just war theory
draft 1
It is human nature for mankind to selfishly desire what they want. Humans fancy a wealthy lifestyle, or at
least a satiable amount of products to maintain the pleasure. When people don’t meet the expectations of their egoism, they become desperate. Desperation can change people’s emotions drastically, into a state where they are unable to make justified decisions. War is a immense buildup of stress and distrust, where dark nature plays a huge role in the process. Although war has been a successful solution for nations to determine their position in society, I believe that there are alternate resolutions to solve conflicts between countries. Uniting with each other and making peace is so much more beneficial than creating unnecessary problems with neighbor countries.
St. Augustine and a few others are mainly responsible for the guidelines to the Just War Theory. This is a largely Christian philosophy that attempts to bring together three main things: taking human life is seriously wrong, defending citizens and justice of states, and protecting innocent human life as well as defending important moral values. The theory specifies conditions for judging if it is just to go to war, and conditions for how the war should be fought. The aim of the Just War Theory is to provide a guide to the right way for states to act in potential conflict situations. This theory is exclusively intended for states as opposed to individuals. St. Augustine believed that the only just reason for going to war was to maintain peace. In the book, The Just War, Paul Ramsey quotes St. Augustine on the main idea of going to war. "We do not seek peace in order to be at war, but we go to war that we may have peace. Be peaceful, therefore, in warning, so that you may vanquish those whom you war against, and bring them to the prosperity of peace. (Ramsey 151). I believe that their approach of creating a nonviolent world is heading the right direction. All it needs are groups of communities starting it, advertising it and influencing them to the rest of the world.
Participating in war is one of the biggest risks an individual could take throughout their life. Many soldiers “have lost all sense of other considerations, because they are artificial’ (Remarque 21). This essentially means that these soldiers are just another pawn, an brainwashed puppet that serves for the country. What can I say, throughout war, soldiers will witness blood, tears and death of comrades, as well as going through emotional pain that will curse them forever. Even if an country conquers a war, the soldiers are not going to be the same people they used to be.
Remarque, author of All Quiet on the Western Front was mustered out of the Great War in 1918 on a medical discharge, he returned home to a life devoid of hope and changed forever. His earlier dreams had included becoming a concert pianist, but, because of war wounds, that ambition was no longer a possibility. ‘“But what will really happen when we go back?”’ (Remarque, 86). During the time he had been in combat, his mother had died and now he had time to mourn and regret. Remarque, like many of his lost generation, suffered post war trauma and disillusionment. This one huge and overwhelming event in his life, WWI would haunt him forever and influence practically everything he would write. Remarque would return to scenes of the war and to postwar Germany for subjects of his novels. The world would read his words and understand the questions of his generation, and the critics would treat his book kindly. Modern readers return to his words because their powerful message delineates a dehumanization vastly surpassed by modern technological warfare. After all, he states in the very beginning of the book that “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” (Remarque, I).
Word Count: 673
Editor: Yumi
Feedback: Looks like junks of information (which it is because my draft one was basically gathered information stuck together). Some information was unnecessary, so I should take it out or change it so it makes sense with my original idea. My thesis and my body paragraph was contradicting each other which made everything confusing. Basically I had to organize it better.
draft 2
Just imagine, we are the ones who would be fighting for our country if there was war right now. Instead, we are getting great education, and living a peaceful life. Think about the things that soldiers witness on the battlefield. War is responsible for destroying the soldiers’ future lives, for what they witness on the battlefield cannot be forgotten. We don’t know what they go through, all we can do is feel sympathy. Having war is not right; nations have to sacrifice their people for greater happiness. But is that what the joy the soldiers want? Happiness should be brought upon everyone equally but war seems to contradict that idea.
What the soldier’s witness at war is something much more powerful and unforgettable than us bystanders looking at pictures and learning about them. We will never know what the pain each soldiers went through during war. What we know, is that each soldiers gave up their happiness for a greater cause. They don’t know if they can come back alive, they don’t know what they will see. They could have a family, a group of friends that they had to leave behind. They want to protect their source of happiness, but what is the point if you die. If you die, then there’s nothing left. War brainwashes soldiers to fight for the country. Many soldiers “have lost all sense of other considerations, because they are artificial’ (Remarque 21). Soldiers are just another pawn, another puppet made to kill each other. Killing people is against morality, but fighting in forced situation, against thousands of other men is a whole new level. Obviously they don’t want to kill people but that’s the “right” thing to do. Happiness is something that can be obtained when the person actually loves what they do, not doing something forcefully that goes against their own morals.
‘“But what will really happen when we go back?”’ (Remarque, 86). Remarque, author of All Quiet on the Western Front was mustered out of the Great War in 1918 on a medical discharge, he returned home to a life devoid of hope and changed forever. His earlier dreams had included becoming a concert pianist, but, because of war wounds, that ambition was no longer a possibility. During the time he had been in combat, his mother had died and now he had time to mourn and regret. Remarque, like many of his lost generation, suffered post war trauma and disillusionment. This one huge and overwhelming event in his life, WWI would haunt him forever and influence practically everything he would write. Remarque would return to scenes of the war and to postwar Germany for subjects of his novels. The world would read his words and understand the questions of his generation, and the critics would treat his book kindly. Modern readers return to his words because their powerful message delineates a dehumanization vastly surpassed by modern technological warfare. After all, he states in the very beginning of the book that “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” (Remarque, I).
After he lost his happiness which was playing the piano, his only way to produce joy was to tell a story. A story based on his experience, to let the world know what life can do to you.
Word Count: 571
Changes: I completely changed my focus. It used to be a theory based on the general view of war, but now I I am focused on the soldiers and how war affects them. My introduction has major changes, and got rid of my first body paragraph and added a new one to match the new thesis.
Editor: Marvin
Feedback: I have a really weak conclusion, and need more evidence to support my thesis. I am lacking information and most importantly, I am not meeting the requirements of the project. I should focus on that now.
What the soldier’s witness at war is something much more powerful and unforgettable than us bystanders looking at pictures and learning about them. We will never know what the pain each soldiers went through during war. What we know, is that each soldiers gave up their happiness for a greater cause. They don’t know if they can come back alive, they don’t know what they will see. They could have a family, a group of friends that they had to leave behind. They want to protect their source of happiness, but what is the point if you die. If you die, then there’s nothing left. War brainwashes soldiers to fight for the country. Many soldiers “have lost all sense of other considerations, because they are artificial’ (Remarque 21). Soldiers are just another pawn, another puppet made to kill each other. Killing people is against morality, but fighting in forced situation, against thousands of other men is a whole new level. Obviously they don’t want to kill people but that’s the “right” thing to do. Happiness is something that can be obtained when the person actually loves what they do, not doing something forcefully that goes against their own morals.
‘“But what will really happen when we go back?”’ (Remarque, 86). Remarque, author of All Quiet on the Western Front was mustered out of the Great War in 1918 on a medical discharge, he returned home to a life devoid of hope and changed forever. His earlier dreams had included becoming a concert pianist, but, because of war wounds, that ambition was no longer a possibility. During the time he had been in combat, his mother had died and now he had time to mourn and regret. Remarque, like many of his lost generation, suffered post war trauma and disillusionment. This one huge and overwhelming event in his life, WWI would haunt him forever and influence practically everything he would write. Remarque would return to scenes of the war and to postwar Germany for subjects of his novels. The world would read his words and understand the questions of his generation, and the critics would treat his book kindly. Modern readers return to his words because their powerful message delineates a dehumanization vastly surpassed by modern technological warfare. After all, he states in the very beginning of the book that “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” (Remarque, I).
After he lost his happiness which was playing the piano, his only way to produce joy was to tell a story. A story based on his experience, to let the world know what life can do to you.
Word Count: 571
Changes: I completely changed my focus. It used to be a theory based on the general view of war, but now I I am focused on the soldiers and how war affects them. My introduction has major changes, and got rid of my first body paragraph and added a new one to match the new thesis.
