Month: September 2023

Before I watched the film I don’t know much on WWI, I think that this war’s size will be smaller than WWII and much less cruel, bloody and terrified than WWII. But after I watch the movie I realized my mind was absolutely wrong, war never had a merciful face, it was always filled with tear, death and fear.

When I heard that they mention “they never regret their decision to join the war”, I was quite confused because I can’t realized that they were running beside the death and how did they not felt afraid to it? Then I understood the reason, the propoganda had encourage them so much and they survived in the war. They were the winners of the war.

But Europe had paid so much for this war, millions family broken, soldiers wounded and dead, whole Europe had been surrounded by the gas of death such like 600 years ago, but in that time was the nature using his death scythe but this time it was all because human themselves…

I was quite inspired after I watch this because now the Russia sill had war with Ukraine and millions people had been effected and lost their family, home and everything, that’s only what war gave us, no matter the time, size or weapon.

Hope the world peace, no more tear, no more smoke of gunpowder and no war…

The film They Shall Not Grow Old didn’t seem to have a large impact on my feelings or thoughts. I didn’t feel any sadness or sympathy toward the soldiers and I don’t know why that is. The film was quite exclusive because it shows soldiers in and out of action. I feel that the movie was well made to inform you of what happened at the time and didn’t follow one regiment or group of soldiers,  it was quite spread out meaning that the film producers spent a lot of time getting multiple perspectives. I feel that because this film made me feel no emotion it is very hard for me to write about it. Meaning that this is the end of my personal response, thank you.

This film truly shocked me. It’s the first time that i have really been able to get a grasp on the true horrors of a historical event like this, and it has opened my mind to many new ideas. The way that the film chose to keep every photo and recounting of the war uncensored with nothing cut out was such a new way to experience the story of the war, with no glorification to the actual events was very unique and mature. This new experience gave me countless new thoughts and opinions, but i will focus on one of the simpler and what i think to be the most intreasting. The fundamental root of this thought is how these men could survive these hardships, but to do it and call it an “adventure” and something they would gladly do it again. How could millions of men, nevertheless 15-19yr old boys, be so resilient and tough when faced with the harshest and most tragic condiotions human historty has ever seen? This puzzles me as it seems that these men were all like the heroes of old, scared of nothing and risking their lives for the greater good , such as Achilles or Heracules. But they were all just boys urged to leave from every corner of their home countires and die on the front. I wondor if this is a positive message, that even the most common man can be capeable of incredabile feats when given the chance, or that its a tragedy that the next greatest and most formidiable men we have ever had were wasted and discarded on a pointelss war.

   I can’t imagine how they risked their lives in that horrible place for years. I can’t believe those teenagers who lie about their age wouldn’t have a future if they lost their lives during the war. I’m stunned that even non-experienced soldiers/teens have to go to war no matter what happens. I know that many people are glad that they don’t need to experience that horror sight. 

   Even though we are still in the same world and there a new differences some are still the same. Like lying and judging people. But still, they could make some new changes. There are different and many different things that stand out to me. The most outstanding thing was the military and the soldiers. 

   How many military soldiers have to train and work hard day and night which is non-stop work! That they only have ONE uniform for a year-long, inedible food and artillery stuff. I’m so thrilled that nowadays we don’t need to worry about the shell-explosion, poison gases, and infection. 

   The tones of the voices of the soldiers sound really depressed, enthusiastic, surprised and scared. Which was actually eerie and flabbergasted because if I got put/forced to fight for my country. I would be frightened to even see my opponent/enemies and the dead bodies that were on the No Man’s Land. 

   I couldn’t imagine if I got put in the soldier position my knees would feel really weak and trembling. How the pain I would feel and how much I would miss my family members back home. I bet all the years would go by slowly and really tired. And I’m glad no one needs to go through that anymore.

