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Mental and physical consequences of war for soldiers
Psychological impact of war on a soldier all quiet conclusion
NEGATIVE effects of war on a person
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“’What a cruel thing war is…to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors,’” (“Robert”). This quote by the famed Confederate General Robert E. Lee expresses in short the myth of war. This myth brings with it many lies and dark secrets. From the destruction of culture, to the desensitizing of one’s moral compass, the things brought forth by the myth of war have a profound effect on all those actively involved with it whether they realize it or not. The darkest of these lies however is the dehumanization of one’s opponents, the “bad guys” in the war. Did the soldiers that fought in the civil war face this phenomenon during their great war? The answer put simply is yes, the civil war soldiers faced the dehumanization of their enemies. This dehumanization drove them to commit atrocities not seen since the American Revolution almost a century before; war against their own families and nation.
To understand how the soldiers in the civil war faced such a process one must first understand what dehumanization is and what it does to those that deal with it. Dehumanization is the process of forcing into someone’s mind the idea that their opponent is something less than human because of any number of reasons. These reasons can
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The fact that Newport was able to see through the lies of war means that he would have surely been subject to the forces that cause dehumanization in war. He admits that he allowed the dehumanization to take place as he says that he “went home mad at everything that was called rebel and remained so for 5 or 6 years,” (Newport, 1). This is a hate that permeated through everything that the man was. It was not just anger at the soldiers; no he admits that he hated everything that had to do with them. This kind of hate can only be bred in a time of war through the process of dehumanization further proving that there is never truly a “good guys” side in any
The American Civil War is one of the biggest turning points in American history. It marks a point of major separation in beliefs from the North and the South and yet somehow ends in a major unification that is now called the United States of America. It still to date remains the bloodiest war in American History. The book “This Republic of Suffering, death and the American Civil War” by Drew Gilpin Faust better explains the change in thought from the American people that developed from the unexpected mass loss in soldiers that devastated the American people. Throughout this review the reader will better understand the methods and theory of this book, the sources used, the main argument of the book, the major supporting arguments, and what the
There are many different ways in which the war was represented to the public, including drawings, newspaper articles, and detailed stereographs. Stereographs such as John Reekie’s “The Burial Party” invoked mixed feelings from all of those who viewed it. It confronts the deaths caused by the Civil War as well as touches upon the controversial issue over what would happen to the slaves once they had been emancipated. This picture represents the Civil War as a trade-off of lives- fallen soldiers gave their lives so that enslaved black men and women could be given back their own, even if that life wasn’t that different from slavery. In his carefully constructed stereograph “The Burial Party,” John Reekie confronts the uncertainty behind the newly
The book ‘For Cause and Comrades’ is a journey to comprehend why the soldiers in the Civil War fought, why they fought so passionately, and why they fought for the long period of time. Men were pulling guns against other men who they had known their whole lives. McPherson’s main source of evidence was the many letters from the soldiers writing to home. One of the many significant influences was how the men fought to prove their masculinity and courage. To fight would prove they were a man to their community and country. Fighting also had to do with a duty to their family. Ideology was also a major motivating factor; each side thought they were fighting for their liberty. The soldier’s reputations were created and demolished on the battlefield, where men who showed the most courage were the most honored. Religion also played an important role because the second Great Awakening had just occurred. Their religion caused the men who thought of themselves as saved to be fearless of death, “Religion was the only thing that kept this soldier going; even in the trenches…” (McPherson, p. 76) R...
The process of dehumanization is a process which has been repeated throughout history. Dehumanization takes place in the book Night, in which the author of the memoir, Elie Wiesel, is exposed to its effects. He is taken from his family and home, sent to a concentration camp in which he first comes in contact with people who have gone through the process of dehumanization. Most mistake the noun “dehumanization” as the verb “to dehumanize.” Dehumanization is a process, a twisted art; while to dehumanize someone is to persecute in one’s mind and actions whilst the subject being dehumanized still acts and thinks humanly. In a basic summary, to dehumanize is just a step in the process of dehumanization. Dehumanization is a process in which the subject/s are prosecuted (dehumanized), thieved of their family needs, and then stripped of their physiological needs.
