In Why Nations Go to War, Dr.John G Stoessinger talks about the role of individuals in starting wars. He is of the view that factors like economics, nationalism, alliance networks and even fate are often put forward as the primary reasons for the outbreak of a war, but the human element, the personalities, the hopes and fears and the particular worldview of the individual leaders of the country are not given nearly as much importance. The writer points out that wars are after all, started by people and to a large extent, the book deals with the lead up to the moment when people finally decide to go to war. The author holds a Ph.D. from Harvard and has taught at Harvard, M.I.T, Columbia and Princeton. He won the Bancroft Prize for his book, The Might of Nations and he has served as acting director for the political affairs division at the United Nations.
This too, strengthens the reader’s understanding of the main themes. The themes that aid in the reader's understanding are how wars can bring either the best or worst out of someone and how war can leave such a lasting effect on a society that fallen victim to war. The well thought-out strategies created among the commanders and their confidants that the author writes in complex details can make one feel as though they were sitting down among the generals themselves, planning what the next step will be! Straying far from the historical book stereotype, McCullough writes 1776 what many others have written beforehand, but in a way that makes one be on the edge of their seats, continuing to turn the pages to know what happens next. The author goes straight into the point leaving no small details out, for what the objective the author desires from the reader, is to see how the wrong words or changes in weather conditions can be contributing factors to the outcome of
Sherriff and Barker both use characters’ experiences to show how men were affected by war, both positively and negatively. These experiences help to underline the reactions and attitudes towards the war in both 1918 and today, and whether or not information was inaccurately perceived by the media and the government. Although both texts were written in different time periods, both authors give an honest and realistic depiction of trench life and the home front. Journey’s End and Regeneration can both be considered as anti-war literature, as this can be identified in both texts by the horrific details of what the characters went through, but there are other messages and intentions that both authors are trying to give about World War I, such as social comment, however this message is not so prominent. Firstly, in Journey’s End, Sherriff uses the character of Stanhope as a device to portray how dependant men were on alcohol during wartime, as it helped take their mind off things.
Caputo starts out as a young man who was just joining to rebel, but in the end he is a confident leader and knows exactly what to do in certain situations that come in his way. He also learns how attached he can become to certain soldiers when he undertakes the job of being the assistant adjutant as a casualty reporter. He starts realizing the true fears and looks death straight in the face and realizes that this war is all too real, and his friends are starting to die. While he is also in training he is learning how strict the commanding officers can be to him and what happens when you think or react too slowly to a certain situation. All of these traits change over the course of the book and he becomes one of the best leaders in the
The adrenaline generated by combat was the physical form of there animal instincts taking over. Because of this soldiers searched for confrontation to feed their inner hunger, as well the men felt a strong unknowing nostalgia for the war once it was over. Although they felt and knew the war was horrific and gruesome they couldn’t help but feel like that’s where they belong. Their need to satisfy the adrenaline rush given by confrontations in the war made them want to go back. Philip Caputo in A Rumor of War displays this confliction wonderfully.
Pg 40 from; ‘It’s war. They’ve attacked’ to the end of the chapter. Comment on the importance of this extract and its relationship to the novel as a whole. Confusing and shocking, to the reader as much as the characters, this extract from ‘The Siege’ by Helen Dunmore is essential to the structure and development of the novel and also the novel as a whole. In this extract, Dunmore introduces war into the novel.
Another example of Cameron’s reasoning is that he does not want to get his hopes up about having a new protégé, who is equally talented at the work he does, to employ and mentor. Ayn Rand clearly illustrates through Cameron the hardships that passionate men must go through, and through Roark, she illustrates the fearless determination and persistence of these men. Cameron is a man who gave his life to architecture and ultimately gained
In Atonement and Spies, Ian McEwan and Michael Frayn explore the theme of perception by showing how major events such as war and the shift between childhood and adulthood can alter the way we view life, and therefore lead to misunderstanding. Children’s lives can revolve around fantasy and as one grows-up our perception changes and the tendency to fantasise is diluted. The incompatibility between the worlds of adults and children and the shift from one to the other causes both novels to be riddled with misunderstanding. The actions of everyone in this book are also greatly determined by the historical context of the time in which it takes place in. It could be said that the books are "War Novels".
There are a number of different causes of war and conflict, the main ones are; - Politics; Different political parties have different thoughts and opinions on things. Sometimes this opinions clash with each other and it causes conflict. Border disputes and disputes over territory can all cause war as people want to fight for their land. An example of conflict that started because of this is the conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. NATO can also cause countries to go into war because if one of the NATO countries gets invaded, it is seen as though all of the countries are involved; this is what started the Second World War.
key causes of war: Depending on which conflict that is being referred to the key causes of war are many and very broad. The key causes that are put foward include the theory of Structuralism which refers to the changing in the distribution of power within the global system as the primary factor in determining a states behavior. Enduring rivalries which is prolonged competition between great powers or other pairs of countries whos conflicting interests often lead to war. Balance of power which explains the tendency of opposed coalitions to be formed so the distribution of military power is balanced to prevent one single power from dominating others. Rational choice is the theory that decison makers choose on the basis of what is best for themselves and their states.