The thinks that I thought was surprising, Interesting and my ancestors who fought on both world wars. Surprised, because I always imagen that the trenches were more terrifying, but when I saw the trenches in color and the thought of the soldier, gave me the sense that it was livelier than I imagen. It was also very Interesting, how they thought of these “Horrific” thinks that they lived in, like ” being in the first line of trenches was fun.”. Last point is my ancestors. They came to my mind because there were also affected by the war like this British soldier. In conclusion, the movie was very good at brining me to think about those men who fought on wars.

How curious is the attitude of the human being when it comes to war, right?

My feelings and thoughts about the movie “They Shall not Grow Old” are very reflectives and a little bit shocking because, for me, it´s curios how at the beginning when the British entered the war against Germany, all british citizens were excited to go into the war and defend their nation, it is curious and interesting how sometimes pride or in this case patriotism can blind human beings from what they are really going to face. Like I said, at the beginning the british citizens were excited, also because they thought it wouldn´t last long and that in a certain part it would be fun.

As the war progresses and the British soldiers see and live the harsh reality and cruelty of a war, their intial attitudes are destroyed and little by little they create cold and unfeeling attitudes. Althought as time went by, many soldiers became accustomed to the fact that at any moment they could die, either from a wound generated in combat or from a surprise attack by the enemy.

At the end when the war finished and the Allies won the British army captured a lot of germans and I kind of empathize with the Tommies of how they treated them and how they tried to communicate with them to have a normal talk.

My conclusion from the movie ‘They Shall not Grow Old’ is that it is shocking how, both in those times and currently, pride or patriotism can affect and decieve the attitude of human beings, leading them to do things that they may regret for their entire life.

They shall grow old. The name of the movie They shall not grow old, felt like a lie to me as I wrote my first drafts. As I wrote in my draft: “to say I was shocked at the atrocity of these soldiers would be a lie” felt uneasy to me. Although I am not at all shocked it still felt wrong to write it. These soldiers- these boys were 16 to 19 years old, the thing that felt wrong, was that I overlooked the fact that they were just my age. Leaving the soft beds of their home on the thread of a promise of military glory. They shall grow old because there were 16 year-old’s tip-toeing among the adults, charging into the raging fire of war: unaware of the danger’s ahead.

In the beginning of the Documentary the host asked a few of these ex-military men If they regretted this war. The part that stuck with me more than anything in the documentary was their response. Many of them took a breath in, and casually told the host that they did not regret the war. Some even casually mentioning that it was for the will of the country. I feel conflicted. There were these men on the documentary- some of them 16 or 17 years old at the time of the war -that ran past bullets beyond bullets, watched their comraded die to a graveyard of mud and slept with an undying nerve at the back of their heads telling them that today was their day. These same men talking about the war as if to be distant memory of an old job. Although at the very same time: there was a little person in the back of my head understands such casualty. How could they think of such an event in their lives as a horrific event if their whole lives they’d been told that the war was just another job. Their drill sergeant told the that it was their job to toughen up. The years on the battle field taught them a sense of normalcy. Even as they came back home, the people around them didn’t want to talk about the war and acted as if they came back from a big vacation. It was once described to me that a human mind is like clay in the sense that it hardens over time: however before it hardens it’s as moldable as play-dough. How could these ex-soldiers known that the war they’d lived through was a million times worse that the version in their mind if people had been molding their brains to think little of it.

As I write out these paragraphs there was a feeling of something that has been alluding me for the longest time as I’m sitting in my desk. The feeling of nervousness? or uneasiness? As I write sentence on sentence on these young soldiers this feeling continues to pester me. I suppose for reasons beyond me I can relate to these soldiers. Which from an exterior point of view could sound very presumptuous teetering on ignorance. Although for reasons I don’t have words for: the tone of the soldiers’ voice, the fact that these boys of 17 and 19 years old getting looked up and down as if shiny new weapons and told to grow up: swallow their tears and follow orders. Feels all to familiar. I remember teachers, peers, instructors, family tell me to grow up my entire life. Telling me to swallow my tears, do another hour, take pride or that they know I can do better. The feeling of being told to be an adult even though I’m not. As I sit in my desk I can’t help but feel a sense of sympathy mixed with a sense of familiarness. I suppose everyone does in the bigger picture. Everyone gets told to grow up: to to swallow their tears, do another hour or take pride.

