that everyone is in agreement over how the war should be displayed. Quite one the contrary, the two Poems “In Flanders Fields” and “Dulce et Decorum Est” use their settings to create two very contrasting images of human conflict.
However, in this type of parenting style, authoritative parents are more responsive to their child, more willing to listen to questions and more forgiving rather than punishing when their child fail to meet expectations. These parents are more supportive, rather than punitive, also, they focus on making their child confident and socially responsible.(Baumrind, 1966). In authoritarian parenting style, children are expected to follow the strict rules and regulation established by the parents. The parents are too demanding and directive but not really responsive towards their children. They are also status-orientated and children are expected to obey their rules without any explanations (Baumrind, 1991). Then, there is the permissive parenting style in which the parents rarely discipline their child because they have low expectations of maturity and self-regulation. Permissive parent is more responsive, non-traditional and lenient towards their child. They are nurturing and very open with their child (Baumrind, 1991). Lastly, neglectful parenting style is those parents who have both low demandingness and responsiveness towards their children. These parents are generally detached from their child’s life and in some cases; they may even reject or neglect their child’s needs (Maccoby & Martin,
In Mrs. Dalloway, Clarissa Dalloway undergoes an internal struggle between her love for society and life and a combined affinity for and fear of death. Her practical marriage to Richard serves its purpose of providing her with an involved social life of gatherings and parties that others may find frivolous but Clarissa sees as “an offering” to the life she loves so well. Throughout the novel she grapples with the prospect of growing old and approaching death, which after the joys of her life seems “unbelievable… that it must end; and no one in the whole world would know how she had loved it all; how, every instant…” At the same time, she is drawn to the very idea of dying, a theme which is most obviously exposed through her reaction to the news of Septimus Smith’s suicide. However, this crucial scene r...
World War One or “The War To End All Wars” was one of the most devastating events in the history of humankind. When looking back at such a gruesome war it is understandable that we might dwell on the key battles and tactics, which are often summarized by statistics on death tolls. However, we often forget that statistics create an illusion that warps our perception of death. As Stalin put it “One death is a tragedy, a million deaths is just a statistic”. In the novel “The Wars” by Timothy Findley, the author draws away from traditional war stories by showing a true appreciation for life that truly touches the reader on a human and emotional level. Timothy Findley narrows in something anyone can relate to: a loving mother worried about her son risking his life in a war. This mother in the “The Wars” is Mrs. Ross, who represents the home front while her son, Robert Ross, fights for the British in World War One. As the book progresses and Robert gets further into the death trap known as the “Great War”, Mrs. Ross becomes increasingly obsessive and connected to her son as his fate becomes more clear.
In “The Son of Man,” Natalia Ginzburg asserts that while the war did irreparable psychological damage to its survivors, it also gave the young generation enough strength to confront the stark reality of the precarious nature of human existence. Passionately but concisely, through the use of repetitive imagery, fatalistic tone and lack of classic organization, Ginzburg shows how the war changed the world around Man and how Man changed his perception of the world.
During Diana Baumrind’s research as a developmental psychologist, she concluded that parents fall under three different styles of parenting: Authoritarian, Permissive, and Authoritative. Baumrind’s styles were based on how one disciplines and nurtures their child (Cherry, n.d., p. 1). Authoritarian parents make discipline the highest priority when raising their children. They do not see any grey area about discipline (Belsky, 2013, p. 205). Rules, and enforcement of rules, are never left up to discussion. Whatever the parent says must go and the child is expected to fully comply. The standards they have set must be lived up to without any exceptions (Cherry, n.d., p. 1). Because the parents are not focused on the child’s emotional needs the parents are often viewed as not very warm and loving (Belsky, 2013, p.205). Permissive parenting is the antithesis of Authoritarian parents. Belsky (2013) stated that permissive parents do not lay down strict rules or discipline. There are not high expectations of how a child should behave or perform. The parents focus is not on rules or reprimanding, but on the child’s own wants and happiness. The parents’ main focus is on nurturing the child’s emotional needs (p.205). In the Authoritative parenting style there are definitely rules and ideas of how the child should behave, but the parents take a more diplomatic approach to parenting. Nothing is ever set in stone and parents negotiate freely with their children about the rules and repercussions. Unlike the Authoritarian style of parenting, these parents have a balance of “both nurturing” and discipline. Parents still have expectations about their children, but understand that they ...
...needs of their followers. Communication is also a key factor that influences effective leadership. Effective leaders are able to pass out message to their followers and get appropriate feedback in return. Leadership is not determined by the authority of a position or position but by the results. Ability to positively influence the behavior of others toward attaining a specified goal is what makes for effective leadership. Situational leadership is the best approach that could make leaders effective. Leaders need to be flexible and open minded to be able to utilize the different styles of leadership in different situations. Flexibility is a major quality of effective leaders who wish to get things done and in the right manner.
Memory of Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway. Clarissa Dalloway and Peter Walsh are defined by their memories. Virginia Woolf creates their characters through the memories they share, and indeed fabricates their very identities from these mutual experiences. Mrs. Dalloway creates a unique tapestry of time and memory, interweaving past and present, memory and dreams. The past is the key to the future, and indeed for these two characters the past creates the future, shaping them into the people they are on the June day described by Woolf.
Clarissa's relationships with other females in Mrs. Dalloway offer great insight into her personality. Additionally, Woolf's decision to focus at length on Sally Seton, Millicent Bruton, Ellie Henderson, and Doris Kilman allows the reader to see how women relate to one another in extremely different ways: sometimes drawing upon one another for things they cannot get from men; other times, turning on one another out of jealousy and insecurity. Although Mrs. Dalloway is far from the most healthy or positive literary portrayal of women, Woolf presents an excellent exploration of female relationships.