Preview

Mark Twain's The War Prayer

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
148 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Mark Twain's The War Prayer
Mark Twain in the short story “The War Prayer”(1905), strives to get the readers to understand why war is unethical no matter the reason but gives both sides of the story so the readers are able to have different opinions on this topic. An example that Twain gives is “God the all-terrible! Thou who ordainest! Thunders thy clarion and lightning thy sword!”. This explains that how biblical Reference to the end old testament in the bible and ties all back to the thesis for war being unethical. Twain brings up “God” a lot of this is because twain really wants the readers to believe that for war to be unethical it has to be for no certain reason. The relationship between the author and the reader is great because Mark Twain really goes into depth

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Lincoln’s form of writing solidifies his notion that God punished both sides for the practice of slavery. His inclusion of several biblical references, especially from the New Testament, touch on the question of divine providence. Lincoln hopes that all Americans will understand his message. The techniques Lincoln used allow readers to discover the meaning of his biblical allusions. Just as Lincoln includes biblical passages to relate to the people, so too does he wish to lift the burden of war from his country…

    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the most credited poets throughout the Civil War period was Walt Whitman, who wrote about the hardships of war in his work. In particular, two of his poems are not only heavily intertwined based on topic, but in structure and used literary techniques. “Beat! Beat! Drums!” and “O Captain! O Captain!” both share many similar qualities among figurative, sound and structural devices that Whitman uses to help further enhance the theme of how negatively war can impact individuals.…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the story "War" by Timothy Findley, it is evident to the reader that the title is not actually talking about the war that is in the story but is talking about a different type of war. In the story the reader learns that the war that is being referred to is the war between Neil and his father. Neil is going though a tough time because his father is joining the army and this is hard for him to understand. Throughout the story the reader is trying to find out what the title really mean and it becomes an extra factor to the story and it is enjoyable for the reader when they realize the true meaning. It almost a mission for the reader to find the true meaning of the title in a story and in this story it is enjoyable when the message is told to the reader . The author did a great job with the title of the story because it makes the reader think about what the real meaning is.…

    • 551 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The book All Quiet on the Western Front is centered on the storyline of a young boy who goes to battle during World War 1. While he is at battle in the trenches, he learns a plethora of life skills. Not only does he gain many comrades, but also learns how their comradery can be affected by war. As the war continues on, he also loses all of his innocence as he is forced to become a man in a matter of seconds. Being in the war teaches the boy how to always have a positive mental attitude, embrace the suck, and be resilient. No matter what happened; through thick and thin, the boy always just keeps pushing…

    • 119 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    “This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war” (Epigraph). In All Quiet on the Western Front, there are many themes present throughout the text. The most important of which, being the psychological effects that the war has on the soldiers. Out of all of the men fighting throughout the war and those who physically survived in the end, they were destroyed mentally from their experiences. This theme occurs throughout the war on many soldiers and has an even larger impact on nineteen-year-old Paul Baumer in chapter…

    • 1022 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    All Quiet on the Western Front was a story of a group of young children, nineteen years old or so, who enlisted in the military on the advice of one of their professors. They were told, and believed, that they would be seen as heroes in everyone’s eyes, and that they were doing such great things for their country and showing extreme nationalism and patriotism. As the months went on, fighting on the front lines, these men realized that this life was nothing like what they were told the military life would be. They were promised fame. This was not the case and through their time in the trenches these men were stripped of their humanity, grew to hate their commanding officers, and were fighting purely for survival to see another day.…

    • 822 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Mark Twain wrote The War Prayer in response to the opposition to the Philippine-American War. Twain was a staunch anti-war and anti-imperialist supporter. To take a stance as such at this time in history was considered unpatriotic and in view of most Americans an act of treason. Not many Americans tolerated unpatriotic views during this time. Twain communicates that patriotism and religion are no justifications for war. Twain also felt contempt for people who blindly supported patriotism and war, without knowing the effects of war. Twain contended that those who supported the war only heard one prayer, the other was unheard. Basically praying for victory is praying for the destruction of another. Twain also felt that imperialism was…