As I reflect on this documentary the impact of the movie begins to sink in; the sense of uneasiness, the familiarness and the confliction. The feeling that life in this unforgivable world everyone is just running past bullets beyond bullets, watching their comrades die to a graveyard of mud and sleeping with an undying nerve at the back of their heads telling them that today is their day. Even if these bullets and mud looks different in everyone’s life. They shall not grow old made me look at this war an it’s soldiers in a different light- a brighter one. One in which it made me reflect on how these soldiers were told to grow up. Just as many of us were to to grow up. They shall grow old because they did. I did… We did.

The “They Shall Not Grow Old” documentary left a huge mark on me beginning with the fact that the director Peter Jackson did an incredible work transforming a black and white story into a completely vivid experience in which the soldiers themselves become the central figures of the story. It surprised me that nowadays we can see this movie in vivid colors and images but back in those days it wasn’t like this, it was just black and white and the images were not as clear as they are today and this is an incredible advance in the filmaking process.

Watching this documentary make me experiment a lot of different emotions  because it really felt like if I was there watching all the horrible and difficult things that the soldiers went through during the war. It was really touching realizing that despite the horrors they passed, the soldiers created really good bonds and friendships between them. As I watched the film, I reflected on the difficulties of life and that not everything is what it seems. Speaking on my personal experience, I knew that war was difficult and that there were a lot of deaths, massacres and horrible and traumatic things but after watching these documentary it really opened my eyes and now I can relate in a more personal way with all those soldiers and be empathic with the situation.

The documentary’s plot is journey through the soldiers life starting with their recruitment and training for them to be prepared for whatever happens, then they have to go and fight on the trenches and after that it ends with the difficult situation that is for them to try to reintegrate into society, go back to their normal life and civilization. I think that the part of coming back home and be with their families again and try to pretend that nothing happened is the worst part because nobody could completely understand what those soldiers went through and all the traumas they have. It might be difficult not just for them but also for their loved ones.

In conclusion, “They Shall Not Grow Old” is a remarkable and truly interesting documentary that bring the World War One soldiers stories and experiences to real life. It is a reminder for all of us of the sacrifices made by all the men that participated in war and that gived their own lives for  their country and I think that the soldiers shall never grow old our memories.

I want to start off by saying that this move was very intense. I cannot imagine what soldiers and people who lived during the war experienced. When I started hearing the gunshots I flinched and even got scared only by hearing the sound of it coming through a speaker, I can’t imagine what the soldiers in the war felt when gunshots were fired and when they saw their peers collapse to the ground. The movie seemed realistic but at the same time I couldn’t believe what soldiers went through, I started thinking that it was nothing like my life, I couldn’t imagine going through all those horrible experiences and traumas, I think if there were a world war now I would be completely useless. Partly because I’m just a teen and partly because I’m not prepared for that kind of challenge and the repercussions it leaves. It’s frightening to think that maybe someone related to me went to the war and maybe even died serving their country. The pictures shown in the video were very intense and horrifying, in some of them I had to look the other way or close my eyes to not look at them because of how graphic the images were.  It’s crazy to think that soldiers lived years in that situation, I can’t imagine how traumatized and tired they were during and after the war. I was shocked that after the war people were not hiring soldiers after all they did and sacrificed to serve their countries. The play was horrifying and very intense and shocking but at the same time it was very insightful and it reminded me that people were willing to sacrifice their lives to help others and serve their countries. I still can’t believe how soldiers survived all those years fighting, preparing, training, and hiding with only black beans and rice, how doctors survived all those days helping injured soldiers getting barely any sleep and sacrificing their health for the health of others. I think this movie helped me realize that people underestimate the abilities of human beings and what we are capable of and some of us don’t give enough importance to soldiers who fought for our safety and continue fighting for their countries.

