Timothy Findley's The Wars

The Wars written by Timothy Findley shares a great relation to many of the ideas surrounding postmodern society, thus implementing many of the prominent ideas of the time around politics and societal norms into the plot of the story itself. Findley successfully depicts the plot of the novel taking place in the early 1900's; a time in which the western world was emerging from an industrial revolution, bringing radically foreign ideas on politics in the world, including the materialization of the Marxist political theory. The seemingly negative reception of the Marxist theory has denied it the right as a valid political view. One thing that cannot be denied is that a majority of the foundational ideas of the theory, describe basic human

“In those things toward which we exerted our best endeavors we succeeded” (Classon). Everyone goes through hardships, however they are experienced disparately. In a narrative, an author chooses a point of view specific to emphasize certain aspects of their narrative. The two types of point of views employed in “The Wars,” “Mrs. Akbar,” and “Fronteras Americanas” are first person and third person omniscient, respectively. Third person omniscient point of view is an “all-knowing kind of narrator” (“Omniscient Narrator”) that has “full knowledge of the story’s events and of the motives and unspoken thoughts of various characters” (“Omniscient Narrator”). First person point of view is a type of narrative where the “protagonist relates their story” (“First Person”), using the pronoun ‘I’. Timothy Findley’s “The Wars” follows the life of a young man after the death of his sister. Remorseful that it occurred on his watch, he enlists in World War I in attempt to escape his grief. Written in third person omniscient point of view, the author not only confers with Robert Ross the protagonist, but many other characters and their inner turmoil all focused around the journey of war. Mariam Pirbhai’s “Mrs. Akbar” depicts the difficulties faced by an immigrant woman in keeping her family tied to their native roots. Also written in third person omniscient point of view, the author shows both the mothers and daughters outlooks. Guillermo Verdecchia’s “Fronteras Americanas” translating in

The Things They Carried is a book written by Tim O’Brien. It features many different stories from many different people who fought or participated in the Vietnam War. There are two particular stories, “How to Tell a True War Story” and “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong,” that stand out because they use surrealism. Surrealism is the word to describe what most people may perceive as “unreal”. These stories use surrealism by creating elements in the story that almost sound impossible, but the author insists that they are true. Throughout the story, we are constantly asking what is real and not real. But, if we use examples from the book, it may be easier to define what is real and unreal.

The Modern world is divided up by self-determining, different states; often defined by their military forces. Before the sixteen-seventieth century the idea of states wasn’t like it is now. The world was unconnected by rulers, and no major states of authority. Many believe the concept of the Military Revolution that refers to a radical change in military strategy that altered a change in the government. According to Jeremy Black, in Beyond the Military Revolution, suggest the reason for an advance in military warfare was due to the development of the independent state. He tells how in the independent state the leader shows gloire to provide, build and protect. War and expansion appeared necessary and successful throughout this era.

Robert Ross is a sensitive, private boy; last person you would expect to sign up to fight in World War One. In The Wars by Timothy Findley, symbols are used in conjunction with Ross’ story to cause readers to reflect on symbols in their own lives, and to allow then to dive deeper into the world of an innocent boy who is placed into a cruel war. The various symbols in The Wars provide for a graphic and reflective reading experience by emphasizing Robert’s connection with nature, his past, and his experiences during the war.

Themes are universal and can be shared within multiple items, text, motivation, etc. In the historical novel, Bull Run, by Paul Fleischman, the Union song, “When This Cruel War Is Over,” by Charles Carroll Sawyer, and the Confederate Song, “God Save The South,” by Earnest Halpin and Charles W.A. Ellerbrock all share a common theme. War can inflict many different emotions when thinking about war or being directly involved in a war. It doesn’t matter if the emotions or shared within a society or only kept to themselves, people still experience this.

To the United States, World War II is believed to be a good war, and why wouldn’t it be considered as such? During World War II, in addition to stopping mass genocide and stopping the spread of Nazism and Fascism, the United States beat Japan after their attack on Pearl Harbor. As a result, the U.S. was no longer in the Depression and the United States became a world power. However, in “The Best War Ever,” Michael C.C. Adams argues that as a result of Hollywood’s glamorization of the war, government propaganda/censorship, and the widespread of economic prosperity, Americans were kept in the dark about the truth regarding World War II resulting in the popular belief and myth that World War II was a good war.

