A Soldier Always At War English Literature Essay

A Soldier Always At War English Literature Essay Many war veterans have a hard time adjusting to life after war. What happened in the war is always on their mind. What they went through was so tragic that they cannot forget about what happened. Krebs in Earnest Hemingways Soldiers Home is struggling to adapt to normal life after coming home from World War I. He is not the same person he was before the war, I dont love anybody (169). His view on the world is different. He even sees women in a different way than he did before, Besides he did not really need a girl. The army had taught him that (166). Krebs came home from the war later than most of the other soldiers. People in his hometown do not have the patients to listen to his war stories. He may feel that people do not understand what he went through His town had heard too many atrocity stories to be thrilled by actualities (165). It also may make him feel like he is different than everyone else. Since no one wants to hear about his stores, and he does not want to take any conse quences of living in a civilized manner, he can never move on in his life from the war. The saying you cant go home again relates to Krebs because the war is always on his mind and he cannot escape it. Hemmingway makes a clear distinction in the story between the two names that Krebs goes by. His family still calls him Harold; the text refers to him by Krebs. Before the war, Krebs is known as Harold. Harold was an innocent boy. His life was simple. He did not have much experience of the world. He had enlisted to the war from a Methodist college. He enlisted to the Marines most likely because many of his friends enlisted. Like many whom enlisted during the time, he had not had any experience in the battlefield. The death of his friends, and fellow people that he knew was tragic. The death he saw from the war scarred him. His family always knows him as Harold I had a talk with your father last night, Harold (167). After the war though, Krebs left behind a part of himself back in Europe. He never talks about how bad the battles were. He was in some of the bloodiest battles in the war. He never talks about them because he does not want to relive them. The battles changed him because he saw so much death. He is no longer Harold. The war had such an impact on him that he turned into a completely different person. No one recognizes this new person. Other than the change of names the war changed Krebss view on women. In Europe it was all about the sex. He does not want a relationship with a woman in his own town because relationships are complicated, and he does not want to take any risks and lose anything else. Krebs did not have to communicated much with the French or German girls, But he would not go through all the talking (167). Having a relationship is too much work for Krebs. All he cares about it the sex, You couldnt talk much and you did not need to talk (167). Doing all the work to get a girl is too much work. Krebs just returned home and is not used to the women. At Germany he did not have to do much to get attention from them There is a picture which shows him on the Rhine with two German girls and another corporal. Krebs and the corporal look too big for their uniforms. The German girls are not beautiful (165). The only way that he could have a relationship is to more on from what happened from the war, but he is ha ving too much of a hard time. Krebss family knows that he needs to move on from the war. They try to encourage him to drive the family car. They likely do this so that Krebs can have more freedom. They may think that letting him have the ability to drive the family car will make him want to do other things like getting a job or going back to school He thinks you have lost your ambitions, that you havent got a definite aim in life (169). Krebs says he loves no one, because he does not want to take any consequences. They wanted him to get a job but, Krebs does not want to do it. His mother is probably the most desperate person to want him to move on. She prayed for him to try to give him some hope, but Krebs does not think much of it. He does not want to do what his mother and father ask him to do, because he wants to live a simple life. He no long has any ambition like his father predicts. He lost that during the war. He sees his sister play baseball because she is much like he wants to be. Young, innocent, and si mple. That is what Krebs wants to be after the war. Krebs may never go back to who he once was. He has to move on from the war to be able to achieve anything in his life. He is always remembering what happened in the war. He wishes he was back in Germany sometimes. He also needs to tell people about his stories without lying about it. Before he left the war, he fit in well with his hometown. Now he is an outcast to everyone. He will not take any chances in life anymore. He saw too many people die in the war from taking chances. The saying you cant go home again may live with Krebs his entire life. His views may never change. He may never move on. His family still knows his as Harold, but he will remain to be Krebs as long as he decides.

