Comparing the Ways Michael Herr in Dispatches and Pat Barker in Regeneration Show the Effects of War
When comparing Michael Herr's 'Dispatches' and 'Regeneration' by Pat
Barker the differences in format, style and setting are clear from the
outset. However both books explore the horrifying effect of war on
those directly and indirectly involved. The two authors attempt to
take the reader away from objective, statistical impressions of war
and closer to the real experiences of those affected. The various
mental and physical effects of war are explored in the books but the
underlining effect that is highlighted is the fact that the men
involved will forever be separate from the rest of society because
they have been irrevocably altered by experiences that can only be
understood by those who were there.
As an autobiography centered around Herr's experience of Vietnam
'Dispatches' provides a different reading experience to Barker's
novel, which is loosely based on the real life meeting between
Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen and Dr. W.H.R Rivers at Craiglockhart
War Hospital during The First World War. Due to the different
approaches the structure of the books is different and that affects
how the effect of war is shown. 'Dispatches' is a tapestry of
experience with no real linear structure except for the Khe Sanh
section where a siege develops through the section. Herr moves from
his own thoughts and experiences to stories that have been passed on
from soldiers or other correspondents. For instance, Herr's opinion of
a detached soldier is immediately followed by the soldier's own third
person story. This means that a great range of e...
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...ndom structure. The
authors use the same techniques to convey the effect of war but tailor
those techniques to suit the specific style and structure of their
books, which leads to the decisive difference in the reading
experience. I feel that 'Regeneration' is flawed in its presentation
of the effect of war because, although interesting, concentrating
solely on the psychological consequences is too restrictive.
Importantly, 'Dispatches' presents the physical, emotional and
psychological effect of living and fighting in Vietnam from a highly
personal perspective. As an individual reader I found this compelling
and believe Herr's overwhelming account brings the reader closer to
understanding the true effect of war.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
'Dispatches': Michael Herr.
'Regeneration': Pat Barker.
www.amazon.com.
As with any genre, all novels termed ‘war stories’ share certain elements in common. The place and time settings of the novels, obviously, take in at least some aspect of at least one war or conflict. The characters tend to either be soldiers or are at least immediately affected by the military. An ever present sense of doom with punctuated moments of peace is almost a standard of the war novel. Beyond the basic similarities, however, each of these battle books stands apart as an individual. Charles Yale Harrison’s World War I novel, Generals Die in Bed is, in essence, quite different than Colin McDougall’s Execution. Coming years earlier, Generals can almost be seen to hold the wisdom one would expect see in an older sibling, while Execution suffers the growing pains that the younger child inevitably feels.
There are many reasons that the human race goes to war against each other. In the essay The Ecstasy of War (1997) by Barbara Ehrenreich, she states that one reason that war is started between men is people want to expand, to move further in life and the man-kind are trained to be ready for war.
Capturing the realities of war is not everyone's cup of tea. One has to be feel the emotions that inspire vivid imagery in words. True war stories can be written based off of true events that have occurred and bring out emotions in the poets who witness them. Brian Turner, author of 2000 lbs, stated in an interview that while in Iraq, he felt “very isolated from the relevance of what felt like a prior life”(poemoftheweek.com). Its seems like a split from life at home to a warzone with conflicting feelings. He began capturing his experiences of the war in the form of poetry. Brian Turner turned his Iraq war experience and his masters degree in literature and poetry into an opportunity to oppose the resolution of conflict through war. Tim O’Brien is a Vietnam Warr veteran who struggled with PTSD and Turner’s opinions in his story, “2000 lbs,” share similarities with “How To Tell A True War Story”. Turner’s poem 2000 lbs describes a suicide
For young people, the Vietnam War is a thing of the past and they can
“This is true.” (O’Brien, 420) – with this simple statement which also represents a first, three-word introductory paragraph to Tim O’Brien’s short story, “How to Tell a True War Story”, the author reveals the main problem of what will follow. “Truth” – when looked up in a dictionary, we would probably find definitions similar to sincerity and honesty on the one hand, and correctness, accuracy or reality on the other hand. When looking at these definitions, one can make out two groups of meaning: While sincerity and honesty are very subjective, correctness or accuracy are supposed to be objective by nature. One can be sincere and still not report the truth, due to the simple fact that one does not know any better. Accuracy, however, is supposed to represent facts, bits and pieces of information that paint a picture of an event, untouched by opinion or attitude.
during the war. This novel is able to portray the overwhelming effects and power war has
The two classic war novels ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ by Erich Maria Remarque and ‘Catch 22’ by Joseph Heller both provide a graphic insight into the life of soldiers serving their country in the historic world wars. One distinct theme of interest found in both books, is the way in which war has physically and mentally re-shaped the characters. Remarque creates the character Paul Baümer, a young soldier who exposes anxiety and PTSD (commonly known as Shellshock) through his accounts of WW1’s German army. ‘Catch 22’ however, is written in the third person and omnisciently explores insanity and bureaucracy in an American Bombardier Squadron through its utter lack of logic. The two novels use their structure, characters, symbolism and setting to make a spectacle of the way war re-shapes the soldiers.
Review of "War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning" War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, written by the talented author Chris Hedges, gives us provoking thoughts that are somewhat painful to read, but at the same time are quite personal confessions. Chris Hedges, a talented journalist to say the least, brings nearly 15 years of being a foreign correspondent to this book and concludes how all of his world experiences tie together. Throughout his book, he unifies themes present in all the wars he experienced first hand. The most important themes I was able to draw from this book were, war skews reality, dominates culture, seduces society with its heroic attributes, distorts memory, and supports a cause, and allures us by a constant battle between death and love.
A Comparison of the Techniques Employed in Portraying the Horror of War in Regeneration and Journey's End
stress and fear by the men at the front in the First World War. In
"...no nation is rich enough to pay for both war and civilization. We must make our choice; we cannot have both."
Lawrence Hill Books, c2009 Bracken, Patrick and Celia Petty (editors). Rethinking the Trauma of War. New York, NY: Save the Children Fund, Free Association Books, Ltd, 1998.
The three narratives “Home Soil” by Irene Zabytko, “Song of Napalm” by Bruce Weigl, and “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen all have the same feelings of war and memory, although not everyone experiences the same war. Zabytko, Weigl, and Owen used shifting beats, dramatic descriptions, and intense, painful images, to convince us that the horror of war far outweighs the devoted awareness of those who fantasize war and the memories that support it.
It is apparent that during war time emotions are checked at the door and ones whole psyche is altered. It is very difficult to say what the root causes of this are due to the many variables that take play in war, from death of civilians to the death of friends. However, in "Enemies" and "Friends" we see a great development among characters that would not be seen anywhere else. Although relying on each other to survive, manipulation, and physical and emotional struggle are used by characters to fight there own inter psychological wars. Thus, the ultimate response to these factors is the loss and gain of maturity among Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk.
In the novel The Wars, Robert Ross is a sensitive nineteen year old boy who experiences first-hand the horrors of battle as a Canadian Soldier in the First World War in hopes of trying to find who he is. Being named a Lieutenant shortly after arriving in Europe, Robert is thrust into combat. War has been a constant part of human history. It has greatly affected the lives of people around the world. These effects, however, are extremely detrimental. Soldiers must shoulder extreme stress on the battlefield. Those that cannot mentally overcome these challenges may develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Timothy Findley shows the effects wars have on individuals in his novel The Wars. Findley suggests that war can change a persons behaviour in many different ways, however it is seen to be negatively more often then not. Robert Ross, the main character of The Wars, shows symptoms of what is known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in today’s society.