During the American Revolution, there were two main sides: the Patriots who believed in American independence, and the Loyalists who believed in staying under British rule. Both sides made valid points, but, some people were undecided on the topic of war because war brings both positives and negatives. For example, war can improve society by creating a better government that ends oppression and turns tyranny into freedom. However, war also brings the death of innocent civilians, puts nations into great debt, and results in the destruction of lives, property, and families. In the novel “My Brother Sam is Dead,” by the Collier Brothers, Tim Meeker faces the positive and negative effects of war. Irony convinces Tim to take a neutral stance toward war due to the senseless brutality against Jerry, Life, …show more content…
After Jerry died of disease, the British sunk his body in Long Island Sound in a weighted sack, making it impossible for his parents to find his body. This death is ironic because the soldiers took Patriot leaders, but they took Jerry as well just because he was living with them. The British only killed Jerry because they had the power to do so. The British taking Jerry for no apparent reason illuminates why Tim became neutral. Life’s death is another reason why Tim decided to become neutral. Life had died in a similar way as Jerry, but he got kidnapped by cowboys wanting his cattle. And then he got sent to “a prison ship in New York,” (Collier 164) and ended up dying of cholera. The irony of Life’s death is that it wasn’t even a Rebel ship that he got put on. It was a British one, and Life was a devoted loyalist. Therefore, the event persuades Tim to think that the British did not even care whether the person who got put on one of their ships was in support of their actions or not. The death of Sam was the final turning point for Tim to realize that he was neutral on the topic of