In James McPherson’s novel, What They Fought For, a variety of Civil War soldier documents are examined to show the diverse personal beliefs and motives for being involved in the war. McPherson’s sample, “is biased toward genuine fighting soldiers” (McPherson, 17) meaning he discusses what the ordinary soldier fought for. The Confederacy was often viewed as the favorable side because their life style relied on the war; Confederates surrounded their lives with practices like slavery and agriculture, and these practices were at stake during the war. On the other hand, Northerners fought to keep the country together. Although the Civil War was brutal, McPherson presents his research to show the dedication and patriotism of the soldiers that fought and died for a cause.
In Vietnam, at least in Jesse’s company, men of all races are able to cohabitate peacefully, and then when they return home, they face prejudice once again. They are forced to fight a war in Vietnam against communist ideology while also fighting a war back home against racism. Splitting ones’ army is almost always a recipe for disaster as Amos points out, but as the U.S. went into war right as the Civil Rights movement was beginning to gain traction, the men had no choice. The indignities that they faced at home, at the hands of the very men they died to save, make killing Vietnamese soldiers under the directions of their own leaders, all the more difficult. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s death results in the most direct quote we see about the two pronged war: “Why the fuck am I shooting at zips? They ain 't never did me no wrong, never called me nigger. I should be at home shooting at the man, shooting at the Klan ” (Vea 134) This message is not uttered by one individual but by the African American men in combat as a whole. They are not at all committed to the Vietnam War, but are still stuck fighting there, unable to fight for their own rights at
Black soldiers were among the bravest of those fighting in the Civil War. Both free Blacks in the Union army and escaped slaves from the South rushed to fight for their freedom and they fought with distinction in many major Civil War battles. Many whites thought Blacks could not be soldiers. They were slaves. They were inferior. Many thought that if Blacks could fight in the war it would make them equal to whites and prove the theory of slavery was wrong. Even though Black soldiers had to face much discrimination during the Civil War, they were willing to fight to the death for their freedom. In the movie “Glory“ the director focused on the African Americans in the north that fought in the 54th regiment led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. During the time of the Civil War, the African Americans that fought in the 54th regiment were often treated unfairly but there were always nice people that backed them up.
Abolitionism was around before the 1830’s but, it became a more radical during this time. Before 1830, Benjamin Lundy ran a anti-slavery newspaper. In 1829, Lundy hired William Lloyd Garrison. Garrison went on to publish his own newspaper the Liberator.
This statement absolutely applies to all the soldiers who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg. Both the Union and Confederate soldiers were symbolic as killer angels, people who fought for what they believed was right, even if that meant killing other soldiers. The people who were fighting were citizens of the same nation, sometimes brother against brother. Tom Chamberlain and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain were an exception to this. These brothers were both fighting on the Union Army. Sometimes soldiers fought people who they were formerly friends with. Ultimately, the war turned the two sides of the nation against each other. This led to the mass destruction and killing of our nation’s population. Each soldier was a killer angel in his own way in which he fought and carried on through one of the bloodiest battles of the war.
