Svetlana Palmer & Sarah Wallis A War in Words, the First World War in diaries and letters Chose a novel, play or an extended piece of non-fiction writing about the First World War. Write a personal response to this text. You should consider how, in both treatment of subject matter and style, the writer presents the experience of war. Choice of extended piece: Svetlana Palmer & Sarah Wallis ‘A War in Words, the First World War in diaries and letters’. Published in 2003. When reading Svetlana Palmer and Sarah Wallis’ ‘A War in Words’ I was initially overwhelmed at how the First World War and the experiences from 1914-1918 are portrayed throughout the book. From the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on 28th June 1914 to children of 10 and 12 years old whose lives are threatened by the rampage of war, the book gives a moving interpretation of life in war; not only of the soldiers fighting for their country, but their families, their friends and their children. Telling the story of World War One from the ‘first shots’ in Sarajevo to the victory and defeat in 1918, ‘A War in Words’ uses diaries and letters to present a primary account of what happened during the war. Palmer and Wallis follow a number of soldiers-British, French, German and Russian-and children during the Great War through their many diary entries and letters home. Through the 15 chapters of the book we see many soldiers including Paul Taffrau; a 27-year old French patriot from a rich family, a teacher sent to fight in Alsace-Lorraine in the ‘first wave of mobilisation’. Taffrau accounts the Battle of the Marne on 6th September 1914 as German shells ‘rain’ down. He shows the terror of soldiers who are ‘hiding in the beetroot’ claiming to be woun... ... middle of paper ... ... used primary sources from all aspects of World War One-not just trench warfare on the Western Front-to portray every characteristic of the Great War, through an unbiased opinion. By using letters from Russian, German, British and French men, women and children, the writers present a very fair view and understandable acceptance of World War One from every angle. In a modern society such as ours, we are very much taught what the Government wishes us to be taught and in response to this text, Palmer and Wallis create an unbiased outlook of World War One showing every angle possible. Not at any one point do they blame any country or dictator for the Great War because throughout the numerous letters, diaries and lives of soldiers, their story is told for them. The book is very deep, very moving and an extremely detailed and accurate interpretation of the First World War.
Each year as I grow old, I tend to discover and learn new things about myself as a person as well as a reader, writer and a student as a whole. My educational journey so far has been pretty interesting and full of surprises. Back in Bangladesh where I studied until high school, my interest for learning, reading or writing was so very different compared to how it has become over the years. I could relate those learning days to Richard Rodriquez’s essay “The lonely Good Company of Books”. In the essay the author says, “Friends? Reading was, at best, only a chore.”(Rodriguez, page 294). During those days I sure did feel like reading was a chore for me and how I was unable to focus and I could never understand what all those jumbled up words ever meant. It was quite a struggle for me in class when the teachers used to assign us reading homework. I felt like reading a book was more difficult or painful than trying to move a mountain. Just like how moving a mountain is impossible, trying to find an interest in reading was
are not free in service, you do what you are told and this is the same
Richard Wright, in his essay “Discovering Books,” explains how reading books changed his outlook on life and eventually his life itself. The first book that widened his horizons was an overtly controversial book by H. L. Mencken. I have a story not so dissimilar from his.
The first and second World Wars are often group with each other, because on the surface they seem very similar. The wars contained the same countries and almost the same alliances thought both of the wars. Really, the two wars are vastly different in some ways such as technology readily available during the wars and the strategies used to utilize them. These wars were very similar in some ways such as the millions who died as the result of them and the total war system that all citizens should help in the war effort. Knowing the differences and similarities between the two can allow you better understand the history surrounding the wars and allow you to avert another disastrous.
In the late 20s, life was good down here in the south. The grass was long, tall, and healthy, the wind would graze over the grass like a nice comb over haircut. The crops were plentiful and could be seen for miles. Life was good, we had everything we had ever needed down here on the farm. In the summer, we would have hay bale making contests on our farm. We had a farm of about 27 acres, we grew primarily soybeans and wheat. However, life would change for the worst come the 30s.