Heracles as a Paradox in Women of Trachis Essay -- Women of Trachis Es

Heracles as a Paradox in Women of Trachis Using the portrayal of Hercules in Sophocles' tragedy Women of Trachis, a puzzling image of the Greek hero emerges. Most of the myths of Heracles portray him as a fierce warrior, tamer of beasts and a master of everything he attempts. This myth however, shows honorable traits juxtaposed with very negative aspects of the same man. Heracles is a paradox because even though he is a very great man and ideal hero, in some ways he is savage, highly emotional and even vulnerable. Sophocles' version of Heracles' life, or at least part of it, made Heracles look less like a Greek hero and more like an ordinary Greek warrior. There are a few exceptions though. For one, Zeus was his father. Not many of the children of gods were thought of as ordinary. All of them had some terrific power or ability like Hercules. Secondly, his ability to fulfill his assigned tasks in the way in which he does shows in no uncertain terms, he is more than a common man is. Lastly, Hercules is granted immortality as a reward for impressing the gods on Mount Olympus. This final item is of special importance because it itself is a paradox. Was Hercules a Greek hero or was he a God? These things all lead me to see Hercules the man clearly but his relationships to things outside his heroic motif are a puzzle. Let us start by identifying the purpose of identifying Hercules as a hero. There are eight identifiable traits that must be present in order to declare somebody a Greek hero. The first point is divine birth. Hercules being a son of Zeus meets this requirement. He is threatened almost immediately by a jealous Hera but saved by his own strength and fearless valor. His up bringing was by an outsider, actually ... ...ignity but Heracles refused to admit his end was coming. All the times he left for a task he went in search of fame but "not to die." (Sophocles, Women, l 159-60) Then why did he think to leave his will with Deianira? It was obvious the tablet described the way his land should be divided up amongst his children so why was he still not ready for his fate? It is because Heracles thought of himself as a hero and could not imagine the gods fate him to death. All these contradicting sides of Heracles makes him a more interesting figure in ancient texts but they also create quite confusion. Why after all the evil, horrid things he did would the gods make him immortal? Heracles truly is a paradox. Works Cited: Sophocles. The Women of Trachis. Trans. Michael Jameson. Sophocles II. Ed. David Grene and Richmond Lattimore. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957.

The Underground Railroad Essay -- History Historical Slavery Essays

The Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was one of the most remarkable protests against slavery in United States history. It was a fight for personal survival, which many slaves lost in trying to attain their freedom. Slaves fought for their own existence in trying to keep with the traditions of their homeland, their homes in which they were so brutally taken away from. In all of this turmoil however they managed to preserve the customs and traditions of their native land. These slaves fought for their existence and for their cultural heritage with the help of many people and places along the path we now call the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a secret operation that began during the 19th century, and reached its peak during the time of 1830 – 1865. The story of the Underground Railroad was one of individual sacrifice and great courage in the efforts of the African American people to reach freedom, with the help of many interconnected â€Å"stations† (Introduction to the Underground Railroad?). The number of sites connected with the Underground Railroad was immense. The Underground Railroad was any direction slaves traveled to freedom. It was a huge scheme of paths through marshes, over mountains, along rivers, and by sea. No real trains existed on the Underground Railroad, but guides were called conductors. Runaways escaped to the North along a series of routes that stretched through the southern Border States (â€Å"History and Geography†). Slaves who escaped into the western territories, Mexico and the Caribbean, then tried to blend in with the free African American communities, which lived in these areas (Slavery’s Past). There were many conductors in many different states, all of which were important to the Underground Railroad. The most notable of these was Harriet Tubman. Harriet made nineteen trips back to Slave States to help members of her family and other slaves to escape to freedom. She was a woman who could not read or write, but she helped over three hundred slaves to their freedom. She had many encounters with slave traders and others, who tried to capture her, but she never got caught, and she never lost a single slave (Harriet Tubman). Another important figure in the Underground Railroad was Stephen Myers. Stephen Myers helped the Underground Railroad from 1830 to 1850. In this time he helped thousands o... ...ic linking the people of Africa and America. It is a story of places, North and South. It is a story of secrets involving routes and language, codes and music. In the end it is a story of jubilation and freedom, bought at a great price by individuals. Works Cited African Genesis. History and Geography of the Underground Railroad. Nov. 7, 2000 Appleseed Recording. Free at Last.1998 Cairnes, John E. Slavery’s Past. Lilly W. The Underground Railroad. June 16, 1999 Maryland’s African American Heritage. Harriet Tubman. Siebert, Wilbur. The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom. New York: Arno Press and the New York Times 1968 U.C. Davis Division of Education. The Freedom Sympathizers and Fighters. May 1996 U.C. Davis Division of Education. What was The Underground Railroad?. May 1996. Underground Railroad Workshop. Able Brown. 2000 Underground Railroad Workshop. Stephen Myers. 2000 Underground Railroad Workshop. The role of the Quaker Community. 2000 United States. National Park Service. Introduction to the Underground Railroad. United States. National Park Service & History Association. In Search of Freedom. August 1996

