Adversity In War

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Adversity and sacrifice can serve as a gateway for enlightenment, for better or for worse. In fact, famous German-American novelist Charles Bukowski once said, “[i]f you’re going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don’t even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind… It could mean derision”. Over history, adversity has been witnessed on many occasions, but particularly during times of war. For instance, in the aftermath of World War I, it was estimated that 37 million soldiers and civilians faced adversity by sacrificing their lives for their nation. Is human adversity and sacrifice truly worth the risk for an invisible greater purpose? When a soldier faces adversity in the war, the challenges include…show more content…
In fact, Paul Baumer faces adversities which alter his emotional stability. Baumer must face the challenge of witnessing gruesome events as a sign of respect, dignity, and understanding. For instance, at the beginning of the story when one of Baumer’s best friends is in the hospital dying, he contemplates that “[this] is Franz Kemmerich, nineteen and a half years old, he doesn’t want to die. Let him not die!” (29). As Baumer faces the challenge of witnessing the slow and gruesome death of such a young companion right in front of him, he is emotionally distraught by grief, depression and injustice. As Baumer is emotionally damaged through facing adversity, so too are Eddie’s emotions. Eddie, in the short story Convenant, also faces a mandatory hardship which alters his emotional stability. By enrolling in the military as a soldier, Eddie understands that he might also endure experiences which could haunt his emotional well-being for the duration of his life. For example, towards the middle of the story when Eddie is waiting at the cliff for his comrades, he looks out for his best friend, Vince. He finally locates him in the distance, but not in the state that he was hoping for. In fact, half of Vince’s body was gone from shrapnel as “[s]lowly, the man turned, and faced…show more content…
In fact, Baumer faces adversity when he must visit Kemmerich’s mother to inform her of his death. Due to the challenge of telling Kemmerich’s mother the truth, Baumer’s esteem takes a huge hit and continually spirals downwards for the remainder of the story. For example, since Kemmerich has died, Paul must pull himself together and visit his mother to inform her on the tragic news of her son’s death. It is extremely uneasy for Paul to perform this task as he believes it is not fair for Kemmerich to die while he lives. Paul ponders, “[f]our days left now. I must go and see Kemmerich’s mother [now]” (180). Baumer faces adversity by pulling himself together and informing Kemmerich’s mother on the news of her son’s death, resulting in the downfall of his esteem because of the injustice in his premature death. As Baumer’s esteem is weakened, the soldiers from Owen’s poem have high esteems due to the adversities they face. The soldiers from Wilfred Owen’s poem have solid esteem due to the fact that they are facing the hardships and challenges of assuming the role of combatants. In fact, the soldiers believe that by facing the toughest time of their lives in war, they have the right to behave however they wish. For instance, since the
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