World War 1 an Analysis

World War 1: An Analysis

Mallory Howresko

Klamath Community College

World War 1: An Analysis

World War 1 was a highly destructive event that started in 1914. This War had a profound effect on the soldiers and their families physically and mentally. The War effected soldiers physically through severe injuries and often left them traumatized with “shell shock” by the events they heard and saw. They would return home as complete strangers to their families. Sometimes not knowing how to communicate with their families again or being too tormented to talk about their experiences or about the nightmares they would still be having.

As most men had gone to fight the war, woman had to take the man’s place in the workforce. This put a great amount of pressure on the wives and mothers. In the passage “A French Bakery During the War” a woman talks about her experience taking her husband’s place in the bakery when he goes off to war. She lives in a small village that is close to the front lines of the war. So not only does she have to deal with the fact her husband is off at war she gets to witness the difficulties and the shortages brought by war. This includes seeing countless wounded men and a great amount of poor people. In addition, since her village is so close to the front line people are leaving because they don’t want to suffer the horrors of an occupying army. Living so close to the battle line she is forced to run the family bakery to save her house from pillage. While working at the bakery her and her mother start at 2 o’clock in the morning and keep working until 7 or 8 at night. Often going several days without sleep.

Aside from having to take the man’s place in the workforce while they are away it is often a hardship to welcome home these men. These men can and often return home as complete strangers. Often returning looking ill and not very attentive. They have a hard time sleeping at night and if they do wish to talk about their war experiences, that...