The Atomic Bomb :: essays research papers

The Atomic Bomb The year was 1945. The war in the Pacific had reached it's climax with the attack on Pearl Harbor, or so the world thought! In 1943 a new era was just being discovered when Albert Einstein had uncovered a new way of destroying things. One so powerful it could wipe out entire cities in seconds. When Albert told the president of the U.S.A. he had no idea of what the army was going to do with that knowlege, the knowlege of Atomic Theory! When the president of the United States of America heard of this new theory he decided to embark on a project that would change mankind forever. He decided to name this project the Manhatten Project. This project was headed by six of the worlds best scientists: Neils Bohr, Joseph Carter, Enrico Fermi, Richard Feyman, and Robert Oppenheimer, each with their own ideas of what it would take to construct such a weapon. From left to right: Neils Borh, Robert Oppenheimer, Richard Feyman, Enrico Fermi The object of the project was to produce a practical military weapon in the form of a bomb in which the energy would be released by a fast neutron chain reaction in one or more of the materials known to show nuclear fission. That goal was to be completed in 1945 after the U.S.A. spent over 6.7 Billion Dollars on the test bomb named the "Trinity". I t was dropped on Alagormado in Texas on July 16th 1945. When Albert Einstein heard about the "Trinity" he called the president directly and asked for a halt on all atomic bomb projects for he did not want to hurt anyone with his discovery. But when spies reported the Germans working on such a project the Manhatten project was continued. The long nights there after were hell for the president while deciding to launch the soon to be completed "Little Boy" bomb. Finally, the american troops were told to load "Little Boy" in the specifically designed plane Enola Gay. With Paul Tibbets and his crew of 12 strapped in the plane named after Paul's mother, the American president gave the order to fly to Hiroshima. They chose Hiroshima baecause it was a major industrial Japanese port which held many Japanese seacraft. It was July 16 1945 at about 8:14 when Paul Tibbets got the order to open the hatch and arm the bomb. After released it took a little less than 1 minute for it to detonate. Over 40,000 innocent lives were taken with the blast and over 100,000 were taken in the next ten years from exposure to extreme radiation.

Crime and Punishment - Raskolnikovs Extraordinary Man Theory :: Dostoevsky Crime and Punishment

