26 January 2015
Is War all it’s cracked up to be? The concept of war varies from person to person; especially when taking into account the time period and the morals and beliefs people have infused into them. Romantic feelings about war are commonly seen when looking at pieces of work written before the time of the American Revolution Era where writers would talk about the glory and pride that war brought forth, omitting the realistic depictions that writers such as Mark Twain and William Howells exposed.
The previously adopted notion that war is all about glory, God, and victory has been completely undermined by pieces of work written to depict the realistic views which reveal he l War. The notion that war is alll the horrors, death, and tragedy that war brings.
The feeling of romanticism about war is greatly depicted in works from early war times all the way to the 1900’s where the author shows hom the feeling of honor and pride and loyalty for ones country is instilled into the minds of men all around. In 1588, Queen Elizabeth gave a speech to her troops at Tilbury that conjured many emotions for all the troops around. She told her troops that she came there [To the battle] “to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my honour, and my blood even, in the dust.”She rallies up her troops by telling them that shes prepared to fight and put it all on the line for her people, which in turn made them to want to do the same and be almost happy to do so. To fight in war was almost considered a duty. For a man to go to war for his country and belong to his country was a big deal not only for men, but women as well. Such as the character Editha in William Howells’ story written in 1905; She calls the war a “sacred war” and pretty much forces her fiancé into enlisting into the war to feel some type of pride knowing “her hero” would be apart of something so big. She exemplifies an abundance of pride and loyalty for her country as shown when she writes to George “There is no honor above America