The Effects of War on Society

Almost every person knows someone who has served in a war, whether it may be a sibling, a parent, or a friend. After an individual comes back from their service in a war, he or she usually has changed as a person, either positively, or most of the time negatively. In All The Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr shows through characters seeing death, characters that are not in combat, and characters that are soldiers in war, that war impacts individuals negatively, despite their backgrounds and differences.

The topic of war is hard to imagine from the perspective of one who hasn't experienced it. Literature makes it accessible for the reader to explore the themes of war. Owen and Remarque both dipcik what war was like for one who has never gone through it. Men in both All Quiet on the Western Front and “Dulce Et Decorum” experience betrayal of youth, horrors of war and feelings of camaraderie.

The psychological effects, the mentality of fighting and killing another human, and the sheer decimation of human values is what makes war atrocious. War is not only fought on the battlefield though. This book also describes the feelings of a soldier fighting his own demons that war has brought on. The battle that the soldier has with himself, is almost if not more damaging than the physical battle of war. He will never forget his experience with battle, no matter how hard he tries the memories of artillery, blood, and death cannot be erased. “I prayed like you to survive, but look at me now. It is over for us who are dead, but you must struggle, and will carry the memories all your life. People back home will wonder why you can't forget.” (Sledge). This struggle still happens to soldiers today. Sledge’s words of the struggles still captures the effects of warfare that lingers today. The other effects that war has on the men is the instability that surrounds them at every hour of the day. They are either engaged in battle having bullets and artillery fired at them, or waiting for battle just so they can be deposited back in the pressure cooker of survival. “Lying in a foxhole sweating out an enemy artillery or mortar barrage or waiting to dash across open ground under machine-gun or artillery fire defied any concept of time.”

To witness other people being killed and letting your mind run its course and eat away at you asking yourself are you the next one? This is one of the main reasons why we need to appreciate the soldiers and veterans who have served for their country, they are brave people and have made huge sacrifices for us all. They do stuff that others are not willing to do to protect the freedom that was one of the main reasons why this great country im glad to call my home was established in the first place. These experiences that these soldiers go through can change them for the rest of their life. War and the tramuatizing stuff that goes with it can cause psychological problems that are hard to live with. My girlfriends father served in the military and has gone through some of these terrible things first hand and they have definitely changed him for life. Mr. Thornberry had been in the milirary for 8 years and was in combat during the desert storm. He saw things that no man would ever wish to see in his life. A friend taken away right before his own eyes while he was under fire but managed to get out of it with the help of his comrades. Although he was not really hurt physically he was mentally. He has reoccuring flashbacks of the event that took place and has gone through treatments and is now taking medicine but still that is not enough he still wakes up somenights from the night terrors that infest his mind. He once told me “I will never be the same man” (Thornberry 2016). In the things they carried there are many examples of ptsd throughout the book. For example when Norman Bowker witnessed Kiowa sucked into a pile of crap right before his eyes and had a chance to save her but risked being sucked in as well so he decided he would just save himself. This death changed Norman

Actions tested there ethical and moral values. After this point these soldiers have to cope with the cause and effect from their actions. Coping can cause mental illnesses, and addiction but also you can cope with these some things plus more things such as love, and mortality. This is the most important struggle that had to take care of for their survival. But why is this still relevant to today's society? Tim o’brien used many methods while writing this book to help the reader to understand the soldiers experiences and feelings throughout the war. These methods include imagery, repetition, hyperbole, metaphors, allusions, and many

World War II was a very life changing event that demonstrated how much friendships and everyday people could change due to war. One particular novel set during the era of this war proves this point well. In the novel, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, Gene, Finny, and Leper have their own distinct symbols. Gene symbolizes envy and jealousy, Finny embodies kindness and hope, and Leper symbolizes the detrimental effects of war.

