War in the Works of Virginia Woolf, Siegfried Sassoon, and Wilfred Owen

1512 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Impact of World War 1 and 2 on literature

War in the Works of Virginia Woolf, Siegfried Sassoon, and Wilfred Owen

War has the ability to destroy not only countries and society, but families and individuals as well. Adverse effects are often the outcome of a war. It is not looked at in a positive way and often causes conflict. Through the works of Virginia Woolf, Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, and the 1992 Welsh film Hedd Wyn the effects of war are made apparent. All of them express their representations of war differently; however, the works have many similarities as well.

In Mrs. Dalloway, Woolf shows the effects of war in simple and complex ways. Mrs. Dalloway has traveled to London to buy flowers for her party. The Great War had just ended and not only was the queen holding a party to celebrate its long awaited end, Clarissa Dalloway was also. While walking through the streets Mrs. Dalloway rejoiced in the noise and bustle of the city. All of this represented life, Woolf seemed to want to show her audience that regular everyday events in the city were meaningful and exciting, life can go on after war. Clarissa delighted in all of the clamor and bustle; she found it invigorating and exciting. Woolf is quick to show us a very different point of view with her intriguing character Septimus Warren Smith.

Septimus is an ex-soldier who was a casualty of the Great War. He suffers from shell shock and constantly thinks of killing himself. Septimus’ reality has completely been altered since he returned from war. The smallest noise, such as the car back firing, had the ability to send him into complete hysterics. Even though the war was over he lived in fear; his unconscious was haunting him. Septimus was insane and basically lived in his...

... middle of paper ...

...oth wanted to go to war; their lives were forever changed from this decision. Owen and Ellis were both uncertain about the war and why it was being fought, yet they both ended up there. Neither of them came home. All four have shown us the ugliness that war brings. Though they had their differences in why they went and how their lives’ turned out, they all experienced the wrath. Some experiences were fictional and others real, yet the portrayal and representation of war all boiled down to the same thing. It is ugly and effects the lives of everyone either directly or indirectly. Lives are forever changed in the presence of war. Woolf, Sassoon, Owen, and Ellis showed us this through their stories, poems, and personal experiences.

Work Cited

The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Twentieth Century, Volume 2C Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway.

Show More
Related

  • War and Memory in Irene Zabytko?s ?Home Soil?, Bruce Weigl?s ?Song of Napalm?, and Wilfred Owen?s ?Dulce et Decorum Est?

    755 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Higher Ground: Marxism in DeLillo's White Noise

    1848 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ducts are made to serve as solutions to the impending troubles of the public, but instead perpetuate the fears of their impending deaths. . What makes this fear exclusively bourgeoisie is that, according to Williams, only this class has the time to consider their “livelihood.”

    Read More

  • Mycotoxins Essay

    1667 Words  | 4 Pages

    The most common route of exposure to mycotoxins is ingestion, but it may also involve dermal, respiratory, and parenteral routes, the last being associated with drug abuse (Peraica and Domijan, 2001). In general, animals are directly exposed to mycotoxins through the consumption of mouldy feedstuffs, eating contaminated foods, skin contact with mould infected substrates and inhalation of spore-borne toxins (Bennett and Klich, 2003a). Human exposure to mycotoxins may result from consumption of plant-derived foods that are contaminated with toxins, the carry-over of mycotoxins and their metabolites in animal products such as meat and eggs (Veldman, 2004) or exposure to air and dust containing toxins (Jarvis, 2002). Most importantly, the presence of potentially toxigenic fungi does not imply the presence of mycotoxins, nor does the finding of mycotoxins prove that a particular species is, or was, present. Toxin production is dependent on substrates, nutrient levels, moisture, pH, and temperature (Murtoniemi et al.,

    Read More

  • Mycotoxins Essay

    815 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are several classification of mycotoxins base on the field of study. Different researchers grouped mycotoxins according to their area of study and the toxicity levels. For example, the Cell biologist grouped mycotoxins into generic classes such as teratogens, mutagens, carcinogens, and allergens. While the clinicians classified mycotoxins base on the body organs they affect such as hepatotoxins, nephrotoxins, neurotoxins, immunotoxins, and others. The organic chemists classified mycotoxins base on their chemical structure including lactones, coumarins, and so forth. Base on their biosynthetic source mycotoxins are grouped by biochemists as polyketides, amino acid-derived mycotoxins, etc. The physicians according to the illnesses they

    Read More

  • Bankruptcy and Insurance

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    Twomey, D. (2013). Anderson's Business Law and the Legal Environment, Comprehensive Volume [VitalSouce bookshelf version]. Retrieved from http://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/books/9781285696683/id/L35-1-7

    Read More

  • Wilfred Owen: Human Cruelty

    1377 Words  | 3 Pages

    World War One had an inevitable effect on the lives of many young and naive individuals, including Wilfred Owen, who, like many others, joined the military effort with the belief that he would find honour, wealth and adventure. The optimism which Owen initially had toward the conflict is emphasised in the excerpt, in which he is described as “a young poet…with a romantic view of war common among the young” (narrator), a view which rapidly changed upon reaching the front. Owen presents responders with an overwhelming exploration of human cruelty on other individuals through acts of war and the clash of individual’s opposed feelings influenced by the experiences of human cruelty. This is presented through the horrific nature of war which the

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon's War Poetry

    1667 Words  | 4 Pages

    told he was out of action for six months. It was here that he first

    Read More

  • Brave New World - Unit Essay

    1765 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Brave New World the process of populating the earth is through fertilizing, decanting, and conditioning. Fertilizing takes place when embryos are placed in bottle and fertilized. Decanting is the process which takes the place of live birth. Then conditioning is the process of literally brainwashing the infants with the “morality”, culture, and philosophy of Brave New World. Through the conditioning they are taught to be deprived of literature and deities, the common sense of “what is right and what is wrong”. Through the conditioning they are also taught to scorn those who do not conform to the set standards of behaviour. When John, Bernard and Helmholtz were arrested they paid a visit to the Controller; Mustapha Mond. While Helmholtz and Bernard barely said anything while in the Controller’s office, John and Mond took up most of the dialogue. When John asked why liter...

