Based on the history, narration, diary excerpt and specifically, letters from the war veterans some experiences appears to be universal and of greater implication in their time of war. The fact that the lives of the soldiers were in the line is a common experience. Also, the existence of boredom, physical exhaustion, fear and doubted victory affected their daily fighting mood (Gooding, 1999). The major similarity depicted is the willingness to fight to death on the battlefield in the name of protecting the nations interest was supreme. It was justified by the original patriotic intrinsic belief. The most important aspect was the mind of resilience bound with comradeship which acted as an instrumental tool making the soldiers push forward regardless of fear and possibility of losing.
The greatest fear that soldiers experienced were diseases, and soldiers possessed rudimentary knowledge regarding nursing injuries and treatment of diseases. Some colleagues died from treatable infections making the disease a number one enemy in the battlegrounds. The hope and desire of most soldiers were to stay alive and reunite with their families and loved ones after a victory (Rhodes, 2010). The inner desire was powerful and bred carefulness and sharpened assault strategies that made soldiers alive.
From the interview, a key issue emerging is that the act of sharing letters was imperative in strengthening the emotional or psychological well-being of both the soldier and the members of the families at home. The progress of the war, health status, and messages regarding victory were commonly passed. Furthermore, the letters boosted the morale of the soldiers to push forward and attack the enemies after understanding the nature of suffering that their people were going through. Also, and most importantly, it instilled the hope of meeting again to both the soldiers their families hence inspiring and itches the internal desire to survive. My interviewee opposed the idea of sharing war letters on the web as he wanted to live the life of the unrecognized hero.
From the letter of Ralph to Daisy, it is obvious that the relationship between the two was not fairing on well. It is a clear indication that at a given point, Daisy got tired of writing and placed an effort to erase Ralph from her memory. As a result of this some explanations may be used to justify such an occurrence as follows: -
First, being a girlfriend and not a wife, Daisy might have been in need of true affection as opposed to distance love purely based on letters and which take time before receiving a reply. The fact that the two could not access one another made the relationship unreasonable and less trustworthy.
Secondly, the war news about reported deaths and surprise attacks from the fields are more stressful and kills the hope of the loved ones. To evade stress and make the memories fade, Daisy had to stop writing to Ralph as that was the only chance to move on and take a new course in life.
Finally, Daisy must have viewed it as a waste of time after assessing the war outcome and realizing the possibility of Ralph losing his life as others. Instead of gambling on Ralph, she decided to make meaning out of the wasted time hence failure of replying the letter
Â
References
Gooding, J. H. (1999). On the altar of freedom: a black soldier's Civil War letters from the front. Univ of Massachusetts Press.
Rhodes, E. H. (2010). All for the Union: The Civil War Diary & Letters of Elisha Hunt Rhodes. Vintage.
Â
Request Removal
If you are the original author of this essay and no longer wish to have it published on the thesishelpers.org website, please click below to request its removal:
- The Longest Day - Movie Review Example
- Interpreting the Past: Stonewall Rebellion. Essay on LGBT Political Activism.
- Case Study Example: The Chicano Movement
- Mistreatment of Slaves in America - An Essay Example
- Twin Towers: September 11. Research Paper Example.
- Divided Nation - Civil War in United States
- Effect of Roman Catholicism on the Spanish Empire - Essay Sample