Over 150 years, the Civil War had been the bloodiest war in the American history, also known as “The War Between the States” or “Brother Against Brother”, it was fought between the Union or the United States of America and the Confederate States of America. The war lasted four years from 1861 to 1865. What motivated these men to fight and what is the cause of the Civil War is a subject that many historians tried to find out.

The Wars, written by Timothy Findley, is a story about World War I, and consists of many shocking images passed over to the reader. Findley accomplishes to pull the reader into the narrative itself, so that the reader manages to feel an impact upon him/her-self about what is read. If it was not for this specific skill, or can also be seen as a specific genre, the novel would not have been as successful as it is now. Also, something that helps the book be so triumphant, there is the fact that Findley never overwhelms the reader with too many gruesome details about the World War I. Instead, he breaks the book down to help the reader calm down from everything that is happening. Throughout the essay, there is going to be some commenting on a

The element of air gives humans life. Air represents new life and new possibilities. Life is what allows humans to think, feel, see and have emotions. In The Wars by Timothy Findley the element of air pushes humans to reach their full potential. Robert Ross illustrates this with his desire to live, desire to leave a mark and his desire to overcome hardships. Soldiers did not want to just live; but to live for something and leave a legacy in history.

Timothy Findley's The Wars describes the history of Robert Ross, a Second Lieutenant in the Canadian Army, during World War 1. The story of Robert Ross is a candid recollection of a young man coming of age in the midst of horror and confusion associated with the "war to end all wars". Presented in the form of an archivist trying to piece together the past from pictures and letters, the narrative account is full of rich imagery and deep meaning. The abundant animal imagery in the novel is used to parallel and reveal the character of Robert Ross, foreshadow the situations he finds himself in, and symbolize hope amidst war.

In “War and Massacre” by Thomas Nagel, Nagel argues that there are limits on what can be done to an enemy even its for the sake of overall good. He believes that such an idea is grounded on the principles of Absolutism, where morality is determined by the action itself (deontology). This is contrary to the view of Utilitarianism, which relies on the premise that Morality is determined by its consequences (Consequentialism). Although could one in fact generate such a moral structure around war? Do the ends justify the means in War? Through identifying with a real-life example, I will look to expand on Nagel’s account where an action taken by a country in war would be prohibited even if it were for the overall good.

In "World War II," David M. Kennedy asks many of the important questions regarding War War II. Kennedy prompts the listener to ask how, what, when ,where, and why things happened the way they did. He believes that the war did not occur off it’s own accord, but was planned and happened because the Americans wanted to fight the war in a “particular” way. To fight this way they had to try to control all of the variables such as, the ways and means, timetable, and force configuration.

John Keegan describes his book, The Face of Battle, as "a personal attempt to catch a glimpse of the face of battle." This personal aspect that Keegan mentions is essential to his book and is excellently articulated, driving home his point. Keegan, who taught at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for over 25 years, begins by acknowledging his uneasiness with the fact that even though he taught British cadets military history, "I have not been in a battle; not near one, nor heard one from afar, nor seen the aftermath . . . And I grow increasingly convinced that I have very little idea of what a battle can be like." Keegan is clear to state his proposition that almost all military history has functioned simply as a “battle piece” description in which one can see all the larger moving aspects followed by the outcome. However, this sort of recounting fails to acknowledge the personal side of war, the experience of battle. What really ensues when a cavalry unit meets an infantry unit? What are the vital features in determining whether soldiers stand and fight or turn and run?

Death; destruction; crawling, bloody men without jaws; and a child in the middle of it is just a glimpse of the grotesque short narrative “Chickamauga” by Ambrose Bierce. Chickamauga Creek is an area near Chattanooga, Tennessee and northwestern Georgia, plagued by war, suffering, and bloodshed from the Civil War (Bohannon). Bierce served in the Union Army during the American Civil War (Campbell). Many Americans then, and today, romanticize war with glory, heroism, and patriotism. Bierce defied literary status quo, creating graphic accounts of war, in an age of sentimentalism and melodrama (Morris). Lesser publicized were the perspectives, thoughts, and realities of the soldiers after serving and surviving in the civil