Cultural Diary Oral LLCE exemple

ROZBORSKI Tatiana        1ERE2        04/05/2021

Cultural Diary Oral

First of all, I will present my documents then I will begin with my synthesis.

Presentation of the documents + opinion

"Gassed" is an American oil on canvas painting created by john singer Sargent in 1919.
"Violets” is a British prose poem written in sixteen verses by Roland Audrey Leighton for his fiancé Vera Brittain in 1915.
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" is an Americano-British historical tragedy film created by Mark Herman in 2008.
"Letter to my Dear Parents" is a French LLCE homework written by myself on 25 April, 2021.

Synthesis

Definition: A war is typically fought by a country against an opposing country with the aim of achieving an objective through the use of force.
Conflicts have been a part of human history for thousands of years, and have become increasingly destructive as industrialization and technology have advanced.
In the first part, I will present the double aspect of war, firstly, such as a destructive power, then after, also as a way to bring peace and order. 
Afterwards, in the second part, I will talk about how we can find beauty and peace in such misery.

To what extent is war a double-edged sword for humanity?

1. The double aspect of war.

In order to determine my own stance on war, I’m going to list in a first part the advantages, then secondly the disadvantages.

a. A way to help

• War can provide an economic growth. War can boost a whole country economy by providing jobs as everyone are settled to serve the country. Moreover, war allows industries to develop.
• Furthermore, this first point allowed a greater acceptance of women in society. Conflicts gave an opportunity for women to take on previously men-only jobs which provided them a significant factor in giving women to vote in 1918 then 1920 (USA) and 1918 then 1928 (UK).
• It can also allow technological and medical innovations. Competition and conflict tend to lead nations to develop better and faster than their opponents.
• In a more self-centred and individual note, your identity can get a possible recognition in history. History is written when conflict happens, and the ones who play a major role in war would be certainly remembered.
• The victory. In a war you either lose or win which result in general for the country who wins safety, freedom and peace or the ownership of new resources and lands depending on what types of war you fight for.  

b. A terrible tear between people.

• To begin with, the obvious casualties. An inevitable part of war is of course the loss of life. Everyone is a victim of war, the ones on the very spot we either call allies or opponents, the families from oversea but also the innocent people, the civilians who get caught up in the situation.
• It also contributes to resentment and hatred. The film “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” by Marc Herman is a perfect example to denounce the abomination that is war, precisely in that case the horrific Jew’s slave’s conditions and the reality of extermination camps during the World War II.
• Economy downfall and resources waste. The cost to protect ourselves and executing a military attack can be very expansive. In history, some nations became so in debt that a financial take over has been possible.
• The mental-health and the quality of life affection. For civilians, the war takes resources and products out of the general population making them either unavailable or too costly to purchase.
  For the soldiers, the painting named “Gassed” by John Singer Sargent as “Letter to my Dear Parents” depict perfectly in a visible and personal way, the horrific conditions of life in the military especially on the war zone, the No Man’s Land.
• Conflict leads to environmental and material/superficial damages. It damages the fauna and the flora as infrastructures, then because there is no more resources, people are either poor or simply dead and the country so in debt that the rebuild of all the destructions takes decades.
• The pointlessness of nowadays most wars. Wars are fought for a lot of reasons, nowadays, nations fight just to attain more lands, resources and wealth.
  

2. Finding beauty and peace in misery.

In this second part, I will present by some examples that we can in fact find such good things during and after a period of war.

• “Violets” by Roland Audrey Leighton [Beauty and love]
  This poem was based on the horror of war meant by the discovery of a British soldier’s dead body. The author punctuated by observations and thoughts half of his poem’s lines which show how striking and omnipresent was death at this moment.
  But at the same time, he found object of such beauty by the flowery scenery which, conversely of the ugliness of war, is the embodiment of “Life and Hope and Love and You”.
  Furthermore, “Violets” looks like a love letter, Leighton is addressing his fiancé Vera Brittain, as “Sweet” and “Sweetest”, he’s also protective, suggesting it was better that she did not see the violets growing in that place.
• "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" by Mark Herman [Innocence and friendship]
• “Letter to my Dear Parents” by myself [Family, friendship and forgiveness]

3. Conclusion

I have got five arguments in favour of war, and six against it. Overall, it’s very balanced. But, yes, I do oppose war and yet on the other hand, I do realize that some wars were legitimate and necessary to be fought for example to stand against slavery, tyranny, abuse of power, and to attain the freedom that every human being deserves. I do understand that fact but I still think that most of times, especially nowadays, we fight for the wrong purposes, just out of greed.
Now, to what extent is war a double-edged sword for myself only? As a young person from the 21th-century that learnt history and in spite of the fact there are some parts of the world which are currently in conflict, I do not witness the reality of war, but I do comprehend what conflict involves.
So in a certain way, I’m also a victim of war like I’m touched by what’s going on around the world, I can feel scared and angry and I do feel very depressed but in a spectator point of view which allows me at the same time as all those emotions engulf me, to take a step back and have actual time and mind-set to find these sparks of beauty in misery.
War involves everyone, it’s a crime but at times, a necessity, and we can feel as relieved and happy as sad and angry from it.

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