At the start of the film, “They Shall Not Grow Old” there was mention of people ages 19 to 35 being allowed to join the army. Some soldiers expressed they were happy to join and fulfill the job. Even boys as young as 15 would try to sneak in by lying about their age as they were proud to go fight for their country. Being 15 myself, this was shocking to me. Watching the beginning, I felt surprised at how most soldiers seemed eager to join and help fight. Once we got deeper into the film, soldiers were expressing their feelings after being in the war and fighting. Hearing all the brutal words, I was devastated for all these innocent people giving up their lives for their country. Although some soldiers mentioned how they were “used” to the war and used to fighting, I felt horrible about all the suffering the soldiers had to go through and how many died trying. One soldier mentioned how the shooting was typically 10 minutes. I couldn’t imagine the thoughts and feelings going through their minds. As one of the soldiers was talking, it reminded me of a prison as he said they ate the same thing every day and had the same routine. I couldn’t imagine the pain of the families whose kids didn’t make it out. When the war was over, the ones to make it out alive had suffered so much and now have an unbearable amount of trauma and I couldn’t imagine all the pain and brutal memories. I have so much respect for and admire all the soldiers who gave up their lives for a future, our future. 

The film They Shall not Grow Old was set in a world so unlike my own that the story seemed fictitious when it was based on reality. The devastation wrought upon the people of this time by the war made me feel so very grateful for all of the choices and events allowing for my comfort and privilege. The circumstances that I would be in if I was raised in war times compared to the safety and opportunity that I am given by being raised in this time, socio economic status and part of the world are drastic and uncomfortable to think about. Imagining going to school, caring for my family, or working in a factory while my male peers, family and loved ones might be dying or dead is a thought I am grateful is unlikely to come to pass in my lifetime. It is difficult for me to understand how the men and boys signing up for war in this time would sign up at all and I’m simply dumbfounded that they would choose to return after being allowed home because of injury. Knowing the risks and the very real possibility that those soldiers might never see their families again shows me that I for one, am quite sure that my bravery is not comparable to theirs whatsoever.

While I was watching the film, They Shall Not Grow Old, I continuously tried to picture myself as a Canadian soldier in World War One, the difference between life as a man one hundred years ago compared to now, and different worldviews and perspectives. 

I was constantly thinking about life as a Canadian soldier, because some of the soldiers who fought in the war were the same age as me when they entered war, so I can somewhat relate to them in a sense, being a teenager who enjoys playing sports and who goes to school, and then suddenly having to decide, or in some cases be forced, into joining the war. I would have to sail all the way to Europe, and there would be some feelings of fear because I would be forced to leave my sheltered life and homeland. At the same time, there would also be an overwhelming sese of patriotism and pride in carrying out my duty to defend it. In addition to that, all my friends would participate in the war, family would also try to convince me to join, and there would be a great deal of propaganda coaxing young men to participate, which would make it irresistible for a boy of my age to join the war. Plus, if I did not join, I might be made fun of and thought of as a coward during those times, because people believed that it was a man’s duty to fight. 

Today, though, it would be a vastly different scenario. Looking at the film from a modern-day perspective, many would think of war as a crude way of increasing territory and gaining resources. Today, people frown upon the thought of war in order to retain peace. Governments should set up conferences and peacefully discuss their ideas rather than killing millions of people. War is a very inefficient way to get what you want, and it would be much more effective to simply communicate with other countries and open bilateral discussions to understand conflicting views. It is only through peaceful discussion that countries can achieve a better understanding of situations and find common ground. 

While I was watching the battle scenes, I was picturing what it would be like if my battle partners were getting shot and dying on the battlefield. The people who I bonded with and shared memories with disappearing in the blink of an eye. The adrenaline rush of trying to escape and frantically running for your life, and if you unfortunately got shot, the pain would be excruciating. I thought of it like a scary video game where you were always in fear and one where you could not pause or reload the game, so if you made a singular mistake, it would be “game over.” This made me think about how the soldiers would constantly be in a life-or-death situation for those four years from 1914 to 1918, but if we compared that to the lives of young men nowadays, there is such stark difference, because I can eat comfortably, go to school, have fun with my friends, and play sports, whereas if I was alive over a hundred years ago, I could be one step away from death at all times, barely eat enough to survive, and my friends would be getting killed left, right and centre. 