    • 155 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The point made by Mark Twain’s “The War-Prayer” (1905) is simple, even simplistic: that the unspoken part of the desire for victory over the enemy is the desire that misery and death befall others. The irony, as noted by the stranger who comments on this silent prayer, is that it is directed supposedly “in the spirit of love” to “Him who is the Source of Love” (398). In fact, Twain’s piece makes this irony unmissable, as it ends with the failure of the congregation even to understand the stranger’s point, let alone to take it to heart: “It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said” (398).…

    • 1369 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Post-Civil War, western settlers of the United States delivered greed and murder to the separate communities of United States Natives. Pioneers felt that it was their God-given right to expand from one United States coast, to the other. However, this belief caused suffering for many cultures and species of animals.…

    • 410 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “It seemed clear that wars were not made by generations and their stupidities, but that wars were made instead by something ignorant in the human heart” (Chapter 13, 201)…

    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One may argue that certain learned abilities become instinctual over time and through repeated practice. I do not believe there could be any solid proof for this theory. Instinct can be defined as something that we do without even thinking about it, yet when we are in a panicked state, we usually tend to forget some of those learned habits and react in a way that truly is pure instinct, having nothing to do with anything we had previously learned.…

    • 1107 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Just like giving water to a dying person is pointless, a war started by trying to solve problems only to kill people is too. Mark Twain has been one of the biggest influences on American literature. He is highly respected for his humor, wit and his satirical view of the human species. In Mark Twain compelling essay The Lowest Animal; he talks about how humans are not as advanced morally as they should be, and how cruel man is. Twain proceeded on proving his appeal by using the scientific method: Ethos- making him creditable by conducting experiments, Logos- using logic or citing the facts and Pathos- playing on the emotions. The Lowest Animal makes humans revaluate themselves and actions and make us realize that we are no better than all of the other animals.…

    • 402 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Just War Theory

    • 1946 Words
    • 8 Pages

    What justifies war? Who justifies it? Why as human beings do we feel the need to fight, harm, and kill others to achieve certain goals? These questions have been pertinent to our society since the beginning of time and continue to challenge us to better understand the human psyche, and code of ethics that give Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Coast Guardsmen, and Marines credence to kill in the name of the United States of America. These ethics of war lay the foundation for that code of understanding and righteousness for when it is justifiable to pull the trigger and take the life of another, or commit an act of war.…

    • 1946 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    ‘People shouldn’t go to war’ this statement is important as it is a contradicting point in the bible and is a question asked by many people as it addresses several moral issues for Christians.…

    • 1047 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The War Prayer

    • 649 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the passage The War Prayer by Mark Twain he tells a satirical story in which a mysterious man comes before a crowd of ignorant mass. Through this story and his setting he satirizes human logic when it comes to war and our tendency to not think our decisions through ; especially patriotic thoughts of war and glory. Twain satirically writes of the unseen and unthought-of horrors with a mock diction, excessive hyperbole and vivid imagery. At first glance it seems Twain seeks to write of glory and honor as he describes the ideal patriotic scene with “Drums Beating” “Toy Pistols Popping” and describing how “the war in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism”. But there is something amiss, something much darker he seeks to slowly uncover as Twain says “Firecrackers hissing and spluttering” symbolizing a dangerous animal hissing in alarm then as he moves on to say “Wilderness of flags in the sun” he hints how animalistic and dangerous the idea of patriotism could become because it could not be tamed. Twain describes the cheering as “cyclones” of applause which is ironic because cyclones have to do with destruction, death and usually disasters. Because “Cyclones” of applause are usually given after patriotic speeches this symbolizes how death, destruction and despair normally follow through even though in a patriotic speech, even though it is never mentioned; this also serves to effectively mock patriotic scenes. As Twain moves through the story a mysterious man from god appears and begins a set of appeals that are filled with hyperbole and also somewhat logical forcing the reader to think twice about unsaid prayers. He claims “God has asked him” to tell the people of their unheard prayers. Twain advances his logic to his audience by having the man say that there are two sides to every story and there is a dark side to their light prayers. Anyone can go up and disguise the morbid atmosphere and death-filled gory scenes of war with patriotic flags and…

    • 649 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays