In Regeneration, by Pat Barker, one can discover how the protagonist as well as a psychiatrist of the novel, Rivers, uses the method, “talking cure” to treat the shell-shocked soldiers only so that they can return to the front. However, Rivers’ awareness of the treatment has an impact on him through the intimate relationship Rivers have with his typical patient, Sassoon. Through the novel, the awareness of the treatment affects Rivers’ belief on the war in which the perspective changes, is explained by Sassoon’s reasons in opposing to fight in the injustice war.
In the beginning of the novel, when Rivers is reading out Sassoon’s Declaration, he tells his colleague, Bryce, “…what our dear Director of Medical Services is going to say, when he finds out we’re sheltering “conchies” as well as cowards, shirkers, scrimshankers and degenerates?..” (4). Rivers is exemplifying Sassoon as a coward in the quote because Rivers doubts that Sassoon is shell-shocked and that Sassoon is only trying to escape from fighting in the front. However, when Rivers comes to a realization that Sassoon is not a “coward,” but instead, Sassoon almost gave up his life to bringing in the dead and the wounded back to the trenches, Rivers asks Sassoon whether it was a religious action to object in fighting by asking, “Would you describe yourself as a pacifist?” (13). Sassoon answers the question by saying that he is not opposing of the war with religious perspective but rather, by the brutality the war is impacting on the soldiers and the members of the home front and that he no longer hates the Germans, rather, a feeling of hatred for those at home who allow the war to proceed. When Sassoon asks Rivers if he thinks that he is mad, upon answering no, he says ...
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...of changing people, should himself have been changed and by somebody who was clearly unaware of having done it’ (249). This line clarifies that Sassoon’s heroic mind has influenced Rivers that, he, himself was changed by someone who he was to change, Sassoon.
Overall, the awareness of the “talking cure” had a critical turn point in Rivers’ belief of the war which explained by Sassoon’s moral reasons in opposing to fight. Rivers realized that it is not up to him whether or not to stop the war, but what it is important is, a person has to be willing to do something rather than to be forced. In the case of Sassoon, although he disguised the fact that he fought for a war that it not justified, he still wanted to go back so that he can be with his fellow soldiers, even if it meant death.
Works Cited
Barker, Pat, Regeneration. New York: Penguin Books,
1991. Print.
To him, there is more to our lives. “He is reacting to the river; in that reaction he discovers someone important to himself; and now he’s fashioning the structure of the piece so it is even clearer to himself and to his reader” (Cool Plums). He knows the mistakes that he has made, but does not regret any of the decisions he made.
On an ordinary day, Leslie opens the main door of her house, when she walked inside she saw her mom and sister Islla sitting on the coach. Islla was crying, and Leslie ask her “What happened?’ Why you crying?’”. Islla told her that she is pregnant and that she wants to keep the baby even if her boyfriend will be against the baby, but she will need to drop out from her University. In a few minutes of thinking, Leslie decided and told her sister “You don’t need to drop out I will help you to babysit with my nephew.”
What make a novel good? If a novel has important insights, it is worth reading. Therefore, the novel Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley is a good novel. Firstly, the novel talks about how loss is unavoidable in life. Secondly, it shares a variety of insights on hope. Lastly, the novel shares insights on the journey of life. The novel, Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley, shares important insights about loss, hope, and journey.
When soldiers think about commoners after a traumatic experience, they often get frustrated that no one will ever understand their plight. Siegfried Sassoon portrays this in “Suicide in the Trenches” by showing anger at the happiness of other people. Saying “You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye / Who cheer when soldier lads march by, / Sneak home and pray you’ll never know / The hell where youth and laughter go.” (Sassoon 9-12), he effectively pours his unsolvable frustrations onto other people although they are not to blame. The men he is describing are people not only who don’t care, but never had the opportunity to care because they never thought about putting themselves in the same position as these soldiers. Remarque portrays the same message, but in a different tone as he brings it to a sad end because he has no energy to fuel any more anger. He is trying to reason with himself, but then thinks aloud “And men will not understand us-for the generation that grew up before us, though it has passed these years with us already had a home…, and the war will be forgotten” (Remarque 294). The men who may be ‘remembered for their service’ will merely be remembered within their family as another human being, but not a person of strong willpower. Along with the soldier, the war itself will be forgotten
In Peter Singer’s work, “The Life You Can Save,” he presents the famous scenario of a child drowning in a shallow pond. This scenario presents readers with the question of whether they would save a child from a life or death situation at a certain cost. After encouraging his readers to develop an answer, he creates an analogy between the presented scenario and the act of donating to a life-saving charity. Singer argues that the two scenarios are ethically similar and that if you would save the child in the pond, then you should be donating to charity without question; however, his argument comes with some faults. The shallow pond case and the charity case are ethically dissimilar due to differences in costs, direct versus indirect contributions,
Barker first refers to hypnosis and its assistance in restoring memory on page 51, where hypnosis represents proof of Prior's desire to be healed. Prior is arguing that he does in fact want to get better, but he does not agree with Rivers' psychoanalytic treatment. He claims he does not remember the latter part of his service in France, and he wants Rivers to try hypnosis so that he can recall his repressed memories.
Robert Graves wrote Goodbye to All That, an autobiographical war memoir, staring with a brief introduction to his life, continuing to World War One, and finishing shortly thereafter. Graves voices numerous opinions on various subject matter continually throughout the memoir, however, for certain subjects he tends to contradict himself, between his musings, thoughts and actions. This essay will explore how Graves view on class and social status varied throughout his memoir, and how this pertained to his life.
