In “Parable of the Old Man and the Young,” Wilfred Owen calls out the war mongers who sacrifice their youth. The poem applies only too well to our current leaders.
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Tag Archives: war
Wilfred Owen on Murderous War Leaders
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged “Parable of the Old Man and the Young", anti-war poetry, Iran invasion, Wilfred Owen Comments closed
A Vet Sees Himself in Odysseus
In Huey’s poem, a veteran who has seen combat frames his experience in terms of “The Odyssey.”
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "We Were All Odysseus in Those Days", Amorak Huey, Homer, Odyssey, Saving Private Ryan, Veterans, Veterans Day Comments closed
Peace Poems for Israel and Gaza
Two peace poems, by an Israeli and a Palestinian-American, invite us to step beyond the hostilities.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Diameter of the Bomb", "Kindness", bombs, Israel-Hamas, Naomi Shihab Nye, Yehuda Amichai Comments closed
Russia’s “Expendable” Invaders
Russia’s invading army regards certain men as expendable. I am reminded of the shrews in the “Redwall” books by Jacques.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Brian Jacques, casualties of war, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Redwall, Ukraine invasion, Vladimir Putin Comments closed
The Light Brigade’s Charge & Wagner’s
Does “Charge of the Light Brigade” glamorize senseless sacrifice. What would Russian soldiers in Ukraine think?
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Charge of the Light Brigade", Alfred Lord Tennyson, Crimean War, Plato, Republic, Ukraine invasion, Vladimir Putin, Wagner mercenary group Comments closed
McCarthy: Dark, Occasionally Hopeful
Although the late Cormac McCarthy had a very dark vision of humanity, one can find glimpses of hope within his novels.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged All the Pretty Horses, Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy, Passenger, Road, Russo-Ukrainian War Comments closed
Leaving Ireland to Fight
One option for Irishmen leaving the country has been fighting for other countries. Yeats captures this in “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death.”
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Irish Airman Foresees His Death", Ireland, Irish emigration, W. B. Yeats Comments closed
Searching for God in the Trenches
For Sassoon’s soldier in the trenches, easy belief in God has given way to mystic search.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Mystic as Soldier", Siegfried Sassoon, Veterans' Day Comments closed
Panic Gripping Russian Soldiers
In Ukraine, some Russian troops are throwing down their arms and running, bringing to mind such a scene in “Red Badge of Courage.”
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Ernest Hemingway, panic, Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane, Sun Also Rises Comments closed