The Nature Of War In Carl Von Clausewitz's 'Back'

There have been sustained attempts to understand the nature of war. Carl von Clausewitz in his posthumously published book ‘’On War’’ (1832) concludes with the sentence- “War is thus an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will”. In basic terms reciprocity and use of force, according to him, are the central elements of any war. However, I strongly feel that every war is deep rooted into many layers of complexities rather than any two identifiable central elements. Whether one wages a war for instinctive rather than deliberative reasons (choice vs. survival) or as a means to an end, it involves a fight not just between armies, ammunitions, states or geographies but also between sentiments, emotions, lives and homes. Any war is never between two armies or states alone, it is the struggle of millions who may not be out there on the battlefield but are nevertheless

Poets have often addressed the theme of how soldiers at war long to come back home and return to a normal life in solitude away from the harshness and ruggedness of war. But, what happens once they are back? Are their days as solemn, nights as tranquil as before? Seldom are these questions answered. This poem is of a soldier who is bombarded (no pun intended) with questions about war on his return and the subsequent discomfort that he faces in realizing that his hands have the blood of many foreigners (War Poets). The war changes the identity of an individual, the way he sees himself and those around him. And this blood that every soldier bears is something that water might clear, but the conscience always bears. In order to survive, soldiers have to kill their enemies who in reality are no different than themselves. They are to kill out of force and not out of choice. Once a soldier is back, things are never the same again even if the people and surroundings