War makes you a man; war makes you dead. The truths are contradictory” (O’Brien 181). The violence that the narrator witnesses and inflicts is part of the reason why his testimonies conflict with each other. Furthermore, these violent experiences shift the truth of these experiences from the actual events that occurred and the “real” truth that is warped by the violence and jumbled memories. Vethuizen explains, “Seeking the truth about violent conflict also requires sufficient time to allow for the discovery of accurate explanations in the space where it happened, to evaluate, analyze, and reflect on all the perspectives and to judge where power relationships and continued strategic contests distort perspectives” (Vethuizen 22). Even as Vethuizen suggests that evaluating the truths told in a story is adjusted because of the violence reflected through their experiences. Even the violence can cause a silence that has no words to describe their story. Sanders tells the narrator, “But the guys don’t say zip. They just look at him for a while, sort of funnylike, sort of amazed, and the whole war is right there in that stare. It says everything you can’t ever say…because certain stories you don’t ever tell” (O’Brien
Bracken, Patrick and Celia Petty (editors). Rethinking the Trauma of War. New York, NY: Save the Children Fund, Free Association Books, Ltd, 1998.
For many soldiers and volunteers, life on the fronts during the war means danger, and there are few if any distractions from its horrors. Each comradeship serves as a divergence from the daily atrocities and makes life tolerable. Yet, the same bonds that most World War literature romantically portrays can be equally negative. James Hanley’s “The German Prisoner”, shows the horrifying results of such alliances, while “Farewell to Arms” by Ernest Hemmingway reveal that occasionally, some individuals like Lieutenant Henri seek solidarity outside the combat zone. Smithy of “Not So Quiet” and Paul Baumer in “All Quiet on the Western Front” demonstrate the importance and advantages of comradeship while giving credence to the romance of these connections. Pat Barker’s “Regeneration” depicts Siegfried Sassoon, as an officer who places comradeship and honor above his own personal anti war convictions. Regardless of the consequences, each demonstrates not only the different results of comradeship but also its power and level of importance to each character in the abovementioned writings.
Paul and Hardy’s speaker were inclined to enlist in the war and both joined not realizing the hardships of the war. Paul had heard many motivational speeches from his schoolteacher, Kantorek, about patriotism, which influenced him to enroll in the war. Paul explains how hard Kantorek was pushing the boys into enlisting, "During drill-time Kantorek gave us long lectures until the whole of our class went under his shepherding, to the district commandant and volunteered," (Remarque 11). With the speeches that Kantorek gave, Paul and his friends felt a sense of patriotism and duty to enlist; he also realizes how vile the war is because of all the hardships faced. Hardy’s speaker abruptly decided to join the war because he didn’t have anything else better to do out of work, he says "He thought he'd 'list, perhaps, Off-hand like-just as I- Was out of work- had sold his traps - No other reason why,” (Hardy 13-16). Although Paul felt a sense of patriotism at the beginning, what he felt wasn’t national pride it was just Kantorek drilling into their minds that war is a noble thing to do, but Kantorek never expla...
Rivers in A Farewell to Arms represent rebirth. They symbolize a departure from a previous life and an entrance to a new one. The first evidence of this comes during the retreat of the Italian troops from their post. While walking with his fellow soldiers, Frederic is arrested and fears that he will be executed. "He jumps in the river with a splash" allowing it to float him along. It is like when Frederic jumps in the river, he is baptizing himself and cleansing his soul.
After watching 21 Bringing Down the House and comparing the movie to the novel by Ben Mezrich I noticed a number of distinct differences. The movies whole team is not portrayed accurately while in the book they are mostly asian students the movie consists of white students. The leader of the group Micky is played by Kevin Spacey and does not portray him similar to the book. In the movie he is more aggressive to the team and focused on money. In the book he is more kind and is focused on teaching the team. Rather than leaving Micky out of the team like the book they get into an argument and decide to cut him out. A few other parts of the movie are also greatly dramaticized such as the backroom investigations. While in the book they state that
War for the soldiers during the time of the book Suicide in the Trenches by Siegfried Sassoon is very harsh and most people do not enjoy it. He shows a very sad side to war which might not be the same for everyone. The book shows how war might seem much different for the people who do not actually have to participate in it, because of the many different things they are involved in that they were never informed about before they left.
Young recruits were first sent because the veterans knew they were going to come back dead. "When we run t again, although I am very excited, I suddenly think: "where's Himmelstoss?" Quickly I jump back into the dug-out and find him with a small scratch lying in a corner pretending to be wounded." (P 131) Even the big men like Himmelstoss are scared to go ght. "He is in a panic; he is new to it too. But it makes me mad that the young recruits should be out there and he here." (P 131) The soldiers were being crushed and seeing things get destroyed, but because they had detached themselves they thought t y were able to handle it. " We believe in such things no longer, we believe in war."(P.88) That was Paul's motto. Although, as time went on he began to realize something wasn't right. He tried to replace these feelings with pleasure, so he spent the ight at the French girls' house. After he just felt worse and unfulfilled. "...we are crude and sorrowful and superficial-- I believe we are lost."(P123) When Paul realizes that we are all brothers, true mental struggle is seen. " Comrade, I did not ant to kill you...Why do they never tell us you are poor devils like us... and that you have the same fear of death...If we could just throw away these riffles and this uniform you could be my brother..." ( P. 223-224). The apparent change in views on e war has become extremely apparent. *In a war there is obviously apparent physical scars. As seen throughout the entire book, the destruction of war is great, on not only lives and property, but also on the human spirit.