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In The Things They Carried Mary Anne Bell is affected mentally because she is snuck into the men’s camp. When she arrives she is this clean and naive high school student. While she is there, she starts to learn how to do what the men do around the camp. Mary Anne is not the same girl she was when she arrived. She is sneaking off to go plan an ambush with the Greenies and she comes back from the ambush covered in dirt, and wearing a necklace of tongues. In “Soldiers Home” Krebs mother because when he returns from the war, Krebs feels like he can no longer connect with his mother. War affects people

The literacy work of John Steinbeck shows how soldier won’t talk about their experience in war. Soldiers often have a difficult time cultivating with society after coming back. Steinbeck uses imagery to show what they face in the battlefield. He describes “their body and mind are so disturbed” and their “eardrums are tortured by blast and the eye ache from the constant hammering.”(18) To explain, the imagery shows soldiers face violent and chaotic attacks on the field leading them to be desensitize. The narrator also says, “At first your ears hurt, but then they become dull and all your

Beginning my love of reading an early age, I was never the type of child who was drawn to fictional stories. As an 8 year-old child in West Virginia, I was recognized by the local library for my love of biographies, autobiographies and recollections of world events. This love has continued throughout my adult life, desiring to read novels such as “We Were Soldiers Once…and Young” by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore rather than watch the major motion picture “We Were Soldiers” starring Mel Gibson. Even though the motion picture received multiple awards, when reading the recollection of Mr. Moore’s accounts, the feeling of loss, distress, anxiety and fear can be felt in each word that he has written while reliving this horrendous war.

Wars have always been events that I enjoy learning about, reading about and just discovering what went on. So when this project rolled around I had no problem choosing the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, which was written by Erich Maria Remarque. Erich had been a German soldier towards the end of WWI and had, first hand experienced the pure terror that is war. I had heard of this book through my father who is also a major war enthusiast. Him and I have had numerous conversations about both World War I and II, as he was the one that originally suggested I read this book. I have to say that it was a tremendous suggestion in that this novel to me seems to be one of the finest pieces of anti-war literature ever penned. The way the novel is able to portray the mindset of a soldier was beautifully done and shows the complete deterioration that occurs over time.

was not the truth. This book showed the harsh reality of war that most people

“Loneliness remains a strong presence enveloping the soldiers long after the war is over. Jimmy Cross, for example, feels bereft after the war because his hope for happiness in Martha is dashed by her rejection.” (Loneliness and Isolation.)

Timothy Findley’s The War is a wartime novel that mainly chronicles the horrors of the First World War. The novel revolves around a young Canadian officer named Robert Ross and his experiences in trench warfare during The War to End All Wars. In The Wars, Findley effectively depicts the lasting impacts on those involved, not only including the physical injuries and lacerations from battle, but also the inner trauma sustained from the mental and emotional warfare while at war. What is interesting about Findley’s wartime novel is that he utilizes narrative devices to give the novel a detached, factual voice that effectively encapsulates it as a historical piece. He plays around with the role of a nameless researcher who finds, examines and assembles historical pieces like letters/correspondences, family photographs, cablegrams, and other archival means to construct Ross’ compelling story. This use of private texts contrasted and combined with the public texts and the story itself subjects the story to a literary gap that breeds factual indiscretion. The attempts to be as authentic as possible poses the novel to the peril of coming off as too contrived. By straddling the lines between fiction and non-fiction, the author’s voice is at risk of unreliable narration. It is interesting to note that Findley contrasts and interweaves Ross’ personal story against

As for this book investigation, the novel for this assignment is called, When Books Went to War, by Molly Guptill Manning. The purpose of this novel is to demonstrate how books helped soldiers in World War II. Throughout this book, it explains how American troops read textbooks to help escape the world around them. Soldiers turn to books to release the tension they have from the war. Most of the time veterans feel lonely or depressed and by reading novels, it helps them to manage their emotions. This novel is written because it indicates how powerful books are towards people. These books have the power to “... soothed troubled minds and hearts...” (Manning 110). As the author claims, books helped win World War II.