My dad taught me that books could be my teachers, my mom taught me that our backyard could be my classroom, and my sister showed me that you could bring books into the swimming pool. I did not know it when I would spend hours in the pool reading a book that my parents weren’t encouraging it in vain, but my family life, for good reason, was centered on books. We were the planets orbiting around one sun that was the bookshelf. Little did I know that books would be the catalyst to academic success in my early life, and I owe it all to my family. Although a life with a book in your nose might seem boring, I was never bored. Living through the characters vicariously, I explored Narnia with Lucy, attended Hogwarts with Harry, and rode dragons with Eragon. Of course
World War 1 had a massive effect on women in society. Their lives drastically changed in a short amount of time. In fact with this change came plenty of responsibility, and a great deal of both physically and psychologically demanding work. This responsibility is what made women more confident and self-satisfied, which later on led them to fight harder for their rights.
World War 1...what is it? Normally when you think about it you must be wondering how on earth am I still alive! World War 1 was also known as The Great War that took place from 1914-1918 within most parts of Europe. Within this informative essay I will be talking about the features, the results, the end, and how World War 1 changed the lives of the Europeans.
In a world dominated by technology, reading novels has become dull. Instead of immersing into books, we choose to listen to Justin Bieber’s new songs and to scroll through Instagram posts. We have come to completely neglect the simple pleasures of flipping through pages and getting to finally finish a story. Sherman Alexie and Stephan King’s essays attempt to revive this interest in books that has long been lost. They remind us of the important role that reading plays in our daily lives. “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me,” for instance, demonstrates how being literate saved the narrator from the oppressive nature of society. The author explains that even though he was capable of reading complex books at an astonishingly young
Ever since I was a child, I've never liked reading. Every time I was told to read, I would just sleep or do something else instead. In "A Love Affair with Books" by Bernadete Piassa tells a story about her passion for reading books. Piassa demonstrates how reading books has influenced her life. Reading her story has given me a different perspective on books. It has showed me that not only are they words written on paper, they are also feelings and expressions.
Before reading Harry Potter, I very rarely read for pleasure. I found reading boring, almost old fashioned. My frame of mind more readily paralleled Danny Divito in the movie Matlida, who says that “[t]here's nothing you can get from a book that you can't get from a television faster.” While my view of reading as a child could be summed up in that quote, everything changed when I was introduced to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I can remember to this day when my Dad began reading Harry Potter to me, and how I did not understand just how much this book would change me. Harry Potter and his world of wizardry became my own personal Shangri-La, my escape, my own world. Anytime I wanted, I could ascend to a world of fantasy and explore the depths of my own imagination in a way that I had never been capable of doing before. I became obsessed with the book, reading it before, during, and after sc...
Literature has been part of society since pen met paper. It has recorded history, retold fables, and entertained adults for centuries. Literature intended for children, however, is a recent development. Though children’s literature is young, the texts can be separated into two categories by age. The exact splitting point is debatable, but as technology revolutionized in the mid-twentieth century is the dividing point between classic and contemporary. Today’s children’s literature is extraordinarily different from the classics that it evolved from, but yet as classic was transformed into modern, the literature kept many common features.
Literature has had a major impact on society, and, also our history. Literature has reformed and shaped civilizations, changed political systems, and has exposed injustices (3). Our literature has changed and developed as we have, keeping up with our society. “...literature is crucial for the advancement of society (3).” With literary works, we can convince others to view things a certain way, share our opinions, and more. Literature is greatly intertwined with our society and everyday lives, and they would not be the same without it. Literature plays an irreplaceable role in our
Literature has an enormous impact on a child’s development during the early years of his or her life. It is important for parents and teachers to instill a love of reading in children while they are still young and impressionable. They are very naive and trusting because they are just beginning to develop their own thoughts, so they will believe anything they read (Lesnik, 1998). This is why it is so important to give them literature that will have a positive impact. Literature can make children more loving, intelligent and open minded because reading books gives them a much wider perspective on the world. Through reading, children’s behavior can be changed, modified or extended, which is why books are so influential in children’s lives while they are young (Hunt, 1998). Literature has the power to affect many aspects of a child’s life and shapes their future adult life.
The main form of literature, the book, has had a great impact upon the formation of our society today. Before the 1940’s TV had not come into being yet and there was not much else to do other than read books. Thus books formed my grandparents and to some extent my parents and, although I grew up in the generation of TV, books as literature have indirectly formed me as well.