It seems that patriotism is one of the most common terms used during times of war. Governments often use propaganda about nationalism to advocate their political views of the hostilities. Sometimes they even force patriotism on their constituents with fear-mongering techniques, which can have dangerous implications. That’s not to say that patriotism is inherently bad—many wars have been won for just causes because of it. However, it is a mistake to only think of war at a national level. There are devastating effects on the soldiers, families, and victims of war hostilities. The stories read this week discuss the struggle between concern for macro-society (patriotism) and micro-society (family/personal interests) during war. While no narrative completely rejects the idea of macro-society, they clearly emphasize the greater importance of micro-society and the consequences of patriotism.
“Loyalties” is the first story which discusses the concept of macro and micro-society. It centers on a family living in an African village during the Nigerian civil war. The father and schoolmaster seem to be the most loyal characters from the beginning, as they are large supporters of the new Biafra. However, by the end of the tale they have switched their allegiances back to Nigeria. Their perspectives clearly reflect the bigger concept of the macro-society. There is an element of humor in the way they switch so drastically from one side to the next. The mother, on the other hand, represents concern for the micro-society, because she only cares about the tasks of everyday life. The tone of the story clearly favors the mother’s perspective. After all, she is the only character whose loyalties remain true throughout the entire story, and the author pokes fun at the politics of the men. Even the mother sees the humor in it all, telling her son, “Go and collect the goat…after all he is now a Biafran goat so we must take better care of it” (144). At the conclusion of this story it is apparent that the concept of macro-society during war has certain limitations and weaknesses, which can greatly impact the individuals and families involved.
Just as “Loyalties” discusses the flaws of patriotism, “Peace and War” explains the failings of micro-society. It depicts two men who go to war every day and treat it as business. They are casual about their job because the war is at a ...
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...e and honor when they are far from the field of battle, as this girl is. Yet when there are personal ties, it is much harder to accept the concept, just as Biyumi struggles with his sense of nationalism.
Although many of these stories have specific settings and historical significance, they also speak to today’s world. We have seen a great shift toward patriotism in the years following the attacks of September 11, 2001. It would be wrong not to respect the soldiers who have fought bravely for the United States since that time, just as it was wrong for the wife in “Peace and War” to underestimate the dangers around her. However, we must also honor the micro-society, both here and in other parts of the world. Will our actions as a nation lead our soldiers into traumatic situations like the soldier in “An Easy Death”? Or will we consider the families and communities involved, saving ourselves from micro-societal damage? I only hope that we can learn from stories such as these and not take our “blind” patriotism too far.
Works Cited
Global Cultures. A Transnational Short Fiction Reader, ed. by Elisabeth Young-Bruehl (University Press of New England, Hanover and London, 1994)
In the aftermath of a comparatively minor misfortune, all parties concerned seem to be eager to direct the blame to someone or something else. It seems so easy to pin down one specific mistake that caused everything else to go wrong in an everyday situation. However, war is a vastly different story. War is ambiguous, an enormous and intangible event, and it cannot simply be blamed for the resulting deaths for which it is indirectly responsible. Tim O’Brien’s story, “In the Field,” illustrates whom the soldiers turn to with the massive burden of responsibility for a tragedy. The horrible circumstances of war transform all involved and tinge them with an absurd feeling of personal responsibility as they struggle to cope.
Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ explores the relationship between creator and being in a very complex manner and allows the reader to delve deep into the psyche of the purpose of their individual journeys. Victor deals with the problems he encounters in his life by fleeing and seeking alternatives instead of confronting them. His avoidance creates further problems once the Creature he created begins to seek him out. The Creature on the other hand is left with nothing; he has to seek understanding and solace by himself. They each have a need to fulfill something inside of them that is constantly fleeting, an acceptance that cannot be found in others. They give themselves to their passions without much contemplation or thoughts of consequence.
War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, written by the talented author Chris Hedges, gives us provoking thoughts that are somewhat painful to read but at the same time are quite personal confessions. Chris Hedges, a talented journalist to say the least, brings nearly 15 years of being a foreign correspondent to this book and subjectively concludes how all of his world experiences tie together. Throughout his book, he unifies themes present in all wars he experienced first hand. The most important themes I was able to draw from this book were, war skews reality, dominates culture, seduces society with its heroic attributes, distorts memory, and supports a cause, and allures us by a constant battle between death and love.
Brown v. Board of Education was a significant case that began many debates and movements across the United States of America. The basis of the argument was that “separate but equal” schools for white and African-American children were unconstitutional. This case was first filed as a class action suit, which took it to court at a state level, but after the jurisdiction was seen as unfair, was then brought to the Supreme Court. This case was supposed to be the beginning of the end of national segregation of colored people. (USHistoryatlas.com, 2015) Brown v. Board of Education proved that even though most people thought that racism was a problem that had been solved, the root of segregation was much deeper
In 2004, a soldier by the name of Michael Monsoor graduated from BUD/S school (A Navy Seal training facility) effortlessly. Almost two years later, he was fighting on a roof in Ramadi, Iraq. While producing cover fire for his SEAL team mates, an enemy insurgent managed to toss a grenade through a window where the SEALs were positioned. The grenade struck Monsoor and rolled in front of him. Without even the slightest hesitation, he threw himself over the explosive and absorbed the blast. Thirty minutes later, Monsoor died because of the explosion. Doing what he did allowed the other SEALs in the room to live (Klaidman 3). Michael Monsoor is a prime example of what it means to be courageous and to have valor in its highest form. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States of America’s highest military honor. When hearing this story, it is safe to say that Americans have an extreme animosity towards the enemy insurgents. This illustration of patriotism is one of the reasons why Americans believe that they are endowed the right to discriminate or assimilate people who may be affiliated with these enemies. One way these emotions can be amplified is through the use of one of America’s favorite pastimes.
