This week we read a piece in English about the importance of war memorials, and I have to say that I don't think I will ever be able to look at them the same again. As someone who finds wars interesting I thought that the piece was going to be something like most other writing on wars, but there was so much more. It talked about the world being unrecognizable to soldiers, and the word home being used to separate soldiers from their homes instead of bringing them closer. " I do not belong here any more, it is a foreign world" (Booth 1). When I read this quote for the first time it really stood out as very important. I visited Europe this summer and seeing all of the diversity in other countries made me feel the same way. I know I was not a soldier coming back from war, but when I came back to the United States after a month it felt like a foreign world. There is something about adjusting to somewhere that makes going back home much harder. Seeing something so different from the way we live our lives was incredible, but it was also a very large adjustment-- just as I am sure it was for the soldiers. When we did our research on a war memorial I used The women of WWII war memorial, which was one that I saw this summer in England. I have to honestly say that the memorial did not stand out to me the first time I saw it, but after doing research about it I can conclude that there was much more than what meets the eye. I really think that there is a lot of meaning to a memorial not having a large description, because interpreting the memorial for myself gave it a much deeper meaning. Now looking back I wish I had known the history behind the memorial when I had seen it.
Life Lesson #1: There is always more than meets the eye.
I totally understand what you're talking about. I've always moved around since I was a child and the culture shock of going from one place another is definitely very overwhelming. I can't imagine what it must have been like for those soldiers to come back from battle, having changed so much that their home no longer feels like such. When I was researching my memorial I just chose a monument that I've seen thousands of times but never really thought about. When I actually sat down and researched it I was shocked to find out the history of it and even added my own interpretation to it. I really enjoyed the life lesson you put at the bottom too.
ReplyDeleteI was also really shocked when seeing how much meaning there is behind memorials. When I went to Washington D.C. in 8th grade, I never really gave it that much thought as well. It seems as though the most simplistic memorials hold the deepest meaning. I also love how you signed off your blog, as it's important that we apply the meaning we discover from the readings to our daily lives.
ReplyDeleteI agree, coming back from a place where a person has been accustomed can be extremely challenging. Life on the battlefield is immensely different than one in the city. Many war soldiers come back from experiencing many deaths, which include the other soldiers who were considered family. In addition, soldiers had to kill others while at war, which is usually not what's on their bucket lists. So, many soldiers come home with psychological disorders that their own home cannot fix.
ReplyDeleteThat quote also really stood out to me. I can’t emagine what it feels like to go home after war and find it unrecognizable. I’ve also never really held any interest in memorials but after reading The Postcards in the trenches I’ve realized that there is a lot more thought that goes in to them than I originally thought. Now, every detail seems to be there for a reason.
ReplyDelete