In each of the selections, the conflict of reality and illusion is apparent. This internal struggle serves to express the harsh conditions of war with their physical and mental impact on the lives of soldiers during and after battle. In “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner”, Jarrell portrays the gunner as having a dreamy state of the mind (line 4). While reading the poem it is difficult at

imagine the deteriorating mental and physical condition of the men “Lying in the bottom of the trenches trying desperately to hold on to their sanity and courage (Sharpe),” “many had lost all

In each literary example, the evidence of the irrationality of war sends a warning to the reader…war has consequences. In fact, as noted earlier, these consequences were what Hemmingway used to instill confusion in the post-war personality of Krebs. The acceptance of changing his honest personality into one of deceit is a direct result of the irrationality of war in Krebs’s situation. The symbol of Krebs’s family as conventional becomes irrational to Krebs and he can no longer conform to these values as he once did in his fraternity days (152). The reality of what he has experienced makes it impossible for him to think in terms of job, family,

The brutality of the physical state of war is evident by examining various images including those of sense and sound. Subtle but powerful images are painted as Hemmingway

Similar to Owen’s sarcastic use of title, Hemmingway also uses first impression to symbolize what war is not. “Keep in mind also the title of this story, Soldier’s Home, isn’t one supposed to feel welcomed into his/her home (Internet)?” The aftermath of war for Krebs forces him to realize that home is the same, he has changed. Upon Krebs return from war, his family becomes a symbol of tradition and loss of conventional value for him. “Your father is worried, too, his mother went on. He thinks you have lost your ambition, that you haven’t got a definite aim in life” (156). Krebs himself is a symbol of the remnants of war on individuals and societies. Through words with symbolic meanings and inferences, the writers have transformed snapshots of war times into a moving picture of war’s brutality.

Some topics in this essay:
Light Brigade”, Decorum Est”, Hemmingway’s Krebs, Soldier’s Home, Turret Gunner, Mihiel Argonne, Turret Gunner”, Gunner” Jarrell, Readers Earle, Death/ Rode, charge light, “the charge, “the charge light, charge light brigade”, light brigade”, “dulce et, “the death ball, decorum est”, “the death, death ball, ball turret, death ball turret, et decorum est”, war war, et decorum,