Crime and Punishment -   Raskolnikov's Extraordinary Man Theory  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the novel, Crime and Punishment, the principle character, Raskolnikov, has unknowingly published a collection of his thoughts on crime and punishment via an article entitled "On Crime." Porfiry, who is trying to link Raskolnikov to a murder, has uncovered this article, read it, and tells Raskolnikov that he is very interested in learning about his ideas. Porfiry brings Raskolnikov into this conversation primarily to find out more about Raskolnikov's possible involvement in the crime. Raskolnikov decides to take him up on the challenge of discussing his theory, and embarks into a large discussion of his philosophy of man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Raskolnikov holds that by a law of nature men have been "somewhat arbitrarily" divided into two groups--ordinary and extraordinary. Raskolnikov believe that the duty and vocation of the first group is to be servile, the material out of which the world and society is to be formed. The first group are the people of the present, the now. The second group, those who are extraordinary, are a step above the normal, ordinary curs. They have the ability to overstep normal bounds and transgress the rights of those who are simply ordinary. They are the prime movers--they have a right to transcend normal societal strictures to accomplish those things they have determined are valid in their conscience. Extraordinary men are the prime movers. He cites such extraordinary men as Newton, Mahomet, and Napoleon. He tells us that Newton had the right to kill hundreds of men if need be in order to bring to the world knowledge of his findings. Napoleon and oth er leaders created a new word. They overturned ancient laws and created new ones. They had the right to uphold their new ideal, even if it meant killing innocent men defending the ancient law. "The first class of people preserve and people the world, the second move the world and lead it to its goal." Despite these tremendous differences in his theory, and the obvious superiority that the extraordinary people are afforded, Raskolnikov maintains that both classes have an equal right to exist. This is interesting, and anyone who sees tremendous problems with this theory must realize this very important point--both classes of men and women are necessary to understand the true meaning of Raskolnikov's theory.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Without the extraordinary branch of men, without their ability and moral obligation to overstep the bounds of society at certain times, the history of the world would never have progressed to the state that we find ourselves now. Crime and Punishment - Raskolnikov's Extraordinary Man Theory :: Dostoevsky Crime and Punishment Crime and Punishment -   Raskolnikov's Extraordinary Man Theory  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the novel, Crime and Punishment, the principle character, Raskolnikov, has unknowingly published a collection of his thoughts on crime and punishment via an article entitled "On Crime." Porfiry, who is trying to link Raskolnikov to a murder, has uncovered this article, read it, and tells Raskolnikov that he is very interested in learning about his ideas. Porfiry brings Raskolnikov into this conversation primarily to find out more about Raskolnikov's possible involvement in the crime. Raskolnikov decides to take him up on the challenge of discussing his theory, and embarks into a large discussion of his philosophy of man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Raskolnikov holds that by a law of nature men have been "somewhat arbitrarily" divided into two groups--ordinary and extraordinary. Raskolnikov believe that the duty and vocation of the first group is to be servile, the material out of which the world and society is to be formed. The first group are the people of the present, the now. The second group, those who are extraordinary, are a step above the normal, ordinary curs. They have the ability to overstep normal bounds and transgress the rights of those who are simply ordinary. They are the prime movers--they have a right to transcend normal societal strictures to accomplish those things they have determined are valid in their conscience. Extraordinary men are the prime movers. He cites such extraordinary men as Newton, Mahomet, and Napoleon. He tells us that Newton had the right to kill hundreds of men if need be in order to bring to the world knowledge of his findings. Napoleon and oth er leaders created a new word. They overturned ancient laws and created new ones. They had the right to uphold their new ideal, even if it meant killing innocent men defending the ancient law. "The first class of people preserve and people the world, the second move the world and lead it to its goal." Despite these tremendous differences in his theory, and the obvious superiority that the extraordinary people are afforded, Raskolnikov maintains that both classes have an equal right to exist. This is interesting, and anyone who sees tremendous problems with this theory must realize this very important point--both classes of men and women are necessary to understand the true meaning of Raskolnikov's theory.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Without the extraordinary branch of men, without their ability and moral obligation to overstep the bounds of society at certain times, the history of the world would never have progressed to the state that we find ourselves now.

