Monday, February 6, 2012
Jeffrey Seib Discussion Question
In modern times, it seems as if there are always military veterans no matter what decade someone lives in. Just a ton of peopel have fought in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afganistan, etc. Hemingway's story, "Soldier's Home", describes what it is like coming back from a war and adapting back to normal life. What do you think Hemingway is trying to say about adapting back to normal life? What do you pesronally think it would be like transisting from the battlefield to secure public life?
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8 comments:
I know there have been many studies done to show that transitioning from the military to civilian life can be quite difficult, as was understood in Hemingway’s, “Soldier’s Home.” Krebs had a very difficult time finding love toward other people after he served in the military and didn’t seem to be able to relate to people as well as he once had. Hemingway showed throughout his story just how much these new “disabilities” an affect a person in their daily life. Personally, I think it would be extremely difficult transitioning from the battlefield to a secure public life. Everything is so different when you are trained to protect and even kill people you have never met nor have any personal issues with. Doing so can certainly skew one’s emotional connections with other people, especially one’s own families.
-Katrina Hauser
I think Hemmingway is trying to say that returning from war can affect everyone differently. Krebbs' mother told him that other soldiers who were returning were getting jobs and flourishing, and that he should do the same. However, we see that Krebbs has a more difficult time adjusting to civilian life. I think that I would find it very difficult to return to 'normal' life after returning from war. In war, a person is forced to focus on orders and survival- and little else. 'Normal' life is completely different, where survival is a given and there are no orders but the law. This complete mindset switch would be very difficult to make, and 'normal' life might even seem trivial after war.
This last comment was made by Carlye Chaney
I think that Hemingway is trying to say that it isn’t easy making a transition from a war life back to your normal life. During a war, you are always made alert and you have to know what is going on. You suffer through explosions and gun fire and never know what could happen next. Making the transition back to normal life from being in war is hard. You mind is in a confused psychological state where it has seen things that it didn’t want to and it sticks with you. This causes you to act in a strange way. I personally think that making that transaction is one of the hardest things ever. Your mind wouldn’t know what is going on. Your mind refuses to be less alert and it doesn’t want to trust anyone anymore.
- Andrew Manott
I think that in the story "A Soldier's Home" Hemmingway is trying to say that going from war back to a normal life is hard. Life on the battlefield and life in a regular society is completely different and making these adaptations are hard for many veterans. When you come back from war it is likely that normal life isn't the way you remember it. Another reason it would be hard making this transition is because veterans come back with memories of the war which can take a toll on them mentally. Personally I think making the transition would be very hard. I would feel distant from my friends and family and I would probably be shell shocked.
-Jake Gaal
I think that Hemingway is trying to tell us that it is very difficult to transition from a life at war back to our normal lives at home. I think that after always being scared in a war and always worrying about survival, it wold be a lot different going back and not having to worry about any of that. I also think that it would be hard to get a lot of the images that you see in war out of your mind and that can really affect a person. You would also not feel as close to people that you once were and not be able to get used to a normal life. -- Cody Gardner
Michael Klein
I think that Hemingway is saying that war changes who you are deep down. It makes you question why you fight, why you live, and what the purpose of doing anything is. These problems find their way into Krebs. He loses all desire to commit to anything, he is confused about where and why he was fighting, and he has lost his ability to love. Personally, I think that moving from warlike condition to a secure life would be extremely different. It would be difficult to relax, you would always be regretting certain decisions you made in the past, and you would never be able to forget your experience.
Abby Primo- I think Hemingway is trying to tell his readers that war is emotionally and mentally disasterous for the soldier's when they come home. Adjusting back to living a normal life is a challenge, loving is a challenge, and even praying is a challenge. I think that the change would be so hard because all you are used to is seeing people getting killed day after day after day. Coming home and trying to live a normal life after seeing so many dead and knowing that you have killed people would be extremely difficult.
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