Skip to main content

The Ignorance and Impact of War


The Ignorance and Impact of War

Mark Twain's The Private History of Campaign That Failed and Ambrose Bierce's Chickamauga are two extremely different Civil War stories, one chronicling a band of inexperienced southerners and their cowardly escapades through Missouri and the other that lays out the story of a boy who stumbles upon the aftermath of the Battle of Chickamauga. However, there are similar concepts expressed through both the stories such as the ignorance of war, the adventurous spirits yet inexperience of those ready to participate, and most importantly the impact of war.

Twain not only displays an ignorance of true war throughout his actions but also admits it when stating "I should say about half of us looked upon it in much the same way, not consciously perhaps, but unconsciously." This refusal to look at the actuality of the situation and what could come paints the true picture of inexperience and unawareness of the repercussions war brings about. The boy in Chickamauga displays the same ignorance when he rushed into the woods with a wooden sword he made himself and "assumed, with some exaggeration, the postures of aggression and defense that he had been taught by the engraver's art." A real soldier would know better than to storm off alone, much less with a toy sword. 
 the breakfast club whats that GIF

Both Twain and Bierce heavily focus on the adventurous spirits of their characters, which is vitally important for participation in the war was not only for the retention of slaves, but for many it proved to be an escape from the mundanities of everyday farm life. Twain admits "As for myself, I was full of unreasoning joy to be done with turning out of bed at midnight and four in the morning, for a while grateful to have a change, new scenes, new occupations, a new interest." Bierce embraces how the boy "was happy in a new sense of freedom from control, happy in the opportunity of exploration and adventure," portraying the sensation of a new world to witness.

Both writers place a strong emphasis on the impact of war and the collateral damage that erupts as a result. This takes on two drastically different forms however, one with a physical as well as emotional impact, another with mental and emotional repercussions. Twain recounts the tragic moment when the Marion Rangers killed a man who was believed to be a Union soldier stating, "The mans was not in uniform and was not armed. He was a stranger in the country, that was all we ever found out about him." Twain then paints a picture of how the event plagued his mind and even after trying to console himself "there was no solace. . . Against a diseased imagination, demonstration goes for nothing."


scared spongebob GIF


In Bierce's Chickamauga, when the boy arrives to the devastation of the flames he realizes it's his own home and finds his mother mutilated as a result of collateral damage from the battle. He "moved his little hands, making wild, uncertain gestures. He uttered...upon the wreck." This heartbreaking and tragic ending enforces the concept of innocent loss caused by war and the wreckage it brings to those uninvolved.

stressed f the prom GIF by The Orchard Films

Although Twain and Bierce's stories differ in location, narration, perspective, they do exceptionally well in capturing ideals and concepts expressed throughout the Civil War such as the ignorance and inexperience of the soldiers who rushed to battle, the adventurous call that dissolved mundanities of agriculture, and most importantly, the overall impact of war.
 







Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Close Reading of Mending Wall

Robert Frost's Mending Wall  provides insight to the thoughts of a landowner on the stone wall that separates his property from his neighbor's. It is clear the narrator is cognizant of the dividing force of this wall, forcing him to question the validity of the partition. After much circumspect evaluation and consideration, Frost comes to the conclusion that "Something there is that doesn't love a wall." This resolution sprouts from his realization that the physical barrier is useless in this specific scenario and brings about unintended repercussions Close Reading Questions: 1.  How is the title of the poem working? What information is it giving? How would the poem be different with a different title? A: The title of the poem, Mending Wall , provides the reader  with the  focus of the poem, of course being the wall. However, what is also essential about the title is how the narrator and his neighbor engage in mending the wall every spring. The poem would...

Robert Frost Between Modernism and Realism

Robert Frost, the famous nature poet, is often considered a member of the modernism movement, but he also exhibits key aspects of realism in his writings that are important to realize. Where modernism generates the barrage of questioning traditions and curiosity of seeking understanding through deep thinking, realism seeks to establish truth in the reality of life as it is presented, creating different interpretations. These realist and modernist ideals are established in multiple works of his such as Mending Wall , The Road Not Taken , as well as Fire and Ice. Robert Frost walks the line along both perspectives as his works often derive a natural truth from the real world such as nature or emotion while also using this natural truth to provoke curiosity discovered through contemplation. Many of his narrators discover a truth of the world through their observation of reality but also find themselves in deeper questioning of these truths or traditions that've been established. Fro...

Response to Matt's Mind's "The Trickster...s?"

Matt’s take on the trickster figure encompasses multiple characters throughout Chestnutt’s The Passing of Grandison which could possibly signify an underlying theme throughout the work. I focused primarily on Dick Owens being the master manipulator of the entire ploy and plot, but, with the inclusion of characters such as Charity Lomax and Grandison himself, another picture is painted, one of several underlying motives rather than a single one. I agree with all of Matt’s assertions on the various bunch of characters because, in a way, they all hold manipulative characteristics that are presented through their actions. Lomax accomplishes getting Dick into committing a great and heroic act by slyly suggesting certain negative aspects of Dick's character as well as the the brave abolitionist who was captured. This displays the trickster using language as power and cunning instead of strength. The same is presented when Dick succeeds in obtaining permission from his father to bring a...