To conclude, while I was watching They Shall Not Grow Old, I was constantly reminded of the difference between life as a Canadian man one hundred years ago compared to now. It brings to light the little luxuries in life that we take for granted today, and how in the past it would be so difficult to simply enjoy a warm cup of coffee in the morning. My ignorance about the hardships of a 15-year-old a century ago brings into focus how important peace is. As the Buddha once said, “There is no greater wealth in the world than peace of mind.” This film made me realise how important it is to revisit history and see things from a soldier’s perspective. It is only then that you can see the devastation of war. And make every effort to prevent it in the future. After watching this film, I was given a newfound appreciation for what we consider trivial in life. 

I found several parts of They Shall Not Grow Old very striking due to the realistic elements of the time period and the people portrayed. For example, in one clip the German and British soldiers are swapping hats and joking, and in another part, a veteran says, “Snipers would fire and not hit anybody, you know?” I found these examples very moving because they highlighted the fact that the soldiers were all people just like us, but in a different time period. You can sense what life was like during that time through what they say and how they act, and I find that very humanizing. While we’ve grown up being taught about people from other nations, they may not have and have spent the last few years hating the opposite side and hearing stories of their brutality and monstrosity. But nevertheless, certainly some of them managed to be empathetic and compassionate and treat the soldiers that they had been fighting so long against as people.

I feel that “out of sight, out of mind” is a concept that greatly affects me. Sure, I can know the facts about historical events and people, and may even know their life stories, but it doesn’t seem real until I see something like this movie that shows the people involved being “real people” – not just unknown faces and mystery soldiers of the past. Looking at old pictures and hearing about “the soldiers of WWI” doesn’t make the events from over a hundred years ago feel real, but seeing the soldiers, in color, joking about with another, having a cup of tea made from water their gun heated, and hearing veterans talk about how “no one cared who won at that point,” really brought it home to me, so to speak.

The film I watched was more like a documentary. It was about the First World War. In my point of view there wasn’t a structured sequence or specific storyline to follow.  The film focused on the the British Army and their life style, all their toughs and difficulties thru that point of their life. I had a lot of mixed feelings watching it, I felt disgusted and moved about how could people do that to other people, In what world we live in that could be possible, aren’t we supposed to be a civilized species?

It made me think about our present time problems, how the wars still continue and how much possibility we have that a WW3 could happen again, all the small wars that are happening right now and how most of them are not talked about enough, how innocent lives can change from one day and other.

In my opinion wars should not happen all they do is damage, destroy landscapes and innocent lives.

Can something in the past change the present into a different way of living? WW1 had a big impact on the modernized world, it changed it in many ways, and the soldiers who were part of that war changed the world for the better.

Soldiers do not regret going to war, that was one of the quotes the documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old” Started with. This quote symbolizes a lot to me and represents a lot of things in WW1 because it shows how men of all ages, gave their life for the war. Without this man fighting, the world wouldn’t be the same as it is now. We are who are because of these soldiers. At the beginning of the documentary I was completely uninterested, but once I started observing the hard work all the soldiers apported to the war, I understood that they did all of that for the future of the world. The world is so much different, from how it was back then, maybe if those soldiers hadn’t joined the war, and done everything to stop it, the world would still be fighting. I have so much respect for all those people who made the war go to an end, and not only soldiers but also the people who sported in many different other ways; Like women, women filled men’s jobs while they weren’t available, or also the medics, people who took care of all those extreme injuries created in the ear. Overall I’m so thankful for the people who risked everything they had for the benefit of others, without World War One people’s actions we wouldn’t be who we are now.

While watching the documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old” directed by Peter Jackson my feelings and thoughts were mixed. They were emotions a majority would feel when mentioning war, sadness, anger, and horror. During the classes we spent watching the documentary I felt all these emotions, however, another emotion struck me, that of pity. Pity like an outsider, pity of those who could not relate.

