World War One Argumentative Analysis
Between the years of 1914 and 1918, the world was filled with chaos and bloodshed. This time period is known as World War I. World War I was a battle between the Allies and the Central Powers, both of whom had a strong sense of nationalistic pride. For a number of reasons, the nations on each side resented the other, and desired to win the war in order to gain certain advantages. However, what was initially thought to be a brief quarrel heightened into total warfare. Every nation experienced immense losses, but despite this fact, a safe, peaceful compromise failed to obtained. Consequently, the decision to stop fighting only increased the tension, setting the stage for catastrophic future conflicts. Due to the extreme brutality of modern warfare,
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Due to the tactics of trench warfare, opposing sides were both on the defensive, which inevitably resulted in stalemates (Barron, “Entering WWI”). No side would prevail, but fighting would continue, creating more injuries and deaths (Barron, “Entering WWI”). In All Quiet on the Western Front, a soldier named Tjaden asked, “what exactly is the war for?", and so Katczinsky, another soldier, explained that "[t]here must be some people to whom the war is useful" (205). Tjaden then cynically remarks that none of the soldiers are part of that group of beneficiaries (205). Tjaden’s words represent the disgruntlement that the soldiers are experiencing at having discovered the realities of warfare. After months and years of fighting, they are realizing that battling on the front lines is not as magnificent as they had once made it out to be. On the other hand, the war effort also began to impact the people back at home. When World War I became a total war, entire nations’ resources were channeled into the effort (Barron, “Entering WWI”). This greatly affected each nation’s economy, for military drafts were issued, taxes were raised, and food was rationed (Barron, “Entering WWI”). A women working in a factory, due to the lack of men back home, said that “[a]n unbecoming greyness alters our faces, . . . a strange wilting process that steals all youth and beauty from us” (Loughnan). Evidently, the women are drained because of the war. Since all the men were gone, they had to work hard themselves to make a living. The combination of the soldiers’ doubt and the bleak conditions at the home front lead to the eventual termination of the
Due to the tactics of trench warfare, opposing sides were both on the defensive, which inevitably resulted in stalemates (Barron, “Entering WWI”). No side would prevail, but fighting would continue, creating more injuries and deaths (Barron, “Entering WWI”). In All Quiet on the Western Front, a soldier named Tjaden asked, “what exactly is the war for?", and so Katczinsky, another soldier, explained that "[t]here must be some people to whom the war is useful" (205). Tjaden then cynically remarks that none of the soldiers are part of that group of beneficiaries (205). Tjaden’s words represent the disgruntlement that the soldiers are experiencing at having discovered the realities of warfare. After months and years of fighting, they are realizing that battling on the front lines is not as magnificent as they had once made it out to be. On the other hand, the war effort also began to impact the people back at home. When World War I became a total war, entire nations’ resources were channeled into the effort (Barron, “Entering WWI”). This greatly affected each nation’s economy, for military drafts were issued, taxes were raised, and food was rationed (Barron, “Entering WWI”). A women working in a factory, due to the lack of men back home, said that “[a]n unbecoming greyness alters our faces, . . . a strange wilting process that steals all youth and beauty from us” (Loughnan). Evidently, the women are drained because of the war. Since all the men were gone, they had to work hard themselves to make a living. The combination of the soldiers’ doubt and the bleak conditions at the home front lead to the eventual termination of the