Is it right to sacrifice your life for a lost cause? This question is not simply about right and wrong it is about how rational and irrational thinking-people sacrifice their lives for what they believe. This has happened throughout all of history such as in the Crusades where people from all over Europe came to fight and capture Jerusalem because they believed that was what they were meant to do. A thousand years later World War One broke out and people began to fight for what they believed. Once again even if it was for a bunch of irrational reasons and still people fought. The Battle of the Nek is featured in the movie Gallipoli. Many young men sacrificed their lives to fight a hopeless battle where the odds were against them. Even after two failures in the battle, the 10th Light Horse Regiment was still sent over the top. This lost cause should have been finished then and there but the 10th Light Horse was still sent over, they were quickly gunned down. This battle shows how people are willing to fight even if death is inevitable. During the Crusades men battled hard conditions to get to the far away country of Turkey this is also what happened during World War One. The battle itself was a lost cause - failure after failure happened in this battle, and still the men went …show more content…
They knew that it was highly likely that they would die, so what are the other reasons for fighting for a hopeless cause? One particularly Australian idea is mateship. Australian soldiers at Gallipoli were fighting not necessarily for the British Empire or their own country (or State) but for loyalty for their mates. Friendship matters. Sometimes you would give your life to help them. In war you would still fight in some hope that it would make a difference, and that by dying you are saving you friends and you family, and in some way making a difference. Mateship is one of the reasons why sacrificing your life for a lost cause, is about rational and irrational
“The war correspondent is responsible for most of the ideas of battle which the public possesses … I can’t write that it occurred if I know that it did not, even if by painting it that way I can rouse the blood and make the pulse beat faster – and undoubtedly these men here deserve that people’s pulses shall beat for them. But War Correspondents have so habitually exaggerated the heroism of battles that people don’t realise that real actions are heroic.”
All those soldiers went through so much, they were too far in the war to quit. In that way, a soldier would stay to carry on those who lost their lives in battle.
The novel All Quiet On the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, the poem, “In Flanders Field,” by John McCrae and the film, Gallipoli, Demonstrates how war makes men feel unimportant and, forces soldiers to make hard decisions that no one should half to make. In war people were forced to fight for their lives. Men were forced to kill one another to get their opinion across to the opposing sides. When men went home to their families they were too scared to say what had happened to them in the war. Many people had a glorified thought about how war is, Soldiers didn't tell them what had truly happened to them.
Throughout the battle, you see numerous Army Values and Warrior Ethos being used. “I will never leave a fallen comrade”, was the etho used the most, to reach the separated platoon. The battle also shows that not all tactical orders are effective, but as a leader you must never second guess yourself.
Australia (as a counry) felt a loyalty towards the 'mother country', Britaain and that the war would be a good opportunity to improve Ausrtalia's international reputation. Many individual Australians also joined the war for a variety of reasons. Some felt a strong loyalty to Britain who had supported Australia, and now, they felt, was the time for them to 'do their bit'. Others enlsted simply to prove they were brave enough to fight, but some enlisted because their friends had. Some simply enlisted because they needed a job, pay, and regular meals, but many enlisted in the army for an adventure, not knowing the true horrors of war. Private A.J. McSparrow (former railway worker from Parramatta, NSW), was one of the many men whwo enlisted because he felt that it was his duty to support the 'mother country' ..."I have (enlisted) ... and I don't regret it in the very least. I believe that it is every young fellow's duty" and "... we are the sort of men who should go."Private Antill enlisted because he needed the money, clothes and food and also because it was easier work than cabinet making ..."I tell you what I have just joined the Australan army ... it's not bad money here 5/- a day and clothes and food that's nearly as good as cabinet making and not half as hard."Lieutenant D.G. Armstrong (former bank clerk from Kyneton, Victoria), thought that the war would be great opportunity to prove his strength and to show that he was not a coward..."I am going to have a try for the war ... I think I ought to go, they want all they can get and ... I think it's the greatest opportunity for a chap to make a man of himself, those that come back from this war will be men of the right sort that anybody would be proud of.
