How war dehumanizes people Essay Example for Free

How war dehumanizes people Essay During the war people were deprived of their everyday necessities and also their living conditions, They never got the luxury of sleeping in big warm clean beds or even clean clothes therefore changing the way they act and the way look at things such as murder. During the war you go through the trenches and fields watching people die, and even killing people themselves. Everyday people would not be able to just sit there and watch someone as they slowly die. The narrator of this novel, Charles Yale Harrison was enlisted in the war. Charles explained everything that went on during is outings, some of which were pretty harsh and intense I could only imagine some of the things that he probably was not allowed saying. Charles had a few main buddies whom stuck by his side and fought with him. In this novel he tells us the things he saw some of the things he explained were pretty gory, for example he watched people as their flesh tore off and blood gushed everywhere. War definitely dehumanizes people for the most part. Soldiers don’t have as much sympathy for the people who are dying it’s almost as if they really don’t care but being that must be kind of necessary for a soldier because you can’t really sit there and cry over a friend who is dying while your enemies were slowly creeping up on your base. During war you do things you never thought you could ever do in your lifetime such as stabbing someone in the stomach or shooting a man in the face. â€Å"I lunge forward aiming at his stomach. It is a lightning instinctive moment. The thrust jerks my body; something heavy collides with the point of my weapon.† Charles says. I doubt Charles would have ever been able to do this without spending months in war, with the same platoon and even watching them all slowly die.

Critical Evaluation of Stone Cold by Robert Swindells Essay -- English

Critical Evaluation of Stone Cold by Robert Swindells A novel that I have read recently is "Stone Cold" by Robert Swindells. In this novel there are two main characters called Link and Shelter. These characters have very different personalities. I intend to consider the ways in which the author has created these two very different personalities and will explain my reaction to each of them. This novel tells both sides of one story, Links side and Shelters side. Link is a 16year old boy that left home because of family troubles and Shelter is a 47year old man who was discharged from the army on medical grounds and doesn't agree with this. He thinks it is his duty to get rid of the homeless. Link moved to London to get away from it all (his family) and became homeless. Shelter doesn't like the homeless, he just thinks they are a "waste-of-space" Shelter begins to bribe them into going back to his flat where he intends to kill them! Shelter kills many of Links friends and Link begins to wonder why they are all going missing. He does some detective work and then the truth is finally revealed. In this novel Link is one of the main characters. During this novel we are made to sympathise with Link. One of the ways in which we are made to sympathise with him was when his stepfather Vince treated him unfairly "slapping him about". This did not happen on only one occasion in fact it happened everyday: "I'd been with my mates, he locked me out the house". Even although this was not Vince's house he still thought he had the authority over Link and his mother to do this. This also showed how much Vince disliked Link. Another way in which we are made to feel sorry for Link was when link was homeless and could... ...lpless person didn't have a clue what they were getting themselves into. Link and Shelter are the complete opposite of each other. Link is a very caring character that hasn't really achieved anything in life, whereas Shelter is a cruel, heartless person who has experienced military work in life. In conclusion I think Shelter is a horrible man. I feel sorry for Shelter because I think he feels he didn't achieve in life because he was dismissed from the army and he is coming back by killing the homeless. On the other-hand I think Link is a very kind and lonely person. No matter how poor he was he always helped his friends. I also feel sorry for Link, his family disowned him and he has no real friends. I thought this novel was a great read. It made me realise how hard and dangerous it is for the homeless to survive and also what a lonely life they lead.

