Short Story

As the civil war comes nearer and nearer to the Birdwell family, it has a greater and greater impact on Josh’s struggle for manhood. Josh’s motivations for fighting in the war show maturity in that they portray a young man with passion and love for his friends and family, not a young boy full of

I gradually slowed from a run to a walk before coming to a complete stop. I started to listen to my heart instead of my mind as it was corrupted by a fear so profound that it made my blood run cold every time the thought arrived in my head. I never should have left my platoon. It was a mistake. They had always been there for me even when I didn’t think I needed them, but now when they needed me I let them all down. I knew I was weak and that’s why I had run away but it wasn’t my fault that I was here. It wasn’t my decision but the government and its conscription policy. What did the government know about fighting in a war? Why don’t they allow any of their children fight instead of someone else’s? I turned around and started heading back deeper into the jungle that I had come from.

This will enhance the pace and create more personal tension when Alex decides to leave and enter the military. Build more anticipation. Show Alex struggling over his decision about his life direction and entering the military. Show what a tough choice this is for Alex. Show how it devastates Rose. Create an emotional scene when he tells her good-bye.

“At the war’s end, I turned fourteen. My brother joined up.” Jake cleared his throat. “He told me to stay home. Grant and Lee would work things out.”

Some of us were scared, some angry, a lot of emotions were swirling around. As the weeks progressed I finally see events unfold, talks of war and recovery. Even though I didn’t know what to do I wanted to help, maybe join the army, I thought but my mom was hesitant of that, and I was only 15; Donate, but I didn’t have a penny in my name unfortunately, and then out of nowhere someone told me to just live. Live for the falling men and women who lost their lives and don’t let the ones who took them away from us have the satisfaction that they could deter us, and so I

Life over here isn’t bad. I know that you’re worried but you shouldn’t be. I’m doing just fine and I promise that I will come back soon. Before I left for Vimy back in April, I remember how scared you were. I think you sometimes forget that I’m not a little boy anymore. I’m a man grandmother, I’m 19. I remember feeling so proud when I came back home. I felt important. There, I fought in a life-changing battle. The battle of Vimy Ridge is what changed everyone’s views on Canada. We finally got noticed and gained the respect we deserved after all these years. That’s why I have to serve now. Here in Passchendaele. Not only because of conscription, but for myself. I feel like I’m essential to this battle. As a Canadian, I must fight for my country.

It is now the end of the war and I feel that I have changed a lot over the course of these five years. At the beginning of the war I was a small, boy who loved to go to school and listen to Shad’s lessons. My top priority was learning and then helping my mother on the farm. (Hunt, 13) Once my brothers and Shad left for war my family was divided, with Bill on the Confederate side and everyone else on the Union side. (41) As the war goes on and Shad stops being my teacher I don’t like school as much as I did before. My father has a heart attack and I need to step up to help my family more. (91) The most important thing to me now is making sure my family is all right, school is enjoyable but not as important. Getting letters from my John, Eb,

I highlighted a quote on chapter 12, page 78. I thought this was a powerful quote. Clearly these boys have been through alot and miss their relatives, but the war has caused everyone to scatter and run

It all started on a dare, I was told to join the armed forces. So I did, but everything changed that day when I saw a petty officer sprinting down the street. Only to stop not 2 feet in front of me and say “urgent telegram for Sergeant Rose!!” Which is when I knew that something was different because I never get anything important from the air force, I had only become sergeant a month ago. The briefing was hard because we knew most wouldn’t come back. Then it was shipping day. The steps toward the plane weren’t any better most of the men were married and yet most of them knew, knew that more likely than not they weren’t making it back. As for the ones that would be able to sleep on their own beds after this, well it would be worse. They would have to live with the fact that they lost their brothers in arms, but hey I'm getting ahead of myself, gotta focus on surviving.

Worried Wayne is going to make the wrong decision into doing something stupid, I repeatedly tell him not to do it, just knowing it'll go badly. He encourages me to do what he's doing, but I don't want to, but yet going to fight in the war isn't exactly going to end well either. We just sit there on the edge of my bed silent, worried about each other but what could we say, 'oh yeah you are strong enough to go fight in a war and come out alive.' We could wish for that to come true, but we both knew that we can't know for sure of that. Wayne then asks me why isn't Mike going to war he's 21. I tell him Mike is going to college and well basically it's a get out of war free card. So far Mike is the only one in the family to go to college. Wayne and I decide to go to town to go see some of our other pals. Once we get to town we see a bunch of hippies who are trying to represent that we should not go to war, we need

The story begins with two friends drinking. Leo wants his friend, Glover, to enlist and fight in the Iraq war. Because Leo saved his life, Glover feels he should enlist with his friend, but Glover doesn’t want to enlist.

The war was almost over. “One Last Push,” they said. I was not going to join the war, I was tasked with the responsibility of looking after the farm, even though I was the youngest. Now I also have to look after my eldest brother. He was one of the many people that enlisted, including my father, and was returned. Although he is now quite different from before he left to go to the war, he at least made it back, unlike everyone else in my family.

Jack confided in his sister that he wanted to join the armed forces in order to escape the mediocre, sheltering homelife that they lived in. He wants to be independent from his father, but he is ultimately unable to gain a place in the military without his Rudyard’s help, much to Jack’s dismay. Showing great potential from the day he arrives at basic training, Jack even practices after the workday is done to improve his shooting skills. Even after being promoted to Lieutenant, he still works alongside his men. Jack has a calm demeanor, but remains in control of his battalion, which proves to be a valuable style of leadership when times are tough in the trenches. But the life of young man with such great potential is cut short at only eighteen years and one day old. Jack was unlucky, but even the soldiers that survived the battle suffered immense shellshock after the War was over, and many could barely function on their own throughout the rest of their lives. The War affected an entire generation of young men in Britain, and at what cost? Though they were ultimately victorious, the war that was supposed to end all wars did not achieve its goal, as the Britain would go through yet another time of bloodshed decades

It had been hard decision for my parents, deciding weather or not to let us fight in the war. In the end, they decided that we should have the opportunity to fight. The goodbyes were hard. But all four of my brothers and I thought that

I 'm sitting at the dinner table with my little sister Abby on my left and in front of me is my Mum. Dad is at work at the moment. Dad works 24/7 while mum stays at home watching over Abby. We sit at the table silently with the radio on in the background. The Jazz music is interrupted by the radio announcer who says there is breaking news about to be made. The news is that Austria has declared war against Serbia. We sit there listening intently just in case another news is reported. At that moment, I knew that I wanted to fight for my country. I stand up and say, “Mum, I would like to fight for my country and be part of this”. My mum agrees with me and says that it would be an honor to say her son is fighting in the war. As I shove the last piece of broccoli in my mouth I tell mum I am going to Jacks. Jack is my best friend, and like me, he is 19. Jack lives down the road, we do everything together including school. When I see Jacks we discuss the war and what it means. He too wants to fight. Although we are scared, we want to protect our country and fight for its freedom.