Timothy Findley’s The Wars portrays the effects of war on soldiers in battle, as well as the members of family and friends that suffer from loss and insanity. As each character over the progression of the story is exposed to change, the character’s ability to adapt has a significant correlation with their survival, those that can quickly adapt to survive can manage to get by. Soldiers must be able to suppress the extreme stress on the battlefield. Those that cannot overcome these challenges do not survive in war. Murder is quickly pushed out of a soldiers mind, killing others in effort to protect their own life or the life of others around them. Findley demonstrates how war can negatively alter a person’s behaviour. This is seen through

War can be and has been proven to be a deeply scarring experience for many soldiers. Evidently, nothing can prepare them for warfare, seeing close friends die, and narrowly escaping death themselves. Yet, the worst part of it all is having to live with those memories for a lifetime and the inability to forget. “But the thing about remembering is that you don 't forget” (O’brien 34, 1998). The war which is fought in the minds of soldiers lasts a lifetime, and its effects stretch far beyond the actual battle that is being fought. War can significantly affect a soldier mentally, as seen in the novel “The things they carried” by Tim O 'brien, an interview with Richard Dlugoz, and the poem “Coming Home” by Joe Wheeler.

How did the War affect Americans lives and continue to shape American lives in the 21st century in the following categories:

The warfare of WWI affected society by causing crucial pain to many soldiers.Many soldiers came home limping and blind.When soldiers came home wives and children were distraught to see them in this condition. Everyone did not have hope in the United States winning this war anymore. One reason the soldiers came home blind was because of poisonous gas. The gas would slowly asphyxiate the soldiers, and the wind will blow the gas towards the villages where the civilians lived. So since the gas would spread to the villages the civilians would suffer for no reason. But, this is sort of the soldiers fault because they used this gas but it is not really their fault for the wind blowing the gas.

One example of how the soldiers were affected mentally was when the soldiers lost all hope after the war was over. For example, O’Brien stated "Now, the war ended, all I am left with are simple, unprofound scraps of truth. Men die. Fear hurts and humiliates" (pg 23). The soldiers found out the hard, dark truth about war. They had different views about the war and came out with about one view, the war was not bad until you know when all the truth about it. Another example of how the war affected the soldier mentally was when they reflected on all the things they did, making them change their mind about the war. For instance, O’Brien expressed, “But, still, none of these notions seem right. Men are killed, dead human beings are heavy and awkward to carry, things smell different in Vietnam, soldiers are afraid and often brave, drill sergeants are boors, some men think the war is proper and just and others don't and most don't care.” Many soldiers have different views on the war, but after all, they have done their view on the war starts getting dark. Another example of how the war affected the soldiers mentally through the war was when they wouldn’t care anymore about what would happen to them. For instance, O’Brien expressed “Some guys are just numb to death” (131). This explains that some soldiers were so done with the war that they thought they were bulletproof in a way that they

“The Tragedy of war is that it uses man’s best to do man’s worst” wise words from Henry Fosdick. When it comes down to the time where an individual hits rock bottom, a man either do its best or do its worst. Although, Man can do its best and do its worst at the same time. There are many reasons how man’s best can result to man’s worst. Henry Fosdick statement is both true and false.

When asked how he felt about the deaths of 9 /11, Pablo Sequera , a 22 year old US army soldier in Iraq said "I wanted to bomb the fuck out of every single one of them towel heads". Now fighting in Iraq he says he has grown more sympathy and understanding toward Middle Eastern people. "Actually being up close, watching how they live every day in violence, has given me even more ambition to help them gain freedom" said Sequera. War will always change a person whether it's physically or mentally, a soldier never leaves the way he came in. The smells of gunfire, the loud ping of bullets bouncing off of metal, the vibrations of grenades exploding nearby, and the taste of their own fear climbing up into their throat will always remain close to

War is strongly ingrained into our world today whether we like it or not and while it may seem more prevalent and worse lately considering the advances in technology and the increase in hysteria over security, war is not a recent adjunct to society. That poses the question, where does war come from? As human beings, are we hard-wired biologically to fight each other or is it a behaviour influenced by peers and morals?

Talking about war tends to make people feel emotional, feel a sort of adrenaline rush, mad, and even proud. These emotions can at times, in my opinion, bring groups together and separate others because of disagreements on views and beliefs. While it is not easy to talk to anyone about delicate topics such as this one, it is important to acknowledge how war can influence societal behavior and culture. Many can argue that war unites people, particularly speaking of the United States; a country is known for its patriotism and pride when it comes down to its military forces and achievements across nations.