War is equally as important to life as it is detrimental to it. It is a generally well known fact that many wars result in the death in many soldiers. However, war is crucial to life because as Vietnam veteran Tim O’Brien explains in his novel The Things They Carried, “you're never more alive than when you're almost dead. You recognize what’s most valuable. Freshly, as if for the first time, you love what’s best in yourself and in the world, all that might be lost” (78). War is important to life because it makes you appreciate what you have in your life more. This is similar to the proverb “you never know what you got until it’s gone”. In war, everyday you run the risk of losing everything. That is why you love everything more, because you realize that you are afraid you can lose everything any moment. This fear is essential to life because there is not much to life outside of recognizing what is best in the world. This is what war is. This is why it is as beneficial to life as it is harmful to it. You either live life with the most love for everything generating the most happiness or you die. Fear of losing everything you love is essential to life because it make you appreciate what you have more. By appreciating what you have, you are enhancing the quality of life. This is similar to what is depicted above. In this image, Sergeant Frank Praytor looks after a two-week old kitten during the height of the Korean War. Sgt. Praytor is showing his fear of losing everything by taking care of this Kitten. This kitten represent a symbol of happiness because it is innocent and bring happiness to him in a time of danger and fear. This danger and fear enhances his love for this kitten because he is scared he may lose this symbol of happiness in any given moment. War is making him appreciate life. Because in war you either live in bliss or you die. You are just as likely to appreciate life during war as you are likely to die because if a soldier were to almost get killed, they would know that beings close to dying shows them how to appreciate life the most because you are scared to lose it.
Pygas, Mark. "The 60 Most Powerful Photos Ever Taken That Perfectly Capture The Human Experience." Distractify.com. N.p., 15 Jan. 2015. Web.
I love the quote you used from O'Brien. It really challenges the thought of war not being beneficial at all. It also comes to show that being so close to death would make someone appreciate war more because you are likely to die at any moment. The picture you chose was perfect for your thesis. The soldier is taking care of the kitten when he could have killed it like the soldiers in TTTC. Instead, he cares for it and appreciated the life of the cat and how innocent it is. You did a great job!
ReplyDeleteI love the quote you used from O'Brien. It really challenges the thought of war not being beneficial at all. It also comes to show that being so close to death would make someone appreciate war more because you are likely to die at any moment. The picture you chose was perfect for your thesis. The soldier is taking care of the kitten when he could have killed it like the soldiers in TTTC. Instead, he cares for it and appreciated the life of the cat and how innocent it is. You did a great job!
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