    Read More

  • Diagnosing Septimus Smith in Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway

    1424 Words  | 3 Pages

    Virginia Woolf’s novel, Mrs. Dalloway, features a severely mentally ill man named Septimus Smith. Throughout the novel the reader glimpses moments of Septimus’s dementia and how his poor frazzled wife, Rezia, deals with him. Septimus, who has returned from the war and met Rezia in Italy on his discharge, has a seriously skewed version of reality. He has been through traumatic events during the war, including the death of his commanding officer and friend, Evans. Upon his return to England he suffers from hallucinations, he hears voices (especially Evans’), and he believes that the trees have a special message to convey to him. Rezia attempts to get Septimus help by taking him to several doctors. Ultimately Septimus commits suicide rather than let the doctors get to him.

    Read More

  • Personal Statement

    1564 Words  | 4 Pages

    Since my early schooling days, science and mathematics have always fascinated me given that all components of the world are explained on the basis of these disciplines. In this regard, Pharmacy which is based on Chemistry and Mathematics has interested me a great deal as it has direct impacts on our daily lives. The more I have become familiar with the chemistry and mathematics knowledge involved in pharmacy, the more I have appreciated its significance in improving the lives of people in the community. Out of the many careers that one would opt to pursue, Pharmacy has stood out as the career that will enable me serve the society more directly and have a real impact in the quality of peoples’ lives by touching their health. In addition, I love a career that is challenging and one that I will be involved in even in old age. In this case, Pharmacy offers me this opportunity. My interest in Pharmacy has also developed from my personal health experiences and becoming aware of its expansiveness. Every time I have had to take medicine to cure an illness, I have become more interested to know how drugs are made and how the drug components work in the human body to alleviate pain and restore health. I desire to pursue a career in Pharmacy so as to gain practical experience in these aspects of research.

    Read More

  • Memory in Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway

    1972 Words  | 4 Pages

    Memory of Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway. Clarissa Dalloway and Peter Walsh are defined by their memories. Virginia Woolf creates their characters through the memories they share, and indeed fabricates their very identities from these mutual experiences. Mrs. Dalloway creates a unique tapestry of time and memory, interweaving past and present, memory and dreams. The past is the key to the future, and indeed for these two characters the past creates the future, shaping them into the people they are on the June day described by Woolf.

    Read More

  • Female Relationships in Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway

    1447 Words  | 3 Pages

    Clarissa's relationships with other females in Mrs. Dalloway offer great insight into her personality. Additionally, Woolf's decision to focus at length on Sally Seton, Millicent Bruton, Ellie Henderson, and Doris Kilman allows the reader to see how women relate to one another in extremely different ways: sometimes drawing upon one another for things they cannot get from men; other times, turning on one another out of jealousy and insecurity. Although Mrs. Dalloway is far from the most healthy or positive literary portrayal of women, Woolf presents an excellent exploration of female relationships.

    Read More

  • Dulce Et Decorum Est, And Wilfred Owen's Impact Of War On Poetry

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    World War I impacted poetry profoundly. Poets who served in the war were using poetry to share their horrific stories about the hardships they faced. These poets became known as “war poets.” They wrote about the traumatic, life changing experiences that haunted them once the war was over. Intense poems started emerging that portrayed the mental and physical struggles soldiers faced. Two examples of the impact that World War I had on poetry is seen in the poems “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen and “Repression of War Experience” by Siegfried Sassoon.

    Read More

  • Challenges of Virtual Teams

    1098 Words  | 3 Pages

    A virtual team is a group of people working interdependently via various types of electronic media across organizational and geographical boundaries for a shared purpose (D’Souza & Colarelli, 2010). Research indicates virtual teams are becoming increasingly popular in organizations across the United States and the world (D’Souza & Colarelli, 2010; Rusman, van Bruggen, Sloep, & Koper, 2010). These teams vary in size, degree of geographic dispersion, prior shared work experience, nature of assignment, and expectations of a common future (Rusman et al., 2010). Although virtual teams have potential advantages like the removal of physical boundaries, the ability to form new partnerships, and optimization of competencies (Chinowsky & Rojas, 2003), they also introduce many challenges that may not be as prevalent in traditional teams.

    Read More

  • Essay On Mycotoxins

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    Fungi produce several toxic substances. However, not all these toxic substances can be classified as mycotoxins. These toxins are classified and defined based on the hosts they harm, and the amount of toxins secreted by fungi. For example, toxins that are produced to harm bacteria are grouped as antibiotics while toxins harmful to humans are called mycotoxins[1]. It is important to note that the term mycotoxins are limited only to fungal toxins required at low concentrations to produce disease in humans. Mycotoxins have no specific definition. Several papers and books use different characteristics in defining mycotoxins. As an example, some researchers refer to mycotoxins as low molecular weight secondary metabolites produced by fungi which are harmful to humans and other animals in their lowest concentration[1-3]. Interestingly,

    Read More

More about War in the Works of Virginia Woolf, Siegfried Sassoon, and Wilfred Owen

Open Document