The book The Best War Ever, by Michael C. C. Adams, is about World War II, the events that led up to the war, and the years following the war. Adams starts the book off explaining some myths that people have about the war. The biggest myth associated with the war is that it was the best war ever. Adams then spends the rest of the book talking about why this may or may not be true. In the following chapters, Adams explains the events that led to the war and the events that accorded during World War II.
The military draft was a very controversial topic during these times. Some people believed it violated a person’s inalienable rights while others argued it was a part of being an American to be honored to show your patriotism; however, if you refused to serve, you were shunned and beaten by local villagers (Greenberg). President at the time, “Lyndon Johnson, called the draft "a part of America, a part of the process of our democracy"” arguing that the draft was an honorable and patriotic sacrifice for young men to make for their country (Greenberg). With the major cultural difference between the the 1960’s and today, less young men are enlisting to serve in the military. According to the National Public Radio, an estimated 8.7 million men served during The Vietnam War while only 2.2 million men serve in today’s military.
Lots of panning shots with dramatic classical music thrown about. It would be easy to make the documentary more factual and frank. But that really isn't what a normal watcher wants. They don't want to learn the specifics, they want to be entertained, to grow a curiosity and then to quench it, to be invested. People are more attracted to opinions, "hot takes" "unpopular opinions".
John Marsden’s tomorrow when the war began (1994) is a narrative of an Australian teenager named Ellie Linton and her friends who became guerrilla fighters after the invasion of her homeland by an unknown military force. A key passage in page 75-76 explains how the group transforms into effective leaders while making tough decisions. Marsden’s message in the passage is to be a good leader in a time of crisis, unpopular decisions must be made in order to save the group. Marsden’s passage begins when protagonist Homer forced to make unpopular suggestions in a time of crisis. The author begins the passage by Homer suggesting that the group should split up rather than stay together.
“War is the health of the state.” Bourne argues that war so blurs the lines separate the State from Government and from society that the lines virtually disappear in the minds of most people (McElroy). World War I made the national government much more authoritative that than it never been, one of the main factors that gave the national government the opportunity to so was the Selective Service Act in which Congress passed in May of 1917, which it was required men in a certain age group to be drafted into the war 2.8 million men were conscripted into the various branches of the U.S. Military. Another two million men volunteered – many of the latter reasoning they would be drafted anyway. A total fighting force of 4.3 million men was raised (The Selective Service Act of 1917).
It is sometimes difficult for individuals to settle the discrepancy between truth and illusion, and consequently they drive others away, by shutting down. Mrs. Ross, in The Wars by Timothy Findley, is seen as brittle while she is attending church, and cannot deal with the cruel reality of the war and therefore segregates herself from the truth by blacking it out. As a result, she loses her eyesight, and never gets to solve the clash between her awareness of reality and the actuality of the world. She hides behind a veil, and her glasses to distance herself from reality. Mrs. Davenport has to wheel her around in Rowena’s chair to keep her awake, so she doesn’t harbour up subconscious feeling within her dreams, which she is unable to deal with.
World War 2 had an abject impact on the United States Home front, although, there was no battles on the American mainland, the war affect all phases of the American life. It required remarkable strategies and tactics to dive into combat against the axis powers-Italy, Germany, and Japan. Likewise, it demanded immense sacrifices to be made on the Home front, for the United States (US) to win the war. With the sacrifices and single-mindedness of the American people, the US was able to break out of World War 2 as the world leaders in both production and military.
War is a transformative event due to the people at first believing war is exciting opportunity that they should not miss out but later it seemed to be frightening and gloomy which changed them emotionally as well they may get injured and transform the physically. As said by Stefan Zweig in The World of Yesterday which is about Austrians excitement of going into WWI, “the young people were honestly afraid that they might miss this most wonderful and exciting experience of their lives; that is why they shouted and sang in the trains that carried them to the slaughter”(Document H). At first it shows how excited everyone was but then they experience war which causes them to realise that war is not a great time but it is a horrific event that will
From the beginning of the United States’ history, conflict has always been prevalent. The need for armed forces continually grows, especially in times of war, as the fight for freedom becomes more challenging. Conscription, better known as the draft, was first introduced during the Civil War as a way to get more individuals involved in the military to fill vacant positions. The practice of the draft was finally discontinued in favor of an all-volunteer military system, when the need for troops was no longer necessary. After almost two decades of being involved overseas, the demand for armed troops is imperative once again.
When we were told that the war started, I was right at the border. Of course, we were not sure whether we would survive or not. We knew we had to fight for real. We believed in Communist ideas. We had it with our mother’s milk.
The way we want to approach personal problems in front of others can have a great influence on our lives and actions. In “How to Tell a True War Story,” Tim O’Brien provides the nature of storytelling with the generalizations about war and the concept of truth. Through the act of storytelling, Daniel Gilbert’s “Immune to Reality,” reiterates how the psychological immune system acts as a barrier preventing us from experiencing unexpected and traumatic events. Both authors respectively combine the meaning behind a true war experience with the unconscious need to deny the painful experience in it to lessen the pain. Sometimes a story can transmit positivity to help find meaning in life during difficult times.
The overall confidence and mood of the country dipped. Those citizens that are against the military elitism of the United States and do not agree with the war feel alienated under a conscription system (“Conscription” 1). The fear that the government may force them or their friends and family to fight in a war they do not believe goes against the American morales that the country was previously proud of. An all-volunteer army fits with the nation’s principles of freedom, equality, and dignity, while a military draft does not (“An All-Volunteer Army” 2). If the United States had to carry out conscription as a means to fight the war, and conscription led to the nation openly protesting in the streets, the war was ineffective.
Everyone deals with change differently. Someone's perception of change is what builds them as a person and is their guiding factor when they decide how to handle change. Timothy Findley uses change guided by the war in the novella The Wars, to show how a character perceives a certain event. Characters such as Robert Ross and Mrs. Ross deal with a series of changes in their life that affect them both greatly. The effect of the war on Robert Ross is that it changes him through his experiences and what he views throughout the novella.
Author Tim O’Brien, in his novel The Things They Carried, indicates the mental, emotional, and physical changes they go through due to the Vietnam War. The novel shows the obligation and burden the soldier’s go through to perform their duties, despite their own personal beliefs and experiences. O’Brien’s purpose is to illustrate the moral dilemma and internal struggle soldier’s experience in order to survive the true nature of war, as well as the fear and obligation that they have to cope with throughout their time spent at war. War forced the soldier’s morality to be stripped from their beliefs in order to perform their duties, causing soldiers moral dilemma.
“The Draft,” as it is commonly referred to, was enacted in September of 1940. Even though the United States was not yet involved in World War II when the act was passed, President Roosevelt regarded it as a vital method of training American men for military service. By 1940, tensions between the United States and Germany were rising as the Nazis had invaded numerous European countries and the news of concentration camps was spreading. Throughout July of 1940, England was the next country to face Nazi aggression, as they faced attacks from the German airforce and navy. With fears that America would be the next country to face a German invasion, Roosevelt signed into law the Selective Training and Service Act, also proclaiming, “America stands
