War Can Change The Body And The Mind

The war brings enormous damages to humanity. People who survive war suffer from psychological problems. In the excerpt from, A Long Way Gone, a boy who managed to stay alive through war suffers from the past memories that are even in his dreams, “I was afraid to fall asleep, but staying awake also brought back painful memories. Memories I sometimes wish I could wash away” (Beah). This quote makes it clear that people who went through war suffer mentally from unwillingly dreaming of war and memories that suddenly come to their heads. The image “In Times of War” also shows that humanity suffers from war. In the cartoon picture, there are people lying

We have all seen or read about the political and social upheavals caused by war. Some may have even experienced it first-hand. Throughout history war has had negative psychological implications on those effected. However, there is no greater negative impact of war than the psychological and emotional turmoil that it causes individual soldiers.

An American machine gunner, Charles Yale Harrison, says in his novel, Generals Die in Bed: “[War] take[s] everything from us: our lives, our blood, our hearts; even the few lousy hours of rest, they take those, too. Our job is to give, and theirs is to take,” (Harrison, 26). In this example, Harrison explains how war is the most selfish and strongest of all evils; war continues to take everything someone has until they have nothing left to take. The war also created long-term effects for soldiers; one being shell-shock. This term is used to describe the damage of constant loud shelling during war which greatly affected those who were not exposed to shelling frequently (Unnamed). Another term that is still used today is PTSD, (“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder”), which is used to describe the effect war had on the soldiers afterward (Unnamed). World War I brought major psychological disorders upon the soldiers during and after the war had ended leading to great damage for the rest of the victim’s

Since the beginning of mankind, war and the horrors that come with it have had devastating effects on both the minds and the bodies of human beings. Mentally, war drains soldiers of their ability to think properly. During a battle, soldiers witness bloody battles which frequently result in demise. Day after day of witnessing deceased fall to the ground, a soldier can do nothing but think about blood, gore, and his or her fallen comrades. Additionally, a war can be physically taxing on whomever takes part in it. Dodging or being hit by fists, swords, or bullets will inevitably cause pain and may disable somebody for the rest of their life. In All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque demonstrates through characterization, imagery,

Throughout human history, we have watched many men and women storm into combat to sweat, bleed, and die for a cause that they believe in. War is no secret to mankind, we have seen it hundreds of times, and we are aware of the mental and physical damage it has the capability of causing. We’ve learned of the gruesome damage caused by the first world war, and the numerous amount of lives it claimed. We’ve read the vivid stories authors wrote, using literature as a means to communicate the horrors experienced in war. Even in present day, we’ve seen, or known veterans who have returned from war with mental damage due to the terrible things they witnessed or partook in. Whether or not it is the smartest or most responsible idea, the human race uses

Over the past few decades, the war changed everyone’s perspective. According to NCBI, 61% civilians suffer from psychological disorders caused by wars. Specifically, two books, Night and Persepolis, talks about the author experiences during the war and their struggles. Elie Wiesel, the author of Night, documents his childhood when he was maltreated by the Nazis, and Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis, share her experiences during the Iraq-Iran war of how it change her. War changes childhood because of near-death experiences, family departure, and witness horrific acts of violence.

Bullets whiz by his head as soldiers drop to the ground around him. Some are shot dead. Some are wounded. Some are cowering in fear, trying to preserve their lives. Blood, limbs, smoke, and fire stain the battlefield like a painters’ canvas. Some try to carry on, leading their brothers to victory. Others stay still, crying to themselves about loved ones back home. War has everlasting traumatic effects on people. The soldiers that do survive will never live the same lives they did before the war. Tim O’Brien’s book The Things They Carried does a great job explaining the effects of war on soldiers through many stories O’Brien experienced during the Vietnam War. From trying to escape the war, to his buddy Kiowa dying in muck, O’Brien expertly

Undoubtedly, war can take a massive toll on one’s overall health. Although soldiers suffer horrific injuries during combat, their mind continues to take a beating behind the front lines. This concept is powerfully depicted in the novel Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden, where the lives of two soldiers, Xavier and Elijah, are profoundly changed forever both mentally and physically as a result of their experiences in the World War I. As the story progresses, their friendship and well-being begins to drastically deteriorate. Boyden effectively illustrates how Xavier and Elijah’s experiences on the front lines render them unable to go back to who they once were before the war.

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 infamous collection of lasting mental effects of warfare has been classified as a disorder known by many names: shell shock, Soldier’s Heart, and combat fatigue. Today, this disorder is classified as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, PTSD symptoms include persistent nightmares, constant avoidance of trauma-associated stimuli, and emotional numbing that was not present before trauma. PTSD is unlike other mental disorders because it is linked to a specific traumatic event, and it is often associated with combat (Institute 1). World War I was the catalyst for interest and research on war neuroses; at the time,

While writing and synthesizing this article about the impacts of war on the human mind, I used three sources that were provided that supported my thesis as well as three additional sources that I found to have developed my position further. Each source chosen provides a unique insight to the effects of war, and also takes a side on the position I have created. The three sources provided that I chose to use were The Things They Carried, American Sniper, and Nick Niday; the three additional sources were the DSM-V, “PsychCentral,” and David Pridham.

War has affected many soldiers around the world. War generally has a negative effect on the people and the societies involved. These texts provide examples of the negative effects of war and how it has impacted soldiers lives; ‘Hero of war by Rise against’, ‘Dulce et decorum est by Owen Wilfred’, ‘Rambo - First Blood by Ted Kotcheff’ and ‘The Patriot by Ted Kotcheff’. All of the soldiers in these texts are suffering from ‘emotional scarring’ as a result of what happened during the war. There are many different negative effects of war, such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and regret.

At the beginning of Humanities Core in fall quarter, my understanding of war was primarily centered around soldiers and how killing others permanently scarred them, often leading to post-traumatic stress disorder. Being a Cognitive Sciences major, I am naturally interested in how extreme situations such as war affect people’s psychology. However, my focus drifted in an entirely new direction, towards civilians in wartime (See: Tags), as the year progressed and my view of war became more complex.

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 makes all its soldiers its victims. It strips them of their innocence; all had dreams for their future. Their future will become a lost life or a life full of memories that will continue to haunt them. The memories of killing, friends being killed, almosts, etc. War contains many horrors like these.