Editor: Marvin
Feedback: I have a really weak conclusion, and need more evidence to support my thesis. I am lacking information and most importantly, I am not meeting the requirements of the project. I should focus on that now.
final draft
Isshin Midorikawa
Mr. Pangier
4 April 2016
A2 European Literature
Just imagine, we are the ones who would be fighting for our country if there was war right now. Instead, we are getting great education, and living a peaceful life. Think about the things that soldiers witness on the battlefield. War is responsible for destroying the soldiers’ future lives, for what they witness on the battlefield cannot be forgotten. We don’t know what they go through, all we can do is feel sympathy. Having war is not right; nations have to sacrifice their people for greater happiness. But is that what the joy the soldiers want? The book All Quiet on the Western Front seems to have an answer to this; happiness should be brought upon everyone equally but war seems to contradict that idea.
“But what will really happen when we go back?” (Remarque 86). Remarque, author of All Quiet on the Western Front was mustered out of the Great War in 1918 on a medical discharge, he returned home to a life devoid of hope and changed forever. His earlier dreams had included becoming a concert pianist, but, because of war wounds, that ambition was no longer a possibility. During the time he had been in combat, his mother had died and now he had time to mourn and regret. Remarque, like many of his lost generation, suffered post war trauma and disillusionment. This one huge and overwhelming event in his life, WWI would haunt him forever and influence practically everything he would write. Remarque would return to scenes of the war and to postwar Germany for subjects of his novels. The world would read his words and understand the questions of his generation, and the critics would treat his book kindly. Modern readers return to his words because their powerful message delineates a dehumanization vastly surpassed by modern technological warfare. After all, he states in the very beginning of the book that “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” (Remarque I).
After he lost his happiness which was playing the piano, his only way to produce joy was to tell a story. A story based on his experience, to let the world know what life can do to you.
In chapter 11 of How To Read Literature Like A Professor, the book explains the two types of violence: injury and narrative violence. Specific injuries include those that a writer makes the character do to themselves or another character. Narrative violence is just general violence or misfortune that happens to a character. This type of violence is usually uncontrollable by the character and is used to develop a plot or a theme. Remarque used this technique professionally in his novel. In All Quiet on the Western Front there were continuous deaths of the protagonists friends, which in my opinion just made everything so sad, but by no means necessary in order to keep the story going, according the the theory in chapter 11. For example, Franz, the first friend of Paul to die in the book set the whole tone of how war can be so tough. His death introduced us to the sorrow and the depth of the characters relationship with each other. Happiness was barely seen in the book. I’d say this book kept a sad atmosphere the whole way, which I felt like portrayed the truth of war.
What the soldier’s witness at war is something much more powerful and unforgettable than us bystanders looking at pictures and learning about them. We will never know what the pain each soldiers went through during war. What we know, is that each soldiers gave up their happiness for a greater cause. They don’t know if they can come back alive, they don’t know what they will see. They could have a family, a group of friends that they had to leave behind. They want to protect their source of happiness, but what is the point if you die. If you die, then there’s nothing left. War brainwashes soldiers to fight for the country. Many soldiers “have lost all sense of other considerations, because they are artificial” (Remarque 21). Soldiers are just another pawn, another puppet made to kill each other. And these soldiers are obviously not happy with what they have to go through. “I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity” (Eisenhower). The 34th president of United States says that he hates the war because only the people who experienced it knows how bad and cruel it is. Again, we bystander’s will not understand the true horror of the war, and that is why we should value our happiness, even the smallest joyment.
These soldiers, any tiny happiness for us is a huge gaiety for them. Let’s say our little happiness is when you get to have the last ice cream remaining the fridge. For us, that is nothing but a little smile, but for the soldiers, imagine how grateful they would be if they find cans of beans at an abandoned camp site. The concept is the exactly same, but the level of importance is so different. So next time, when you come across a moment of happiness, value it.
Work Cited
Remarque, Erich Maria, and A. W. Wheen. All Quiet on the Western Front. Print.
"War Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
Word Count: 896
Changes: I added a new paragraph dedicating to the connects between the book "How To Read Literature Like a Professor" and "All Quiet on the Western Front". I also added an outside source quote to support my theory better, and created a conclusion that summed up my essay.
Editor: Josh
Feedback: I should create better transition with my body paragraphs because right now it looks like chunks of information put into a essay. Although the "chunks" support my thesis, I should make it smoother to see the connects of each body paragraphs.
