The End Is Never Near
It happened again. Yet this time, the aftermath was even worse. 3 children and three adults were shot and killed inside a Christian covenant school in Nashville, Tennessee early yesterday morning. It doesn’t seem like there is ever an end. Violence, violence, violence. It is the solution to everything. Whenever you find yourself in an unfavorable situation, just enact harm on whatever is pestering you. It is a surefire way to solve any problem. While we continue in our advancements in technology and engineering, we grow even farther from peace. Any item in front of you can be used as a weapon, that is what we have all come to realize. But the lingering question remains; why is there no end in sight?
Books and movies are common formats for creatives to express themselves. More specifically for those who like to dabble in the frightening side of things. Still, not everything written or directed is a work of the human mind. “Dulce et Decorum Est”, for example, is a complete recollection of true events written by Wilfred Owen, an English World War I soldier, and poet. The recurring theme of glorified violence and the acceptance of it in his writings showcase a broader reality that many of us may never face. He grips the reader with the first four lines, writing, “Bent double-kneed, like old beggars under sacks / Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge / Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs / And towards our distant rest we began to trudge.” (Owen 4) Like a sudden, piercing jolt in your side, Owen 2 hacks and slashes at the reader’s innocence, instilling an immediate sense of sheer violence and fear for what is to come.
Like Owen, another writer by the name of Shirley Jackson enjoys basking in the arts of horror and mystery. Rather, her work is purely fiction, whereas Owen’s work is mere fact. One story in particular, written by Jackson titled “The Lottery,” builds suspense as the story is read. While a cheat code is placed carefully at the beginning of the writing, it takes a focused reader to notice it the first time. Jackson writes, “Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, [...] (Jackson 1). With this subtle hint dropped, most readers glance over it, paying it no mind. But this line alone is so crucial to the foreboding theme of violence and its glorification. As the story progresses, the reader can feel themselves inching closer and closer to the edge of their seat, and only at the very end is the bombshell finally unloaded. The theme, like Owen’s poem, lingers toward the back of the writing. Something you would have to read between the lines to understand.
What these two writings do not have in common though, is not just their authors and time periods, but rather the detail and vocabulary used to build their horror foundation. Owen’s poem goes in depth about war and its consequences, using words like writhing and gargling to portray a very gritty image of violence. Whereas Jackson’s vocabulary is much more subtle, as she opted for a more suspenseful tale that teaches the reader patience. Owen’s poem gets right to the point, and as short as it was, it holds so much power to its theme of violence. Understanding both readings’ similarities and differences helps the reader strengthen their awareness and comprehension of key words.
To summarize, both “Dulce et Decorum Est'' by Wilfred Owen and “The Lottery'' by Shirley Jackson are two very important works of literature. Written in different eras by different authors 3 in different parts of the world, they compare and contrast in many different ways. While they both ultimately share a recurring theme of violence, they also share several differences. Between their word choice, vocabulary, and diction, both writings are intertwined in their own ways.
Although it seems hopeless, and we may never see the end of it, there is still faith. Violence, like almost everything on this planet, is man-made. It’s by human control. And with each passing day, we become more and more aware of the consequences it holds. It’s shaped our reality and the world in front of us, and even though it may seem unnecessary and pointless, we can never know peace until we first meet violence.