 Throughout the documentary, I felt like the civilians after the war had ended, pitying but not fully understanding the experiences of the survivors, “However nice and sympathetic they were, attempts of well-meaning people to sympathize reflected the fact that they didn’t really understand at all”. In modern-day times it would be like reading about the war online or watching it on the news. You feel pity towards the people and the situation they are in but nonetheless, you go on with your day. Although the civilians had felt the pain of having their family and friends sent out to war, they could not truly fathom the horrifying feeling of surviving in the trenches, charging across no man’s land, the impending doom of getting shot or blown up. This frightened me, the horrors a soldier had to experience would go unnoticed by family and friends.

Perhaps, it is because I can not relate to the world of 1914-18 especially since the zeitgeist was different more than 100 years ago. The normalization of war is a very foreign idea to me. At the start of the war, the excitement moving through the young men in Europe shocked me. I was horrified at the thought that some of these young men lied about their age just to join, many not being more than two years older than me. I was in disbelief at how casually these people thought of war. After thinking about it, it makes sense, all they had ever thought about war was that it was a glorious thing that brought your nation power and wealth. They believed as a quote from the documentary, “The empire was strong, we weren’t afraid of anyone. Everybody bought little buttons and white flags and sang songs, there was no feeling of despair about it at all”. What civilians in 1914 to 1918 were made aware of through newspaper articles and photos was very different from the horrifying images, videos, and writings of the Great War we all have access to today. I could easily search for any information I wanted, even the original black and white film in this documentary is now colourized. The closest they could get to any graphics or descriptions of war life was from the newspaper’s blurry black-and-white photos and idealized writings of the war.

Anger was a prominent emotion I felt while they described the treatment of the soldiers and the recruiting of the guards. I asked myself why they were letting such young boys sign up. Why weren’t their parents stopping them? Why isn’t the Sargent stopping them? Why isn’t anyone stopping them? It filled me with a useless rage. Nearing the end of the war after millions of soldiers had been injured and killed the old soldiers were retelling how nice it felt to sip tea, a smoke, or a shot of rum. Again, it made me mad that just the absolute basic pleasures in life were so uncommon to them. It made me mad that the civilians didn’t understand, “People didn’t seem to realize what a terrible thing war was…They hadn’t any conception – how could they?”. It is not the civilian’s fault that they couldn’t comprehend. But it still makes me mad. The government and media outlets that made the war seem as if it would be over in two weeks made me mad. It makes me mad that the trauma the young men experienced went untreated and their mental well-being was ignored. I felt sad about the men both young and old who had to suffer the horror of the war. It made me sad to think of the families that suffered the loss of close family and friends, and it made me sad to think of the lasting repercussions for this generation and the next.

I’ve probably spent too much time deliberating about what I should write here, and this is mostly due to how much one empty piece of paper (or in this case, empty draft) can intimidate me. How do I explain a war where millions died and accurately represent the complexity and brutality that occurred?

The tragedy of World War 1 isn’t an unspoken subject, it’s actually far from it. One search of the internet and I found websites, books, and films (such as They Shall Not Grow Old) all describing in detail the horrifying experiences that happened in the trenches and no-mans land. It would be wrong to say that I was never told about World War 1, although the topic wasn’t a common discussion in my household. For younger me, all I needed to know was that many people died, there was a good guy and a bad guy, and that my great grandfather had fought in the war. I didn’t think the topic was extremely important to my life since it had happened so long ago, so I didn’t pursue the topic any further and decided that the information I had was all I needed to know. For a long time I didn’t know about the terrible conditions the soldiers endured and the horrible things these soldiers witnessed. I think this is why, despite the stories being disturbing, I was thankful for how the movie They Shall Not Grow Old presented the war. It was honest about what had happened in the war, and didn’t censor the experiences of those who had fought and seen such atrocities. But again, I didn’t know a lot about this topic until I was in high school. I didn’t even know that the condition Europe was left in after the Armistice allowed for World War 2 to become such a devastating war. Because of World War 1, more people were forced to live in trenches, more dangerous weapons were created to allow for greater violence, and peoples’ mental health was sacrificed for their country. This first war — the “Great” war — paved the way for even more generational trauma; something that has affected older members of my family for multiple generations. Despite this, They Shall Not Grow Old was still able to show that there were good times during the war, and that the majority of soldiers were still able to show empathy to their enemies. World War 1 should not be seen as only a tragedy, but also a success from people who survived such a devastating time.

