World War I Reaction Essay

The book excerpt Eye Deep in Hell, Trench Warfare in World War I is an amazingly written account of the tragedies that occurred during this "war to end all wars." It provides an in-depth description of the heroic soldiers' everyday lives and of the horrors they witnessed and/or endured. These horrors range anywhere from trench foot to mud to cold winters to rats, lice, and much more. Although many citizens felt aware of the catastrophes in Europe, the average citizen could not possibly imagine what these men had to go through in the true sense of the words.

I truly enjoyed reading the excerpts because they opened my eyes to the true nature of the suffering that happened in the war. First of all, I was not aware that trench foot was such an issue. I did not even truly know what it was in fact. So many men had toes amputated because of it! When I initially pictured the war, I pictured more deaths from cold weather and fighting than I did from wet feet. Second of all, I did not know that the soldiers went to such an extent just to get rid of lice. I simply figured that they dealt with it just as much as they did any other bothersome conditions. Third of all, the "mud issue" truly shocked me. Who would have ever thought that men could essentially be swallowed by muck?

In conclusion, I feel that the reading was necessary to expand my knowledge of conditions during World War I. Many Americans did not know of the rats and the disease, of the stench and of the mud. These excerpts definitely "humanized" the situation and made it easy for me to picture the horrible conditions. Fighting was not the only issue that transformed the war into a living hell, and the soldiers relearned that brutal lesson each and every day.

World War I Diary Entries

Mark Platopat
March 12, 1916
London
08:00 PM



What a horrible day! At first I believed Wilson, and his promise for the "war to end all wars," but now I am not so sure. Conditions are terrible! He probably meant that this will kill off people so there are not enough for fighting future wars. Ha! What a joke. Anyways, the mud is killing me. It is by far the worst natural nightmare. Some men have been trapped up to their neck in it, and many die from the stuff too!

The most important thing that I can do is to distribute my body weight evenly. That is the key to survival. All these stupid trenches are good for are killing an otherwise sound man. Ugh. The frustration alone is killing me. Even walking is a chore. With the mud, one can not step very fast. When this war is over, I will surely come out with nothing more than strengthened leg muscles. The mud is even clogging the weapons! I can't even write a proper journal entry...



Mark Platopat
March 13, 1916
London
09:00 PM



Great! I got trench foot today! It's just another thing to add to the list. I have never even heard of trench foot before today, and I surely will never forget it! I should have known that these damp conditions would cause some kind of problems. Is it really normal to wear wet socks and boots for days on end? At first, I thought that it was just frostbite, but apparently not. All of these fancy names make me sick.
To best describe what happened, my feet went numb at first. Then they turned a reddish-blue color. That sure scared me to death! I was so frightened that I would have to lose some toes, like Paul did. I feel bad for the poor fellow. All he did was try to make his country proud. As far as I know, they discovered about fifty cases or so today. I can't believe that they didn't notice anything sooner! This will surely pose a threat to our unit's strength as a whole. If it isn't one thing, it's another...


Mark Platopat
December 08, 1916
London
08:45 PM

I haven't written in awhile, but conditions have been really harsh lately. The winter is completely dragging us down. All I can really think about is the terrible cold. My lack of clothes is seriously contributing to my problems. Everyone literally has to jump around in order to keep the blood flowing in their veins because it appears to want to freeze us from the inside out. We have had to deal with these issues since October! What a long winter it will be!
My boiling hot tea actually froze solid in a few hours! Rain, snow, and sleet are guaranteed daily occurrences. The alternating periods of extreme cold and thawing made a grand ole recipe for mud as well...And standing in water usually leads to being surrounded by a ridiculous sheet of ice. Our braziers do not really work all that well, so I guess I have to deal with the cold like everyone else is. After all, this is a war, not some luxurious vacation.

America's Real Reasons for Imperialism

I think that America's "foray into imperialism" was caused mostly by its strong belief in Anglo-Saxon superiority. Our country, at the time, felt almost invincible, and strongly believed in a "survival of the fittest" kind of world, in which Americans were the fittest. Because of this overinflated ego, our citizens worked to Christianize and assimilate other cultures in order to make them less like aliens and more like what we thought decent people should be. In addition, the United States felt that it would be doomed and easily pushed around if it did not annex certain territories. Our acquisition of various territories, to put it simply, ensured that we were not far behind other countries and their achievements. Our presidents quickly gave in to this form of peer pressure, and in the meantime, guaranteed our spot as a world power. Various other endeavors clearly show our independent, carefree, and almost conceited view of our country. In the end, it all comes down to our country's belief that it is better and more powerful than anything or anyone it sets out to conquer.

Martin Luther King Jr.

I think that it's too bad that the only thing that comes to mind when people mention Martin Luther King Jr. is the "I have a dream" speech. In my opinion, Martin Luther King Jr. is not as looked up to as he should be. There are so many people nowadays who are more famous for doing less! It is not that I think he should be extremely popular, but I do believe that he should be acknowledged more, as well as his message. The article makes a good point when it states that he was in fact fighting for unpopular things. We as citizens today should pay more attention to how he lived his life, and model that. By doing so, we will see real change because he not only fought for racial equality, but anti-poverty and war issues as well. I truly admire King, and I wish that he had more recognition, and that we actually celebrated the day that is named after him! Many people do not even remember, or know, when Martin Luther King Jr. day is! I hope that Barack Obama becomes President because he seems as if he is a strong believer in equality and change, just like King was. Hopefully someday King will be known and remembered for much more than that one speech!

Martin Luther King Jr.

Reconstruction: A Splendid Failure?

I agree with Eric Foner. Reconstruction brought about the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments and gave African Americans a sense of freedom for awhile at least. I also agree that the state constitutions that were written during that time were the most democratic the South had had up to that point. Reconstruction may have had its problems, but it also brought about much needed change. I think that Eric Foner also gave the best argument. He made a great point when he said that African Americans actually had a "real measure" of political power after the Civil War. He strongly backed up his views!

Importance of the Civil War: An Exaggeration?

I do not hesitate to agree with historians when I say that the Civil War holds great importance in our nation's history. Without the Civil War, women may not have had the increase in status that they received due to nursing wounded soldiers or even fighting in battle. In addition, the Industrial Revolution really took over the economy, and "King Cotton" no longer stood in anyone's way. The Civil War proved that our country and its government can stand up to opposition and truly come out stronger and on top of things. I think one of the main reasons that the Civil War is so famous is because of the great leadership we had under Abraham Lincoln. Without him, we may have ended up with a Confederate flag. Also important is the progress that was made towards true equality. The thirteenth amendment was passed, and slaves were actually freed! The Civil War truly brought about great change for our country!