Generals Die in Bed - 926 Words

Generals Die in Bed by Charles Yale Harrison ‘Generals Die in Bed’ demonstrates that the war only bring the sense of futility and despair.’ Discuss. By Saro Man 9B Generals Die in Bed certainly demonstrates that war is futile and the soldiers suffer both emotionally and physically. Charles Yale Harrison presents a distressing account of the soldiers fighting in the Western front, constantly suffering and eventually abandoning hope for an end to the horrors that they experience daily. The ‘boys’ who went to war became ‘sunk in misery’. We view the war from the perspective of a young soldier who remains nameless. The narrator’s experience displays the futility and horror of war and the despair the soldiers suffered. There is no glory in†¦show more content†¦Don’t leave me here alone.’ The narrator simply shakes him off and moves on. The soldiers have been trained like beasts and they have been dehumanised; they have been taught that no life is to be spared. Death is now the norm and they have been desensitized to it. The narrator relates an incident where he volunteers for a raid on the Germ an trenches. He experiences much trauma; he kills a soldier, Karl. Karl’s death is terrible- the bayonet is trapped in Karl and eventually the narrator has to shoot him. When he returns to the trenches with two German prisoners he tries to suppress what has happened: ‘It is better not to think’. The narrator knows that he would indubitably go insane if he thinks about his action. Karl’s death epitomizes the fact that soldiers on both sides are killed in horrific way for no discernible reason. There is definitely nothing glorious or heroic about war. Generals Die in Bed is a narrative which never spares the readers from the truth of the horrors and futility of war. The reality of the shocking and inhumane trenches hits both the readers and the soldiers with apprehension of the front line. The actions of the soldiers are under constant tension of the war, and the conditions imposed upon them clearly become the catalyst for many of their actions. The narrator has indubitably portrayed war as nothing glorious or heroic, but giving the soldiers a sense of dread and demonstrating aShow MoreRelatedGenerals Die in Bed1333 Words   |  6 PagesThrough the soldiers’ experiences, the narrator shows only the dark side of human nature. Discuss. Generals die in Bed by Charles Yale Harrison is a novel where a young Canadian soldier tells of his first hand account of the harsh and inhumane conditions in the trenches on the Western Front during World War 1. Through his observations and experiences the Narrator shows the effects of war on ordinary people and how they manage in extraordinarily horrific situations. Even though the brutal natureRead More Charles Yale Harrison’s Generals Die in Bed vs Colin McDougall’s Execution1733 Words   |  7 PagesCharles Yale Harrison’s Generals Die in Bed vs Colin McDougall’s Execution As with any genre, all novels termed ‘war stories’ share certain elements in common. The place and time settings of the novels, obviously, take in at least some aspect of at least one war or conflict. The characters tend to either be soldiers or are at least immediately affected by the military. An ever present sense of doom with punctuated moments of peace is almost a standard of the war novel. Beyond theRead MoreExpression of the Opposing Sides in All Quiet On The Western Front by Remarque and Generals Die in Bed by Harrison1197 Words   |  5 PagesAll Quiet On The Western Front is the German side and The Generals Die In Bed is the Allied side. The story of All Quiet On The Western Front centers on a young teenager, Paul Baumer the 19 year old German together with his 4 other classmates is persuaded to volunteer for the German army by enlisting at the beginning of World War I and find themselves fighting in the French warfare. The story is told entirely through the experiences of the young German recruits and highlights the tragedy of warRead MoreArgument Essay On The Most Dangerous Game736 Words   |  3 Pagesbecause we are mad and want to vent Maybe we argue because we are convinced we are right even if we realize later that we werent. We ask ourselves why why do we fight battles we now we are destined to lose? The argument of â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game† General Zaroff, hunts trapped sailors on his island. He does this because he is bored of hunting animals he knows he will win. He thinks he will also defeat Rainsford, other great hunter. Zaroff is a murderer and is uncivilized because he killed people forRe ad MoreWorld War I And The Great War1509 Words   |  7 Pagesimaginations cannot fully understand what it would have been like, since most of us have never been through anything remotely close to what occurred in the trenches. The sight of the terror in a dying man’s eyes, like that of Karl’s brother in â€Å"Generals Die in Bed†. A story like this is only black and white, a paper with words that do not show a legitimate picture of what it would have been like. Writing also cannot describe the sight of the thousands of soldiers dying as they marched straight into theRead MoreThe Nazis Attempt to Eliminate All Jews in Europe from 1941 Onwards731 Words   |  3 PagesPoland that Hitler felt had to be controlled and used as a work force, whilst there the average Jew in the Warsaw ghetto had any property confiscated and would have to share a room with 7 other people; so 21 people might live in a three bed roomed house e.t.c. And only 1 in 100 flats had running water, with widespread disease and hunger throughout the ghettos many people died, in the Warsaw ghetto alone 500,000 died of starvation and typhus. The Jews where prisoners inRead MoreThe Importance Of A Nurse And A Healthcare Assistant1409 Words   |  6 Pagesthat nurses may face: Right to die- an adult nurse faces many ethical dilemmas in their job role. One of the most common dilemmas nurses will face will be elderly or terminally ill patients that either refuse medication that had been prescribed for them or directly ask to be left to die. Legally healthcare professionals are not allowed to help patients to die as this is governed by law. There are only a few know cases of people who have been granted the right to die, one case was the case of a 43Read MoreComparing The Superstitious Mans Story And The Call Essay621 Words   |  3 Pagesshe decides to go up to their chamber but to her great surprise, on reaching the foot the staircase she sees Williams boots, standing in the same place as they always stood, when he had gone to bed. Then going up the staircase and entering the chamber, she found William in bed sleeping as sound as a rock. By now Betty was confused and couldnt quite work out what had gone off. She wonders now how William could have got back again with out her seeing or hearing him, thisRead MoreEssay My Most Dangerous Game525 Words   |  3 PagesThe general sipped his wine and left the room. Ivan came out with the materials for Rainsford like the general promised. Ivan handed Rainsford the knife and turned slightly to the sound of a dog bark from outside. At this moment, Rainsford stabbed the giant in the rib cage. The giant fell to the ground with a loud thud. Rainsford grabbed the giant’s gun from his hip and ran quickly out the door. When General Zaroff came heard the loud thud, he rushed toward it. When he arrived, he saw Ivan lyingRead MoreThe Most Dangerous Game By Richard Connell1360 Words   |  6 PagesNguyen Mr. Crockwell English Acc 1p: Period 1 24 September 2017 The Most Dangerous Essay Underestimation and cruel actions lead to many things. In â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game,† author Richard Connell reveals a conflict between the main characters, General Zaroff and Rainsford. Rainsford was to play the most dangerous game created by Zaroff, because the only way to survive, is to win it, otherwise death is the only other option. As demonstrated through the use of personification, symbolism, and repetition