According to the previous reviews of Phil Klay’s book, countless human manifestations results from collisions with young and armed Americans with a foreign country, whereby a few of them understands. Reviews captures on the manner in which the war evoked as well as emotions, predicaments, and heartbreaks. The reader looks forward to understand the outcome of the war. However, what makes the reader apprehensive is that the stories resonate with themes, such as battle, images of outstanding battleground pain, as well as psychological trauma due to the nature of the war, nuances of human nature and the associated violence.
On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court face with the most difficult ruling in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. It unanimously held that the racial segregation of children in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and it over turns Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) decision of separate but equal because White public schools and Black public schools were not equal. The lawsuit was filed by a woman name Oliver Brown, who children was denied access to the Topeka’s White schools. She sued the school board because the city of Topeka violated the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause because the Topeka’s black and white schools were not equal to each other in terms of education
The Untied States Supreme Court finally ruled on May 17, 1954 on the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. The overturned provisions of the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision that allowed for “separate but equal” public locations even including public schools in the United States. The decision held that racial segregation of public places even schools was violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, that stated "no state shall make or enforce any law which shall ... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws" (McBride, 2006). Acknowledging that separate public school facilities are constitutionally unequal, in the argument in the case of Brown v. Board of Education helped break the segregation. With this ruling it help provide the American Civil Right Movement and essentially integration all across the United States. “A year later, the Court published implementation guidelines requiring federal district courts to supervise school desegregation ‘on a racially nondiscriminatory basis with all deliberate speed’” (History Staff,
Soldiers are following in the paths of their ancestors even in modern day war as they march into the lifestyle of insanity or death if they are one of the lucky few. In Erich Maria Remarque’s novel “All Quiet on the Western Front” and in multiple war time poems, the reality and horrors that many soldiers live on a regular day basis are developed through the paths that men go through in war year after year.
The monster and his creator, Victor Frankenstein, in Frankenstein are not characters to be confined into one trope and, by playing on the complexities of their nature and the readers’ impression of these characters, Shelley creates palpable tension and foreshadowing throughout the pages. Playing upon perceptions of what is right and wrong and the characters’ dynamics, the author has illustrated a key shift in the narrative.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a story of fear, love, betrayal, sacrifice, revenge and fate. It all begins with a curious man, Victor Frankenstein, a man that would seal his fate into the hands of his own creation. Who knew a little bit of lightning, a potpourri of spare body parts, and curiosity will create an obdurate creature fueled by revenge? The monster, a social reject, tried to assimilate into society but failed due to his outward appearance. His loneliness and search for acceptance turned him into the notorious creature that he is known for. Victor’s creation grew into a horrid being which terrorized the Frankenstein family and brought only misfortune and distress into his life. The creatures archetypal horror character is described
Frankenstein falls further and further down the path to insanity. He treats the creature he has made with contempt and does not even listen to its entreaties. His friends and family are killed off by the creature’s revenge, but still he blames the creature for its malicious intent rather than assuming responsibility. At last, in the confrontation between Dr. Frankenstein and his creature, the transformation is complete. The creature has matured above the normal human level, accepting his station in life and making small demands with enormous conciliations. Meanwhile, Dr. Frankenstein cannot abide to even look the creature in the eyes and continues to rage at it for the faults which he placed in the creature through his own negligence. Dr. Frankenstein becomes less than human by his desire for knowledge - it turns him into the
The knowledge that Victor Frankenstein had acquired after endless hours of study did not serve him well. He wished he had never created the monster, and he spent the rest of his life searching for what he had brought into his
History tells us that war is a horrifying experience which can have an irreparable impact on the individual, society and humanity in general. Through its descriptions of the main character’s thoughts, emotions and actions, Liam O’ Flaherty’s The Sniper suggests that war has a dehumanizing effect for all involved both directly and indirectly. The main character appears to a normal person, but the harsh realities of war turns him into a cold-blooded killer devoid of any feelings. Also, the cool and collected attitude he displays in face of injury or death shows us how war hardens the hearts of those who participates in it. Lastly, the sniper’s inner struggles with his beliefs and feelings tell us that soldiers are also innocent victims
All of these moments end negatively for the monster, with people screaming in fear of him or inflicting pain and suffering on him physically and emotionally. There is no physical transformation for the monster, but he transitions from the abnormal to the normal in the beginning. As in the monologue, he learns to speak and read, and also acquiring books, "consisting of Paradise Lost, a volume of Plutarch's Lives, and the Sorrows of Werter. (Shelley 151)" The monster believes that becoming more human-like might let people accept him and look past his gruesome appearance. However, when the monster discovers that it is because of his grotesque exterior which causes him to be rejected from society. He realizes that his good nature will only result in pain and misjudgement, thus turning to evil and vengeance. He is conflicted between revenge and compassion, as he wants to be kind, be accepted and to embrace the wonders of life. The monster eventually