Post
by jsol » June 15th, 2016, 9:09 am
i don't know if you happened across any comments i made about my own personal obsession with ww1 of recent. maybe the last six months i've read several memoirs concerning the events leading to the war as well as eric maria remarque's all quiet on the western front which is often cited as the greatest war novel ever written. i don't have an opinion as to whether it is or isn't but it is undoubtedly a great book and worth studying (i think i read it 7 times since janurary, but i'm nuts) anyhow, europe at this time was dominated by the very close relationships between the royal families of it's first and second rate powers. as the 19th century became the 20th, queen elizabeth of england was the great aunt of tzar nicholas ii of russia, kaiser willhelm ii of germany and charles v of england making all three second cousins. nicholas and charles always felt somewhat inferior to wilhelm due to the kaiser's natural bravado and ease with himself both in situations where he was actively ruling his country and those of a social nature. much of this was due to the philosophy of social darwinism, rather popular among the upper classes during this time, which wilhelm adamantly subscribed to. it proclaimed the survival of the fittest as the main force behind every outcome, in all affairs both social and cultural within the world of modern mankind as well as the natural world of "wild" organisms and "uncivilized" humans. this allowed wilhelm to rationalize all types of aggressive and improper behavior as that which would allow him to come out on top, so to speak. well, all three loved the queen and this kept them at an uneasy peace for many years. however, with the death of queen victoria much of the tenuous peacetime that had been established with the treaty of london earlier in the 19th century began to degrade. the great european powers embarked on an arms race with germany and austria-hungary facing off against england, france, russia and serbia. the time bomb was ticking and most thought some sort of conflict in europe an inevitability, though none could possibly imagine what was to come with the advent of the war of 1914. so that's a little bare-bones history that you probably already knew, and better too. though, historians to this day cannot agree on exactly who started the aggression and exactly why events unfolded as they did. the archduke of the austro-hungarian empire, franz ferdinand, was assassinated in sarevjo while visiting that city, by an order of militants calling themselves "the society of the black hand." to the great misfortune of most all people, this event proved to be the final provocation for wilhelm and the rest of germany's war cabinet, which had been putting out a good bit of "let's fight" "they're all mean, stupid and they want to kill you and eat your baby" and "everybody deserves to give everything to us" propaganda concerning it's terrible and weak minded enemies as well as it's rightful place as the numero uno of europe and it's current climate of widespread imperialism, colonialism and master of all resources, lands and peoples in increasing quantity and harshness for several years. upon the archduke's assassination, germany invaded belgium and england, adhering to the terms set forth by the treaty of london, declared war on germany in the spring of 1914. france soon followed suit with england in the taking up of arms against the germans and war was no longer a thing of the future. germany had convinced itself, with it's own misleading propaganda, fervor and machismo, that it was going to quickly achieve victory and adamantly believed the war would span around six months in all probability. something i came across: at the start of the war the german/austro-hungarian army only set aside enough gunpowder and basic provisions to last into the fall of that year, as the kaiser assured his people that his army would be in paris before the leaves fell from the trees. so, yeah, that's very basic stuff but meaningful all the same and, yes, i am an american so i don't know s----- from shoelaces.
so.. uh.. there's a little lead-in concerning what brought all these disparate attitudes about. it sort of cobbles things into a rather gnarled nutshell and, presto!, provides a great setting for your poem to take place. it also gives me a little something to lean on as i try to write a commentary with some perspective, lets you in on the fact that this business is of great import to me as a historical subject as well as an enormous turning point in the modernization of human relationships, attitudes about each other and means of governmental creation. i suppose my thinking is/was that a little historical reference would help out. i may be wrong and, coincidentally, i may be wrong about everything else too. i mean, did i mention i'm an imbecilic american?
wtf.. how did i already write this much?? it's been 10 minutes. sorry. so your poem is extremely relevant when you think about the prevailing attitudes in germany at the advent of this great war. people were anesthetized by the rampant propaganda into thinking that there was nothing to fear by enlisting in the army, that the war would be easily won with minor casualties and, of course, nobody had a clue just exactly what both sides would come up with in the way of artillery, gas, shells and all things that suddenly can be built on an industrial scale and from which stem the death and destruction of the human body. so everyone who was ineligible to join the german army was busy pressuring every young man around to do so. fathers, mothers (though not so much with their own progeny), schoolmasters, bartenders, politicians, younger siblings and on. it was the thing to do if you were 18-30 and german, there wasn't any other way about it. yes, a draft was instituted and picked up the rest but the pressure to enlist in the armed forces was enormous. this was not just evident in germany, i should add. there was great pressure to grab a gun in england and france as well, though the germans most likely were the greatest offenders. in fact, you end with a quote from kipling which gives me shivers, as he was very pro-war and saw battle as this great heroic virtue that displayed true pride in ones homeland and its values, until his own son was killed in battle. i read that somewhere. i can't quote a source, sorry. i have no sources, just words. it's terrible.