The Civil War, a period of four years in the United States filled with bloody combat, thousands of casualties, and the destruction of much of Southern infrastructure. Although the Civil War had various causes (economy, politics, etc.), it mainly originated from the pressing issue of slavery at the time, mainly its expansion into the Western territories. As we all know, slavery was one of the most horrific times in our nation’s history, yet it was a typical and normal thing for the people of the 19th century. The film, Glory (1989), directed by Edward Zwick, doesn’t necessarily depict the horrors of slavery, however it does show 19th century America’s attitude toward African Americans, as well as the average African American’s hunger for freedom. The film begins with its protagonist, Colonel Shaw, being found by gravedigger John Rawlins (who later becomes a soldier in the Civil War). He is sent to a field hospital, and after he’s clear to leave, he visits his family at their plantation, where he meets Frederick Douglass, and is offered the position of Colonel for the 54th Massachusetts Regiment. He accepts the promotion, and invites his old friend, Major Forbes, to be his right hand man in leading the infantry. He accepts as well, and soon after, black soldiers quickly volunteer, of these including Rawlins, Searles, Trip, etc., which will become important factors in the plot of the movie. Throughout the film, it is clear how each character is very different from each other, for example, Private Trip, is very stubborn and rude, while Private Searles is much more calm, peaceful, and weakish. Yet as the plot progresses, the characters slowly and gradually mold into different personalities, some going through more changes than others. ...
North and South The United States of America, the great democratic experiment, was just that. Not since the great Greek culture had a government of, for, and by the people existed. The entire world felt, that on a large scale, democracy would inevitably lead to anarchy; our founding fathers were determined to prove them wrong. But as the political stand off with the British became a secession issue, a great issue split the future nation. Slavery, a southern necessity, both social and economic, threatened the unity of our nation. A nation that would one day be the greatest the world had ever known. During the development of the thirteen colonies, diversity set in early. In the south the temperate climate made the growth of tobacco a suitable and very profitable business. Cultivation of this crop required a lot of land, and therefore settlers lived far apart. Northern Colonies, though, were much more dependent on small farms, with closely knit communities. These differences were the seed of a sectional division that would plague the nation for a century. During the late seventeenth century, this fissure in the ideals of the colonies became apparent. Following the constant political irreverence from Britain, a majority of colonial representatives felt the need for independence. The Declaration of Independence was the document written to do this. It called for an abolition of slavery as well as freedom from British rule. Unfortunately, the South would hear nothing of it. Being strong defenders of states rights, most of the Southern states adhered to their believe in a government less like a supreme authority and more like a dominion of independent states. They would rather stay loyal to their oppressive government than participate in one that shunned their way of life. In order to keep their dreams of independence, they North was forced to make the one cession they did not wish to make. In order to keep a unified nation, the slavery issue was deliberately absent from the Declaration. Some of the Northern delegates were outraged, but none more than John Adams. A renowned proponent of equal rights, he was one of few that saw the irony in establishing a free society without freeing those in bondage. John Adams seems now more like Nostrodamus when he voiced his concern about the slavery issue for future generations. He did not know it, but the couldn’t have been more right.
The article, “The Negro’s Civil War in Tennessee, 1861-1865” by Bobby L. Lovett, can be found in "The Journal of Negro History. Lovett's article relates the importance of the contributions the black soldiers of Tennessee made during the Civil War. He portraits to the reader the determination of these black Tennesseans fight to gain their freedom under some extremely violent and racial conditions.
The Civil War was meant to end slavery in the United States, but the victory could not keep prejudiced feelings and beliefs away. The newly freed African Americans who lived in the South ...
In 1984, George Orwell presents an overly controlled society that is run by Big Brother. The protagonist, Winston, attempts to “stay human” in the face of a dehumanizing, totalitarian regime. Big Brother possesses so much control over these people that even the most natural thoughts such as love and sex are considered taboo and are punishable. Big Brother has taken this society and turned each individual against one another. Parents distrust their own offspring, husband and wife turn on one another, and some people turn on their own selves entirely. The people of Oceania become brainwashed by Big Brother. Punishment for any uprising rebellions is punishable harshly.
December 7,1941 was a crucial day in time that impacted more than one 's life. Finding itself involved in a war that was spreading across nearly every continent, the United States took shelter as the attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor began. America worked hard in the following months to build up support and necessary needs. They built tanks, planes, ships and weapons to fight the war with great power. The American government then went on to build support through the people, mostly by creating posters advertising ways to financially support the war and the troops. World War II propaganda made a huge impact with war efforts on both the American and Japanese sides. Its purpose was to make the enemy be seen as an evil entity and make people want