He, the foe, and his friend.

He looked across the wide room from the view on top of the balcony. Looking through the vast sea of people, he discriminated the foe. The indignity the foe had caused him fueled his deep, passionate rancor that he held for the foe. He started down the stairs in order to confront the foe, but his friend curtailed him, not letting him pass. The memory of the foe's maligning of him burned inside of him like a newly-lit candle. He  pushed aside his friend and threaded his way through the multitude of humans. He came eye-to-eye with the foe and in one split second, his rampant fury was unleashed. 

Romanticism or Realism Take Two: The Value of Romanticism

In response to my previous post, Ms. Decker posed an important question; we get caught up in romanticism vs. realism (in respect to the perspective of war), but what is the value of romantic point of view? What does it bring to the table? As an answer to that, I believe it just taps into our human nature. We as humans also want a good story filled with excitement and adventure and we sometimes naturally assume war stories can fit such a role. Sure, there are a few heroic tales sprinkled in there, but reality, war is a treacherous, fiery, undesirable hell-hole that gives you a psychological punch in the face. Our media somewhat shows us that side of war now, but we also get the romantic view because it provides hope and optimism. People realize now how bad war can be, but I mean, people aren't total pessimists, are they? We as humans want a riveting story because it rekindles us with how good our own humanity can be. 

All Quiet in the Western Front: Romanticism or Realism?

In Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, the protagonist Paul Baumer seems to inject an important question into the text: Is there value to a romantic perspective on war or should people be realistic about the horror and details of war? Well, Paul himself seems to keep a realistic point of view, but he does encounter many older men when he returns home who want to know about the excitement, spirit, and patriotism of the 1st World War. This clash made me think; in our modern world, I believe people have a more realistic view due to films and literature that have come out highlighting why war is terrible such as The Hurt Locker and Saving Private Ryan. But also, video games such as the Call of Duty franchise promote the romanticism of war due to their continuos stream of violence and shooting. Young kids play these games and become disillusioned by what it means to shoot someone. I believe the romantic view is beneficial for storytelling but unrealistic in our informed, modern society.