Abolitionism †African American Essay

With abolition is found the gateway towards freedom. The African American influence in this area was of great authority especially in rural districts such as Lancaster and Chester Counties (Pennsylvania). In these groups sometimes the blacks worked alone and sometimes they partnered with whites. With this movement, African Americans used brute force to gain what they wanted (Bordewich, 138). Abolitionism was a great aid in spearheading the rights of blacks serving as soldiers. The abolitionism movement was fueled with evangelical religion, which deemed slavery as a sin. With this motto, members of the movement (both white and black) demanded that slavery be done away with, and terminated completely (Glatthaar, 15). The abolition movement is one in which its essential existence is tied integrally with that of African Americans, for it is their freedom which is at stake and is the goal of the movement. In the abolition movement is found the beginnings of the Anti-Slavery Society that has this as its constitution, This Society shall aim to elevate the character and condition of the people of color, by encouraging their intellectual, moral and religious improvement, and by removing public prejudice, that thus they may, according to their intellectual and moral worth, share an equality with the whites, of civil and religious privileges; but this Society will never, in any way, countenance the oppressed in vindicating their rights by resorting to physical force. Here is established the beating heart of the movement, to liberate the black community, and restore to them their God-given rights as humans to live freely, without adversity, without a fundamental challenge to their worth as part of humanity. Conclusion The myriad of influences the African American culture and people had on the Civil War is vast in its subjects, from black soldiers, the abolitionists, to their role in religion, African Americans have proven that their participation in the Civil War is essential. Black soldiers were only given praise and trustworthiness after they had proven themselves in the field of battle as equal compatriots to the Northern white soldier. During the clandestine times of the Underground Railroad, African Americans showed their dedication, and their strength of will through traveling thousands of miles to be free, and then they traversed the same paths in order to allow for other fugitives to find their way to the North. In Frederick Douglass there was found a man who stood for what he believed, not only in speech, but also in action. His deliberate animosity to ignorance in owning slaves helped to fuel the fires of the abolition movement, and thus the public awareness and knowledge of what slavery truly is: a vile creature, distorted with hate, and allowed to live only through dictatorship, and autocracy. McPherson states of the Civil War, â€Å"The Lincoln administration and the Republican press, even antislavery newspapers such as the new York Tribune, declared emphatically that the purpose of the war was the restoration of the Union, and that the issues of slavery and the Negro had nothing to do with the conflict† (22). Without the establishment of the Underground Railroad, the Abolitionist movement, and the fight for freed blacks to become soldiers, the Civil War would not hold for a history about the emancipation of a race, but the unification of a country instead. The ultimate influence that the African Americans had in the Civil War was their participation in all aspects of it; they were not going to be denied their human right to be their own masters, and without their voices and contributions in the war, slavery might not be an old issue. Without the personal stories of African Americans such as Frederick Douglass then the war would be empty of freedom. As McPherson quotes of Susie King Taylor, In this ‘land of the free’ we are burned, tortured, and denied a fair trial, murdered for any imaginary wrong conceived in the brain of the negro-hating white man. There is no redress for us from a government which promised to protect all under its flag. It seems a mystery to me. They say, ‘One flag, one nation, one country indivisible. ’ Is this true? Can we say this truthfully, when one race is allowed to burn, hang, and inflict the most horrible torture weekly, monthly, on another? No, we cannot sing, ‘My country, ‘t is of thee, Sweet land of Liberty’! It is hollow mockery. The Southland laws are all on the side of the white, and they do just as they like to the negro, whether in the right or not†¦(313). African Americans made this their war. Through fortitude and strength of will, they placed their faith in the decency of the Northern states and abolitionists to see the truth of the hate and prejudice in the country. The Civil War would not be about freedom, and the extraction of the activity of slavery in America if not for African Americans. African Americans paved the way for their own rebellion by speaking up, by acting, by using their talents in the field of battle and fighting for themselves, for liberation, for their sisters, brothers, mothers, and fathers. Without the influence of African Americans, the Civil War would have been just about unification. Work Cited Bordewich, Fergus M.Bound for Canaan. The Underground Railroad and the War for The Soul of America. HarperCollins, New York. 2005. Elkins, Stanely. Slavery. University of Chicago Press. 1976. Glatthaar, Joseph T. Forged in Battle: The Civil War Alliance of Black Soldiers and White Officers. The Free Press. New York, 1991. McPherson, James M. The Negro’s Civil War. Pantheon Books. New York, 1965. McPherson, James M. Ordeal by Fire. McGraw Hill. New York. 2001 Tracy, O. 2005. http://www. teacheroz. com/index. htm.

Leaving Belfast

Focused on a conflictive time for Belfast, Andrew Motion tries to express the devastation that Belfast suffered during the economy's decline years and the influence that the political issues had in the society. The narrators sadness for having to leave his beloved city can be felt all over the poem. The poem was published at a very difficult time for Belfast. Conflicts and violence were present in all the streets.On the one hand, manufacturing industries were on a cline and economy was in its worst situation; on the other hand, the city was divided in two parts: the Catholics and the Protestants. The poem introduced us two people going to the airport. One of them has decided to stay In the city, but the other wants to leave It. On the way to the airport, the narrator looks back from the top of the hills of the road and feels nostalgia for leaving the city behind. The author uses lots of descriptions which are representative of the sadness of the narrator, but also of the image that t he city had acquired.As the narrator states, he doesn't leave Belfast because of fear, although the violence of the bombs could make him feel scared; he leave it because he feels like a stranger in his own city and because the political issues are having a tremendous impact in the habitants of the city. In the last part of the poem, the narrators explains what is the thing most annoying for him. His beloved city doesn't seem to be on the way of the change so, unfortunately, he has to leave from Belfast and let it behind. Leaving Belfast Is a 7 stanzas poem consisted of 4 lines In each stanza, what we call a quatrain.The feet analyzed In the poem don't seem to have any relation between them, but we could say that although the position of the stressed syllable doesn't seem to have any concordance, most of them are what we call Rising feet, because in most of the occasions the unstressed syllables happen to appear before the stressed one and not the other way. The poem is a free verse poem; it doesn't respect any regular rhyme scheme as it is written in a narrative way, using the narrative techniques that were widespread in the 20th century, trying to reflect his feelings by he words of a narrator.The first stanza introduces us the main characters, the one staying in Belfast and the one leaving. In the second and the third stanza the narrator, the one staying, tell us about the way they have done leaving Belfast, how he feels doing it and what he see while he Is moving away. In the next stanzas, the narrator builds up a strong feel of devastation referral to Belfast. He shows us a society which Is In decline and under a world of violence. Finally, in the last stanzas, he expresses his feelings in this tuition, feeling like a stranger, and goes ahead with his decision to leave the city.The poem, which at first sight doesn't seem to be very complex, hides lots of stylistic devices that should be mentioned. The devices that appear more regularly are the figurative o nes, which explain something but in an inordinate way. The biggest example could be what we call Imagery. The test is very rich in images of Belfast, as the narrator helps the reader to visualize the way Belfast is decaying and how it is not more a sweet home for him. This can be perceived all along in the poem because he entire poem is highly representative of the Belfast society.There are other type of devices such as Paradox, on the first line of the third stanza, â€Å"geographies of punishment and love†; Personifications, third stanza â€Å"silence deepens under rain† or fifth stanza â€Å"the moon filling rooms with shadow politics†; or also Metaphors, third stanza â€Å"gust of light explains itself as flames† referring to the suns flashes, which are so heavy as flames, or in the last stanza â€Å"until it disappears at last in darkness†¦ † Referring to his Journey, that he has already left Belfast behind.The sound techniques, on the ot her hand, are not so clear. The most representative one could be the use of the stressed words made by the author, which immerse the reader in the Belfast atmosphere. The poem reflects the dramatic situation Belfast was suffering in those days where violence was common in the whole town. The poem has been created by the strong emotions Andrew Motion felt for his country and hometown, because the authors own feelings of the topic are represented everywhere. Those many details allow us to picture the Belfast scene.