Flags vs. Western
Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley and All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque are two books that provide insight into the experiences of soldiers during the First and Second World War. Both books offer a unique perspective on the war and the men who fought in it. In this essay, I will compare at least four men from each book and provide insight into what brought them into the war, how the war changed them, and the effects of the war on them. Flags of Our Fathers is a non-fiction book written by James Bradley that tells the story of the six men who raised the American flag on Iwo Jima during World War II. One of the men depicted in this book is John Bradley,
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Paul Baumer is a young German soldier who enlisted in the war with idealistic views of heroism and patriotism. He saw the war as a way to prove his worth and defend his country. However, like John Bradley, the war changed him in ways he never anticipated. The war forced Paul to confront the harsh reality of violence and death. He saw his friends and fellow soldiers die before his eyes and realized that war was not a heroic endeavor but a gruesome and senseless one. He also experienced the effects of shell shock and became disillusioned with the war effort. Paul's experiences in the war left him scarred and …show more content…
Harlon Block was a Texan who volunteered to join the Marine Corps. He was a dedicated soldier who was determined to do his duty and defend his country. He was one of the six men who raised the American flag on Iwo Jima and was hailed as a hero. However, like the other soldiers in the book, Harlon was deeply affected by the war. He witnessed his friends and fellow soldiers die on the battlefield and struggled with survivor's guilt. His experiences haunted him for the rest of his life, and he never fully recovered from the trauma of the war. The experiences of Harlon Block are similar to those of Muller, a soldier in All Quiet on the Western Front. Muller is a soldier who is obsessed with death and is constantly seeking new ways to protect himself on the battlefield. He sees the war as a pointless endeavor and recognizes the futility of the conflict. However, despite his disillusionment with the war, Muller remains committed to his duty as a soldier. He recognizes that he cannot abandon his comrades and fights on until the bitter end. His experiences on the front lines of the war leave him scarred and traumatized, but he remains committed to the ideals of duty and
James Bradley was born in Wisconsin. Bradley was one of the six men photographed raising the American flag on the island of Iwo Jima. When his father died, he found a letter wrote to his family and to the next generations about Iowa Jima which he was there. According to his father letter, he explained how it’s very beautiful moment when the six of them raised the flag. James said “Reading my father’s letter made the flag raising photo somehow come alive in my imagination”.
Paul and Albert were guarding an abandoned village when they got struck with bombs and got injured. They were taken to a catholic hospital where paul is noticing all the people who were hurt and dying in this hospital. “I am young, i am twenty years old: yet i know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow” ( Remarque, ch10, pg 146). Paul has lost his sense of identity due to war because he is a young man who hasn't experienced life outside of war. He can’t live a normal life because of war and he can't experience what life is outside of war.
Flags of Our Fathers, written by James Bradley along with Ron Powers, are one of the unforgettable chronicles of perhaps the most famous moment in American military history. The author has managed to capture the glory, the triumph, the heartbreak, and the legacy of the six men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima. In order to summarize the book, Flags of Our Fathers it is important to keep in mind about the contributions author has made, the purpose as defined by the author, and also the central theme along which the entire book is structured upon. To begin with, the author James Bradley was born in Wisconsin surrounded by a loving family of many people. Bradley had always been inclined towards reading and writing from a very tender age about
The war has dehumanized Paul to the point that he didn’t think twice about killing the soldier, until the soldier was dead. Soldiers in the war fight for their own survival rather than for the glory of their nation- they kill or will be killed. On the front lines, Paul learns to disconnect his mind from his feelings, suppressing his emotions in order to stay sane and survive. Because of this, Paul cannot express his feelings sufficiently and doesn’t feel comfortable at home with his family because they don’t understand what he has gone through in the war. Paul can’t voice his opinions about the war or talk about his experiences; the war has changed him.
As a soldier in combat he kept his country in mind instead of his family or himself. He becomes a hardcore die hard patriotic person that will go to any extent to save his unit of brothers. He understands that part of his job includes him having to put his life on the line. This shows courage and his true colors. He said in the book “i would lay dead for this nation”.