Some would say The Anzac Legend all began when Britain declared they were in need of help and it was Australia’s duty to go to their aid. Australia tossed aside experience and opted for youth. There were big incentives to go. To travel and visit foreign places, economic reasons, to be with their mates but the most incentive of all was that Britain needed help.
How much are you willing to sacrifice for another? Whether they are a family member or a complete stranger. In the novel The Kite Runner Baba was was willing to risk his life when he had stood up and was trying to stop the Russian soldier from rape the young woman as payment for letting them pass through one of the checkpoints. Then there had been Amir it was when he had suffered extreme injuries, nearly losing his life when he had fought Assef, so that he could save Sohrab for the abuse he was suffering from the Taliban. Both Character Baba and Amir were willing to sacrifice themselves for another person, regardless of who they were. Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, teaches the reader sacrificing your life can lead to another person’s happiness through Baba saving the woman from the Russian soldier and Amir fighting Assef.
The British commanders didn’t give much consideration to the ANZAC troops because they were told to land in the wrong place, which made them vulnerable and with deadly consequences.
War is a series of deaths for a greater gain for the people who do not fight at the front. However while on the front it becomes a fight for life through battle and friendship. The bonds created allow success and support. The family bonds created in the trenches are the most important effect of war and debatably the only good one. Throughout war it is seen that these relationships are the only light, in the never-ending darkness of war.
The Battle of the Wilderness was a very unusual battle because it was fought in the woods. The terrain and the trees wouldn’t allow for the smoke to clear and it was dark anyway because of the trees. The men described it as eerie. Both sides fired blindly because of the smoke. Artillery was abandoned because they could not transport it through the woods. So those soldiers became...
Ultimately, they were trying to survive. They were trying to make it back home when they knew they would never be the same man as before. They were scared, but walked around and carried the war on a courageous front. Often, these men carried each other with unconscious support. They were brothers in arms.
Clashing swords, miraculous survivals, pain of loss, and heroic sacrifice are all terrifying yet thrilling moments in a battle. The strong possibility of death and the frailty of human life add into the suspense of battle. Yet the reasons behind the wars, death, and suspense can be overlooked. The stories behind the warriors who have died will not be told again, but the stories of warriors still alive are what give the men strength to continue fighting against impossible odds. Ultimately, the reason of why a man would risk his life in battle is for someone, or something, he loves.
Lives were taken, the happiness and peace was robbed from the town and the people within, and relationships saw their last day. The impacts of these sacrifices are results that we have no control over. We could all be thinking that a decision we made was vital to the situation, but it could actually just cause more hardship. In the grand scheme of things, the most crucial question is: what sacrifices are actually worth
Although Hollywood movies are able to encourage interest into topic areas, which previously would have been less accessed by the average person for example the Gallipoli campaign, it still has its limitations. The main limitations of Weir’s Gallipoli include primarily that it was made for entertainment purposes, and thus cannot be qualified as being an accurate source, due to a strong romanticized nature. Gallipoli does remain correct throughout most of the film, in recounting order of events from the first landing at Gallipoli, the follow up landings and the Battle at the Nek, even to the food eaten on the peninsula including Bully beef and the “Anzac wafer” . However, the film loses this concrete history through bias and perspective. As explored in the above example of the English “Drinking tea” whilst an attack was underway (which was untrue) it illustrates a strong Australian perspective which decreases authenticity. Another aspect of the film is that there are rarely any scenes from the perspective of Turkish army, who they were fighting against. Not only does this very clear “Us vs. Them” distinction enhance the lack of recognition of the Turkish army’s losses (almost 70,000) , but also fails to admit that through the Turkish perspective, Gallipoli was a success. The Turkish army were forced to defend their land under attack and suffered immense loses, yet they were able to defend their nation and thus, celebrate March 18th, 1915 as the victory in the Battle of Çanakkale. This neglected understanding of the Turkish army again diminishes the historic accuracy and usefulness as a source. This neglect of multiple historical views is the second limitation of the film, which are important to identify, as they
The bond that men form with each other in the heat of battle is incomprehensible to those who have not experienced warfare for themselves.