Conditions of the Trenches The conditions of the trenches in WWI were unbearable. These conditions were unbearable because of the rats and the different gases that were released. Many soldiers died in the trenches due to the conditions, not just from fighting. There were rats down in the trenches. (Remarque 101) The rats ate all of the soldier’s food, and contaminated all of their belongings with droppings.
5 The conditions of the battle of the Somme were not ideal. There was had been lots of rain prior and during the battle. The trenches were full of mud, rats and diseases. The mud made moving around in the trenches very hard which led to many cases of trench foot and also the mud made some on the Canadian’s guns not fire. There were many rats in the trenches because of the rotting bodies which led to disease spreading like lice.
The trenches were cold and damp in the winter and often flooded by heavy rain. Oversized rats lingered around the trenches causing the spread of diseases as they were inflated by the food and waste of armies. Lack of hygiene also caused the spread of diseases. Soldiers caught lice which was later known to be the cause of trench fever which caused headaches, fevers etc. Many soldiers developed trench foot, a frostbite like infection that led to extreme pain and caused the feet to swell and turn black.
Vietnam War Prior to Vietnam, the American populous held their Schools, Congressman, and official institutions in a high regard. Some Americans felt that even though the intentions of the Government were good when entering the conflict, it was a battle that could never be won and there was too great of a burden on the country economically and social to continue the war. Others felt that the United States was in Vietnam for a purpose and should stay until their task was accomplished. It’s hard to determine the long-term effects of Vietnam to the American public. Although many students were moved by the war, it also caused great changes to politics in the United States.
"French civilians, caught in the middle of these battlefields or under Allied bombing, endured terrible suffering. Even the joys of liberation had their darker side. The war in northern France marked not just a generation, but the whole of the postwar world, profoundly influencing relations between America and Europe. As seen before, American forces began to foolishly kill innocent lives, both French civillians and Axis. This began to severley mark and tarnish American relations with European nations, as American soldiers were seen to be careless and vengeful.
It is the hottest day of the year, and as the movie progresses we see the heat wear people down, aggressively peeling off the coverings of raw emotions of anger, hate, and resentment that for far too long remained buried beneath the surface of their lives. The heat wave is a representation of the racism inflicting the neighborhood and the people that live in it. They endure the oppressive heat; trying hard to deal with it but not being able to escape it. This is comparable to their struggle with racism, and how it becomes unavoidable. In the movie, the heat pushes forward the dramatic action.
The Vietnam War Prior to Vietnam, most of the American population set high standards for their Congressmen, universities, and other official institutions. These views began to change in the 1960’s. Two basic viewpoints began to develop during this time. One group felt that even if intentions had been good for getting into the conflict, it was a losing battle that carried too large of burden both socially and economically and the United States needed to get out of Vietnam. The other group felt that we went to Vietnam for a reason and we should not leave until the job was completed.
These gases tortured its victims for anywhere from 48 hours to a full 5 weeks before killing them. The crazed victims that lived through these horrible infections would most likely end up in an insane asylum. To further disillusion the troops, the leadership of common soldiers was given to an officer about two miles away from the front line, resulting in extremely poor decisions; Even the commanding officers that were at the front line possessed very poor leadership, especially on the French side. For a good first hand example of the despair, we turn to the work of Wilfred Owen. In Owens’s poem Dulce Et Decorum Est the soldiers are pictured as "Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, knock-kneed, coughing like hags...".
1 The decision to send Teaching SuggeSTionS Australia’s Involvement in the War Topic an Australian infantry battalion to Vietnam is a grave one; these are inescapable obligations which fall on us because of our position, treaties and friendship. There was no alternative but to respond as we have. A quotation on the Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial Focus questions: What was the Vietnam War? Why did Australia become involved? Was this a popular decision?
Chlorine gas causes a burning sensation in the throat and chest pains. Death is painful - your suffocate! The problem with chlorine gas is that the weather must be right. If the wind is in the wrong direction it could end up killing your own troops rather than the enemy. The trench is two metres high and lined with barbed wire and sandbags from the outside.