Poetry Analysis: “Batter My Heart, Three-Personed God, For You” Essay

John Donne’s â€Å"Batter My Heart, Three-Personed God, For You† is an Italian sonnet written in iambic pentameter. The poem is about a man who is desperately pleading with his God to change him. He feels imprisoned by his own sinful nature and describes himself as betrothed to the â€Å"Enemy† of God, namely Satan. The speaker has a truly passionate longing to be absolutely faithful to his God, but at the same time is rendered hopeless by the reality that he cannot possibly achieve this on his own. In fact, he would have to be captured and completely made anew to ever find such faith. The entire poem is driven by this desperate longing for renewal. The speaker seems to start with a request that illustrates his despondency simply because of its harshness. (He requests to have his heart battered.-ln 1) As he continues in prayer, the character becomes more distraught. He explains his feelings of total helplessness in the simile found in line five, where he compares himself to an usurped town. By line eleven he has professed his deep-rooted love for his God and his awareness that he will never be faithful to this love unless he is torn and broken and then made new. In each breath released or word murmured by this character, the reader is perfectly aware that he is at the last of any strength he may have previously had. The speaker is quite aware that he is powerless on his own. He holds nothing back in this cry to his God for help, but instead is completely humbled by his sin. The words are full of a desperate longing to finally have a true, purely faithful love for his God. This desperation drives the entire poem from the very first word to the last. The primary technical device in this poem is the use of contradicting ideas, or paradoxes. The speaker consistently asks his God to grant him a request that can be gained only by going in what seems to be the opposite direction. He requests to be overthrown so that he may rise and stand (ln 3), and even more vividly to be ravished only so he can become chaste (ln 14). In nearly every sentence Donne writes, there is an example of such a paradox. The repetition of these opposing concepts makes the tone of desperation in the  speaker’s words easily detectable. A man has to be at his absolute end to ask that his God do more than simply seek to mend his wounds. The speaker declares in lines one and two that he would rather be battered. The fact that the voice of the speaker seems to be crying out these requests with no restraint proves that he is completely consumed by this need for the resulting faithfulness that is ensured. The words of the poem are harsh and severe. Their hard sound allows the reader to truly understand how weak and wounded the speaker feels. An imagery that touches the reader’s sense of feeling, both physically and emotionally, is illustrated predominantly throughout the verse. The words paint perfectly the horrible images of being imprisoned, broken, or ravished. The reader feels the pain that would be brought if these things actually occurred. At the same time the harsh words and images cause the reader to also identify with the emotional state the speaker has to be in to make such requests. Donne also uses other poetic devices that cause the reader to feel the words instead of simply reading them. For example, the alliteration in line four (break, blow, burn) brings with it the feeling of being knocked down or overthrown simply by its beating rhythm. The structure of the poem’s sentences also seems to stress the speaker’s current state more than the help that would be brought by his God intervening. Donne does this by placing these improved results in the middle of the sentences as subordinate clauses, causing the reader to give less emphasis to the possibilities for healing and focus more on the speaker’s current state of hopelessness. Donne’s poem is overall captivating, real, and moving. It stirs emotion inside of the readers and holds their attention with the harsh reality that this poem is the description of nearly all people who have faith. Though the phrase â€Å"three-personed God† is an allusion to the Christian triumvirate, anyone who is deep-rooted in their religion can relate to this desperate longing to be faithful to their God in a real and passionate way. Though hard to believe, most of those people probably feel that this poem was based on a passionate prayer from their very own heart.

The War of 1812 and Canadian History - 994 Words

The War of 1812 was an influential event, which marks its place in Canadian history. The heroic efforts of Canadians helped to define who they are, determine what side of the border they live on, and the flag they salute today. Therefore, The War of 1812 is the most significant historical event that lay down the foundation for a nation. It united segregated colonies, secured borders with a strong militia, and achieved the fundamental objective of defense. Firstly, many groups of colonies worked in isolation because of different incentives. However during the War of 1812, the small communities from different locations of British North America united, securing relations. Prior to the war, many settlers in Upper Canada did not feel loyal to Great Britain. Some were United Empire Loyalists, who had arrived from the North after the American Revolution and believed that they would support and fight alongside with the Americans instead of British North America. Others were American and had felt no connection towards the Crown. But when the declaration for the war was given, both Upper and Lower Canada united and came together collectively to fight against a common enemy, for the sake of their land. The Montreal Gazette editor reports on the entire population of the city coming together to defend its frontier: â€Å"All classes of individuals †¦ have flown to the standard, with the determination of supporting their national character, and defending their country from the unhallowedShow MoreRelatedWar of 18121643 Words   |  7 PagesThe War of 1812 was a war between Britain and the United States fought primarily in Upper Canada. It had many causes, few which involved British North America. The results of the war include the fact that there was no clear winner or loser among them. The only real losers in the situation were the Natives in the region. They were driven out of their lands and customs. None of the borders was changed by the war, though many attempts were made. The Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war, did nothingRead More War of 1812 Essay1612 Words   |  7 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The War of 1812 was a war between Britain and the United States fought primarily in Upper Canada. It had many causes, few which involved British North America. The results of the war include the fact that there was no clear winner or loser among them. The only real losers in the situation were the Natives in the region. They were driven out of their lands and customs. None of the borders was changed by the war, though many attempts were made. The Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war, did nothingRead MoreAbout the Key Players in Dennis Carter-Edwards’ article The War of 1812 Along the Detroit Frontier: A Canadian Perspective741 Words   |  3 PagesCarter-Edwards’ article The War of 1812 Along the Detroit Frontier: A Canadian Perspective covers the theme of local history during the 19th century in Detroit. In particular, Carter-Edwards explores the Canadian perspective of the war of 1812 in the Windsor-Detroit region. The author examines three big categories; the measures that the British took to defended the area, the factors that influenced British decisions, and the power players that played a role on the outcome of the war. The article is an in-depthRead MoreThe History of Canada1059 Words   |  4 PagesThe History of Canada Canada is a nation located in the upper region of the North American continent. The land of Canada had a history dating back to before the founding of said country as an independent sovereign nation. 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