Mr. Pangier
4 April 2016
A2 European Literature
Just imagine, we are the ones who would be fighting for our country if there was war right now. Instead, we are getting great education, and living a peaceful life. Think about the things that soldiers witness on the battlefield. War is responsible for destroying the soldiers’ future lives, for what they witness on the battlefield cannot be forgotten. We don’t know what they go through, all we can do is feel sympathy. Having war is not right; nations have to sacrifice their people for greater happiness. But is that what the joy the soldiers want? The book All Quiet on the Western Front seems to have an answer to this; happiness should be brought upon everyone equally but war seems to contradict that idea.
“But what will really happen when we go back?” (Remarque 86). Remarque, author of All Quiet on the Western Front was mustered out of the Great War in 1918 on a medical discharge, he returned home to a life devoid of hope and changed forever. His earlier dreams had included becoming a concert pianist, but, because of war wounds, that ambition was no longer a possibility. During the time he had been in combat, his mother had died and now he had time to mourn and regret. Remarque, like many of his lost generation, suffered post war trauma and disillusionment. This one huge and overwhelming event in his life, WWI would haunt him forever and influence practically everything he would write. Remarque would return to scenes of the war and to postwar Germany for subjects of his novels. The world would read his words and understand the questions of his generation, and the critics would treat his book kindly. Modern readers return to his words because their powerful message delineates a dehumanization vastly surpassed by modern technological warfare. After all, he states in the very beginning of the book that “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” (Remarque I).
After he lost his happiness which was playing the piano, his only way to produce joy was to tell a story. A story based on his experience, to let the world know what life can do to you.
In chapter 11 of How To Read Literature Like A Professor, the book explains the two types of violence: injury and narrative violence. Specific injuries include those that a writer makes the character do to themselves or another character. Narrative violence is just general violence or misfortune that happens to a character. This type of violence is usually uncontrollable by the character and is used to develop a plot or a theme. Remarque used this technique professionally in his novel. In All Quiet on the Western Front there were continuous deaths of the protagonists friends, which in my opinion just made everything so sad, but by no means necessary in order to keep the story going, according the the theory in chapter 11. For example, Franz, the first friend of Paul to die in the book set the whole tone of how war can be so tough. His death introduced us to the sorrow and the depth of the characters relationship with each other. Happiness was barely seen in the book. I’d say this book kept a sad atmosphere the whole way, which I felt like portrayed the truth of war.
What the soldier’s witness at war is something much more powerful and unforgettable than us bystanders looking at pictures and learning about them. We will never know what the pain each soldiers went through during war. What we know, is that each soldiers gave up their happiness for a greater cause. They don’t know if they can come back alive, they don’t know what they will see. They could have a family, a group of friends that they had to leave behind. They want to protect their source of happiness, but what is the point if you die. If you die, then there’s nothing left. War brainwashes soldiers to fight for the country. Many soldiers “have lost all sense of other considerations, because they are artificial” (Remarque 21). Soldiers are just another pawn, another puppet made to kill each other. And these soldiers are obviously not happy with what they have to go through. “I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity” (Eisenhower). The 34th president of United States says that he hates the war because only the people who experienced it knows how bad and cruel it is. Again, we bystander’s will not understand the true horror of the war, and that is why we should value our happiness, even the smallest joyment.
These soldiers, any tiny happiness for us is a huge gaiety for them. Let’s say our little happiness is when you get to have the last ice cream remaining the fridge. For us, that is nothing but a little smile, but for the soldiers, imagine how grateful they would be if they find cans of beans at an abandoned camp site. The concept is the exactly same, but the level of importance is so different. So next time, when you come across a moment of happiness, value it.
Work Cited
Remarque, Erich Maria, and A. W. Wheen. All Quiet on the Western Front. Print.
"War Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
Word Count: 896
Changes: I added a new paragraph dedicating to the connects between the book "How To Read Literature Like a Professor" and "All Quiet on the Western Front". I also added an outside source quote to support my theory better, and created a conclusion that summed up my essay.
Editor: Josh
Feedback: I should create better transition with my body paragraphs because right now it looks like chunks of information put into a essay. Although the "chunks" support my thesis, I should make it smoother to see the connects of each body paragraphs.