War stories are one of the primary sources of historical memory about the significant events of the past wars. However, they regularly contain personal exaggerations, either for dramatic effect or as simple attention grab. Despite that, they provide an insight into one of the most crucial moments of modern history. This essay discusses the lecture “Experiences of World War I Soldiers” by Ian Isherwood, from his course “Aftermath: The Experience of War and ‘Modern’ Memory.”
It concerns the impact of World War I on the lives of people who came through it and survived. While the brutality of war and the honor of men fighting for their nations are often overemphasized, the portrayal varies from one author to another (Isherwood). The lecture contains the discussion of several written sources of information on World War I, especially the themes of homecoming that were raised by Robert Graves, Ernest Hemingway, and Charles Carrington. Ian Isherwood introduces the stories by these authors to his students to show what motivated soldiers to join the war, how were they changed by it, and how did they cope with these changes.
These written memories show the effect of the war on the individual. Isherwood argues that while some books were written for profiting purposes, there are few that “portray the horrors, genuine, obvious, and understandable to everyone” so that anyone won’t fight ever again. The lecturer emphasizes that these works are written within a particular context, and war books are disputed documents (Isherwood). Emotions of people who went through this war are depicted in these books, however, the presented authors have their own approach to the issue.
Students and the lecturer discuss the notion of alienation that people who come home after the war often experience. While individual memories differ from one person to another, all the books Isherwood mentioned have similar ideas regarding the adjustment of soldiers to regular life. Civilians had their own idealized version of war events, which led to the distrust and unwillingness to listen to homecoming soldiers (Isherwood). Gomez states that the books of that time “glorified war and created heroes out of dead soldiers” (68). This led to the disillusionment of soldiers who experienced the horrors of World War I.
The lecturer puts emphasis on the fact that people did not accept realistic war stories. Authors had to exaggerate, add fictional elements, or otherwise distort their views on the events they have been through in order to be heard (Isherwood). Meanwhile, soldiers were struggling with deeply imprinted rules from battlefields that were no longer applicable in civic life. Mental health issues were not widely recognized at that time, which worsened the situation.
The other idea that is shown by the books Isherwood used as examples – how companionship is more valuable than patriotism during the war. It is also a recurrent topic that links all written sources and highlights that personal relationships are placed higher than the underlying political agenda, patriotism, or any other reason behind one’s participation in the war. The themes of disillusionment and pessimistic views on the situation are being contradicted by the same authors who, when mentioning their comrades, seem to forget the case that brought these people together.
In modern times, people experience memories of such events through sources that have their own views on history. Gomez argues that “the beliefs with which one is raised and in which one trusts unquestioningly are often the most difficult to change” (67). While it was written in regards to World War I, it continues to play a significant role in modern society. Moreover, the studies on historical memories must take the most objective approach possible, which requires a clear view. Nowadays, the issue still stands, and ideologies and worldviews work as a lens through which a person looks at any event. Issues related to post-war stress are not unique to World War I, and modern-day veterans experience feelings of alienation as well. People are as unwilling to listen to others whose stories contradict their world views as during the post-war period. However, there is no solution to this problem yet, and most of the time, issues with war veterans are being ignored.
In my opinion, the most crucial takeaway from this lecture is the subjectivity of people’s views and how to approach such highly disputed events as wars. I find this topic as one of the cornerstones for any discussion about important historical data. At the end of the lecture, Isherwood highlights “the messiness of history and historical memory.” In my understanding, it is crucial to look at multiple sources of information about a historical event that taketakesious points of view before making any judgments or conclusions. Confining one’s beliefs to a single group of people whose vision aligns with his or her prevents people from obtaining a full picture. By listening to all opinions, a person can formulate the conclusion that will be the closest to being objective. Therefore, the way that every person experiences one event should be considered valid and must not be disregarded or deemed inferior.
References
Gomez, Catherine. “Through Dread of Crying You Will Laugh Instead: Disillusionment in World War I.” Ex Post Facto, vol. 8, 1999, pp. 67-73.
Isherwood, Ian. “Experiences of World War I Soldiers.” 22 Apr. 2014, Gettysburg College. Lecture.