what i'm trying to say though is that the events which take place in your poem are historically accurate as far as all this stuff that i've read leads me to believe and make perfect sense when lined up with the attitudes of the specific time and place from which your poem originates. you mention that this piece is based on actual events and i'm curious to know more about that. it mirrors all quiet on the western front closely as the main character in said novel is pressured by his schoolteacher to join the german army and does so along with his entire class. the main theme which the book explores is loss of innocence while still young, when one is meant to retain some innocence and still has much to learn about the world as far as existing in it. the war steals this, taking away any thought of being able to continue existence as a human, maintain some little contentment in the world, find a profession that suits oneself and be a part of a community of others who can be trusted and perhaps even become friends, colleagues or simply familiar fellows toward which one feels no ill-will. after fighting in the war, our protagonist is unable to comprehend why the world is the way it is, how it is possible for people to destroy each other in such horrid ways and what end all this could even have for a person who wants to live simply and in peace.
also, (spoiler) he dies right at the end of the conflict, mere weeks before the armistice is signed. just as does your solider with the short sight and the inability to resist the growing avalanche of pressure to fight for his country despite his disability. i was particularly taken with the feelings of his mother toward this woman with the feather of white as this implies to me that she is, like so many mothers, horrified by the (all) war and its ability to take her son from her without providing her any opportunity to make things otherwise. she can only sit back and hope while her country dries up, as did germany during the 1914 war and many other nations during wartime. such a tight embargo was put in place by the allied naval fleets, that germany could not get food, weapons, medicine or really anything. thus rendering it helpless in the fight against extremely overwhelming numbers of well-fed and armed troops that like tides kept surging into them.
i am of the opinion that germany was the main aggressor in this great war and did indeed take the first steps toward ensuring that a conflict between countries was inevitable. though, with great irony, it is commonly believed among the german forces as they are portrayed in the aforementioned novel, that their leadership wants nothing to do with the war, is fighting it out of necessity and if lost, the whole of its landmass will be carved up and taken from them by their inhuman, depraved and bloodthirsty enemies. as i hope everyone is aware, this didn't happen and though germany was horrifically humiliated by the french upon surrender and had, in complying with the terms, to make restitution through the giving away of much of its wealth and many of it precious resources. it was, of course, still able to come back 20 years later, not a bit less humiliated and p--- off and do the whole thing over again, though on a much bigger scale. history is insane. something about truth being stranger than fiction comes to mind.
and so... i enjoyed your poem very much. it was unique in its construction and valid in its historical leanings. i never knew that a white feather symbolized cowardice. that's interesting. i am sorry for the long commentary/response but i like to write stuff down, so if you don't care for it, ignore it. and that is all. thanks for taking the time to share that story with us and please, if you wish to, fill me in on how you came by the knowledge that the events you describe are accurate. you can pm me if you want, whatever you care to do.
oh.. i see now that you wrote this awhile ago. you probably don't hang around here anymore. i wish i knew, but i don't. well, alright. i hope you keep your spit in your mouth while sleeping and get to hang out at the beach without ever seeing any sharks or having your popsicle stolen by a seagull etc. well, actually, i hope i get to do all that. ;)
let's see, i hope you get some tasty and nutritious food to eat as much as you want of. that's a good wish as long as you don't get all obese and blame me. is there really anything that can be wished upon another without prejudice? everybody wants all sorts of different stuff. ok. i hope you get your different stuff.
ok i'm done. except i also wish for some awesome food today to break my fast and i'd really like for their to be a table tennis set at my next job. oh and skis too. i almost forgot about those. i'd like some skis. you know, just, whenever you get a chance later today or this week sometime. really, i just hope you bring enough presents to make me happy! that's part of a your membership req's here. just fyi.
please don't believe me. i'm a potato anyway and nobody believes a potato! well, except if you want to. nothing makes any sense. i'm going to the mini-mart.
