How Does War Change Us? by Ellie Proffitt

“Dreamers” by Siegfried Sassoon

proffittem — 2024-11-19 15:08:05 UTC

War tends to make people very hopeful. It is such a gruesome and dark subject to talk about, so people try to find light in it. A quote from ‘Dreamers’,

“Soldiers are dreamers; when the guns begin

They think of fire lit homes, clean beds, and wives.”

This quote displays a lot of hope. It gives us insight on how soldiers actually feel. They aren’t enjoying what they are doing, they want to be at home with their loved ones.

Death is always around a soldier, so it is better for them to think of what could be rather than what is probable. It’s a way of comfort for them. PTSD (shell shock) could not be maintained in those ages. They couldn’t “chicken out” or show a lot of weakness. It would’ve resulted in them being executed. Soldiers had to distract themselves with something. A second quote from ‘Dreamers’,

“Foul dug-outs, gnawed by rats,

And in the ruined trenches, lashed with rain,

Dreaming of things they did with balls and bats.”

This quote shows a fraction of the conditions soldiers had to survive and endure. It would be hard to not go crazy. If you didn’t have something to look forward to, what would you do?

“Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen

proffittem — 2024-11-20 14:53:23 UTC

The irony of the last stanza is the author had previously made it very clear the horrible environment they are in is dangerous and mood-killing. The theme of this poem is even though the soldiers are fighting for you, it doesn’t mean they want to be. The author realizes how much of a sacrifice it is to be serving. Serving is not sweet nor honorable to him because he had to watch his friends die, he had to kill people, and he had to fight even when his crew was dying all around him. Not everyone will remember you when you’re gone, and there aren’t many people to make you feel honored for your service. Something in the poem that proves this is when the author says the quote “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” is an ‘old lie.’ He also gruesomely describes beforehand why war is so awful and not worth the little recognition you get. At one point he says, “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge.” He describes him and his crew as if they were zombies because of how drained they are from this war.

Comparative outline for WWI poems

proffittem — 2024-11-21 14:36:29 UTC

In “Dreamers” by Siegfried Sassoon and “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen, the poems exhibit similarities/differences by sharing the extreme gruesome experiences in the war. For “Dreamers”, support for this when the author talks about the soldiers being littered with rat bites, rain, and covered in mud. These soldiers had to fight in awful weather conditions and in pain. For “Dulce et Decorum Est”, the author talks about how the soldiers are smothered with gas, “drunk with fatigue”, and how they witness death everyday.

The differences in these two poems is one focuses on the hope of the war being over and the other one hints at it being a mistake to join. “Dreamers” talks about all the things the soldiers miss doing and look forward to after the war. In “Dulce et Decorum Est”, the author talks about how it’s not worth it. He says, “The old lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori.” He is saying it’s a lie for it to be sweet and honorable to serve the country. He thinks this because of the gruesome and intense situations they have to survive in.

Slideshow

proffittem — 2024-12-04 14:24:21 UTC

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/18xJxtXj5ik7BdcAO2EBZRfjZr5rtg39NuHoprykq94k/edit

Timeline

proffittem — 2024-12-05 15:07:47 UTC

Night by Elie Wiesel

proffittem — 2024-12-11 14:39:39 UTC

In Night by Elie Wiesel, the theme of loss of innocence is evident. The first instance of this theme occurs when the prisoners were told they aren’t allowed out past that evening. This is made clear when the passage says, “We knew what that meant.” This example shows a sense of dread. Dread can lead to fear of the unknown future. He shouldn’t have to fear his or his peers deaths. This theme appears again when the authors father tells him that he’s been instructed to stay behind. This is made clear when the author says “Don’t talk like that, Father. (I felt that I would break into sobs.) I don’t want you to say that.” This example shows that he is nearly having a panic attack out of the fear of losing his father. Ultimately, the main character is as brave as anyone could be in those situations. Losing someone is hard and not being able to be with them is harder. The unknown is the thing that scares us all, especially if we know it will take a great toll on us. Loss of innocence is very big in this passage and it shows in many ways. Fearing death isn’t something people do at a young age. And they shouldn’t have to do that for others either.

Chart

proffittem — 2024-12-17 15:06:58 UTC

Lyrics

proffittem — 2024-12-17 15:37:13 UTC