World War I

World War One is an extremely interesting war to me. Especially now that I have learned more about it by going to the Imperial war Museum and by having read the novel Regeneration. The museum gave me a better understanding of the different battles that were fought, the weapons the soldiers used, the uniforms that they wore, and the badges and awards that they received. One of my favorite things that I saw in the WWI exhibit was about the Christmas Truce. During Christmas 1914, something surprising happened on the front lines. All of the men, on both sides, set their hatred and their weapons aside and met in No Man's Land in honor of the Christmas spirit. I think it is so amazing that soldiers who have so much hatred for the other side can lay their weapons down for a day of peace on Christmas. It shows how much Christmas can affect people. I am a little surprised however, that no one attempted to kill someone on the other side, while they were so vulnerable and unarmed. This truly amazes me that something like happened during such a violent war.
The novel Regeneration coincided well with the museum. While the museum gave more of a factual history, the novel gave more of the emotional side from the soldiers that no one ever hears about. It had a great depiction of what it was like for the soldiers and how the war affected them. I loved learning about this part of the war because it was never taught in any of my classes in high school. Since the novel mainly took place in a mental hospital, I learned a lot about individual soldiers through their therapy sessions. I really enjoyed this novel and I learned so much about the war by reading it.

Here is a poem by Sassoon that he wrote during the war that I thought found fascinating:

Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) "How to Die"
Dark clouds are smouldering into red While down the craters morning burns. The dying soldier shifts his head To watch the glory that returns; He lifts his fingers toward the skies Where holy brightness breaks in flame; Radiance reflected in his eyes, And on his lips a whispered name. You'd think, to hear some people talk, That lads go West with sobs and curses, And sullen faces white as chalk, Hankering for wreaths and tombs and hearses. But they've been taught the way to do it Like Christian soldiers; not with haste And shuddering groans; but passing through it With due regard for decent taste.

I love how I can read this poem and learn so much about what the war was like. When I read this poem it almost makes me feel as if I am there. It is so neat that soldiers, like Sassoon, thought to write down their experiences from the war. If it weren’t for people like him, we wouldn’t know as much about the wars as we do now. This poem does a great job of explaining what the soldiers were going through and what they saw on a day to day basis.