When the men were recruited they had a new found passion for life that was quickly ruined. This serious self-destruction that was forced upon them left a long lasting impact afterwards. The soldiers had an illusion of the joys of war that was immediately shattered. The war caused Paul and his friends' view on life to be completely ruined.
He becomes unaware to violence and death, a common occurrence for soldiers during war. Paul's experiences on the front line, such as watching his friend die slowly and painfully, also contribute to his mental breakdown. Paul becomes very upset with the war, knowing that the leaders who started the war didn't experience the same suffering as soldiers on the front line. He feels betrayed, as he realizes that normal people do not understand the reality and weight of war. "We are forlorn like children, and experienced like old men, we are crude and sorrowful and superficial—I believe we are lost.
Erich Remarque, author of the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, presents a true story of a soldier throughout World War I. At the young age of 19, Paul Bäumer voluntarily enters the draft to fight for his home country, Germany. Throughout the war, Paul disconnects his mind from his feelings, keeping his emotions away from the bitter reality he is experiencing. This helps him survive mentally throughout the course of the war. The death of Paul 's friend Kemmerich forces him to cover his grief, “My limbs move supplely, I feel my joints strong, I breathe the air deeply. The night lives, I live.”
His youth is marked by the cruelty he witnesses during World War I and the atrocities he confronts as a soldier. Despite these traumatic experiences, Paul maintains his inner strength and empathy for his comrades, creating enduring relationships with them throughout the movie. Paul, a relatable and likable character, faces an internal battle against the dehumanizing effects of war and a search for purpose in a pointless struggle. This character arc presents an emotional tale that is a strong reminder of the terrible toll war takes on youth. Overall, Paul is a well written character that adds depth and emotion to the movie.
While his fellow soldiers are celebrating the news of marching to war, he is overcome with worry and doubt over his ability to remain steadfast in the face of the Confederate army. He ends up falling victim to his fear and retreating from the battle against orders. After a time, he finds out that his regiment won the battle that he ran from. He decides to return, but remains guilty and fears the mockery and disrespect that he will receive from his comrades. During his journey back to the camp, he encounters a line of soldiers returning home.
The war has numerous positive effects on Paul. War makes a soldier more confident and experienced. Paul’s soft and quiet personality is contrasted by his strong and rough behaviour which he was forced to adapt into the war surroundings. “The shelling can be heard distinctly… They are beginning an hour too soon. According to us they start punctually at ten o’clock” (Remarque, 53).
I was a soldier, and now I am nothing but an agony for myself, for my mother, for everything that is so comfortless and without end. I ought never to have come on leave. " Paul cannot connect with his mother, father, or any of his personal possessions because he realizes that he is not the same person. He has to live in fear of the dangers of war, not of the superficial worries of his past. He has formed a new family, and eventually as all his friends die, he becomes satisfied with his own impending death because he knows that although his entire time has been filled with struggles, he will no longer have to fight and will be at peace.
He served as a footsoldier, bearing witness to some of the deadliest aspects of trench warfare. Lying about his age in order to enlist in World War I as quickly as possible, Paul was eager to serve his country. He and his peers all enlisted together, with idealized notions of becoming heroes for their nation. Once they arrived at the front however, Paul and his comrades were faced with the grim reality of what combat looks like. Their honorable sacrifice for their country quickly shifts to a battle for survival.
(Remarque, 121). This illustrates how war causes soldiers to lose their youth, leaving them feeling “lost” after the war has concluded. 18-year-olds get exposed to the brutality of war, which makes them mature, in turn, it robs them of their innocence. In conclusion, Erich Maria Remarque depicts Paul Baumer's experiences in the war, leading to him losing his childhood, as he is forced to deal with his experiences of
After inhaling the toxic gas, Paul is given leave to go home for a little bit. While he is home he goes through a lot of mental struggles but was not ready for the mental toll he was about to encounter coming back to the war. Paul admits that he had changed a lot in the days saying, “I ought never to have come here, Out there I was indifferent and often hopeless — I will never be able to be so again. I was a soldier, and now I am nothing but an agony for myself, for my mother, for everything that is so comfortless and without end” (Remarque 185).