Summary:
The hollowness of terms such as hallow, glory, patriotism, et cetera, are exhibited through a few pieces of WWI literature (verse and prose).
Patriotism, Glory, and Other Lies
Author: Billy Smith
Many themes, in World War I literature, hinge on the distinction between the soldiers and the elite. Soldiers in World War I were, metaphorically, the swords with which elites of opposing countries would strike each other: the swords were continually bloodied while the hands of the elite remained immaculate. Since the soldiers were doing the grunt work for the elites, they were able to witness, first-hand, the atrociousness of war. This atrociousness was, however, in contrast to what the soldiers had been told about war; concepts such as glory were mysteriously absent from the trenches on the Western front. War, rather than being portrayed as the dehumanizing tragedy that it is, was portrayed as a glorious adventure. Not too long after a soldier experienced their first bombardment did they.....
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