The most effective and influential thing an author can do while writing about war, is in some way channeling the reader's emotions. By doing this, it should interest the reader further because it will make them feel more affiliated with the text. In pieces of writing about war that we have read this year, all of the different authors use different methods in their writing. The three most compelling examples out of all the pieces of literature that we have covered this year would be, a quote out of All Quiet on the Western Front, Fallen Angels, and “Why am I Opposed to the War in Vietnam” a speech by Martin Luther King Jr. These all channel the reader's emotions very effectively.

Many war pieces express a distinct sense of truth, hatred, and anger that can be found in the style, tone, and imagery they possess. Incredible images are created in ones mind as war writings are read and heard. Works written by such writers as Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, and Tim OBrien really reach out to the audience by way of the authors choice of words and images that they use in their writing. These talented writers create very touching and heart-felt images as they write about the true occurrences, problems, feelings and emotions that soldiers encountered throughout times of war. It is by way of these

Ryan Smithson’s Ghost of War is the perfect example of the need to break away from the ur-war story without completely losing the benefits it produces for war authors. When compared to Kevin Powers’ The Yellow Birds the difference between the typical ur-war story and what Smithson has written becomes obvious. The major issue with war literature is that the everyday civilian has no problem reading it however they are unable to connect to it. Typical war literature is to inform but the information is lost along the way with the abundance of bloody battles and psychological break downs. Powers has written war literature made to draw in the reader and keep his/her attention. However with Ghosts of War Smithson has given the reader a book that they can connect to while telling a true war story.

Siobhan Fallon, has a Master of Fine Art from the New School in New York City in addition to being a military spouse, is the author of “You Know When the Men Are Gone” a short story collection book. In the short story “You Survived the War Now Survive the Homecoming” Fallon writes a gripping and enticing story about Carla and her beloved husband, Ted, who returns from war as a changed man. Carla is struggling with Ted because he is easily enraged and poses as a threat to Carla and their seven month year old child. Throughout the story Ted and Carla must work together to bridge the change that war brought upon them. In 2011 “You Know When the Men Are Gone” was published, during this time, the war in Iraq was coming to end and soldiers were returning home from deployment. Fallon’s primary audience consisted of American civilians unaffiliated with a military family or lifestyle. Therefore the audience may be aware of the life of a military spouse but not entirely informed on the effects war has on a family. This audience shares similar values on family, for example how important honesty and patience is within families. Although returning home is the most exuberant time for a soldier longing for their family, Fallon’s use of third person perspective in the short story “You Survived the War Now Survive the Homecoming” exemplifies the reality of Carla, the wife, dealing with the hardships of a returning soldier because adjusting back to normal civilian lifestyle seems unfeasible.

Not many people in society can empathize with those who have been in a war and have experienced war firsthand. Society is unaware that many individuals are taken away from their families to risk their lives serving in the war. Because of this, families are left to wonder if they will ever get to see their sons and daughters again. In a war, young men are taken away from their loved ones without a promise that they will get to see them again. The survivors come back with frightening memories of their traumatic experiences. Although some would argue that war affects families the most, authors, Tim O’Brien and Kenneth W. Bagby are able to convey the idea that war can negatively impact one’s self by causing this person long lasting emotional

The author attempted, perhaps successfully, to convey the guilt that survivals of such tragic events like a war face. He is the prime example himself. The author seems to jump from one topic to another without a conclusion to the previous topic. He then goes back to the previous topic. This makes it a bit challenging to keep track of the story.

I observed in the article Family, that in more ways than one the families of America played a very significant role in the war more than ever before. I became thoroughly moved by how many people, particularly children that were willing to sacrifice their time, effort, and desires to support the war in whatever way possible. It was especially amazing to see women, for the first time, step up and fill the shoes of those who went off to fight. Although, when I came across the percent of female alcoholism and juvenile delinquency that rose along with this I was in disbelief. On top of this, with the number of men leaving the country I expected a dramatic drop in marriage and birth rates, but I soon figured out that this was not true at all. In fact, the number of romances formed during this time surprised me, but I knew it was due to the anxiety everyone had of not knowing what the next day