𝚃𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚌 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚖, 𝚊 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚊 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝-𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚊𝚙𝚜𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚢 𝚎𝚡𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎. 𝙼𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚕𝚕, 𝙸 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊 𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛-𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛-𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚎𝚞𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚌, 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚐𝚊𝚖𝚎? 𝙷𝚘𝚠 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜? 𝙼𝚢 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚙𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚊 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖.

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚙𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎, 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚑𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚙𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚣𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚠. 𝙸𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏, 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚘 𝚗𝚊𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑? 𝚈𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚊 𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚌.

𝚂𝚘𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛, 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚊 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚗, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏. 𝙸𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝙸, 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎, 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚗𝚊𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢? 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚟𝚎, 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚗 𝙸𝚟𝚢 𝙻𝚎𝚊𝚐𝚞𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚘𝚗 𝚍𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚖𝚊 𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝙰𝚜 𝚠𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚞𝚎 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚛, 𝚠𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚔 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚖𝚋 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚞𝚜.

When we talk about war I think we can all agree that the most memorable one are World War 1 and World War 2.
Today we are talking about the film ‘They Shall Not Grow Old’ which is based on World War 1. When I first saw the film in class, I realized that war is not a game. In the beginning of the film we saw how the Britain recruited their soldiers. We know that most of them were underage because their age range is between 19 to 35 but some teenagers aged 17 and 8 still attended the war and when they were asked they all faked their age to be 19.
In the beginning all of the Britain thought the war was game like but obviously it is not a game. It is a war you have to be aware of everything around you or you are gone, so I don’t think that this is a game.
During the training of the army the soldiers had learned who they were and what they were good at the funniest part for me was when one of the old soldier sang the song for their food ‘Pickler’s jam’ and it sure was a good song.
If I had to go to war my most concerned part is not death is the cleanliness part, according to the film the Britain had dug a hole for secretions and just sitting on a log which might be unstable and one time four Britain soldiers had fell into it yuck and having to wear the uniform for how long the war goes, good bye!
The most interesting thing for me was before they went on the battle field they drank alcohol so called ‘liquid courage’ I am really curious about it since I have never tried any alcohol I don’t know what they would do to your body.
It sure is lucky for us now that we don’t have a war and have peace everyday I wish this could be kept on everyday.

When this assignment was initially introduced, my immediate thought went to the 2010 Sci-fi movie Inception, directed by Christopher Nolan. To provide a brief synopsis, the movie demonstrates the manipulation of the subconsciousness. The protagonist, Cobb, constructs a team with the objection of implementing an idea into someone else’s mind while overcoming his personal subconscious issues.

Although the movie is undeniably impressive; with engaging scenarios, an unpredictable narrative, and depth and maturity in the acting, I never acquired the same passion and enthusiasm that I kept hearing about. It’s the type of movie where you won’t and can’t understand and capture all the meanings and details the first time you watch it. I arguably found the plot of Inception overly complicated and somewhat confusing. This response may simply be because of the complex concept the plot attempted to communicate; however, I could almost say that I was dissatisfied with the ending, feeling as though I was left yearning for answers. As if a primary aspect was left missing. I realized this response was derived from the continuous transition between the settings of limbo and reality.

I imagine that the universal word to describe the concept of a dream is otherworldly. A place where logic, normalcies, and motion are defied and your mind is consumed by unstructured perceptions. I felt this stereotype was almost opposed, with Nolan implementing an entirely altered approach. Their dream world, known as limbo, appeared quite constricted and systematic. Rather than exploring the numerous different ways their dream world could’ve been expressed, it represented a structured and almost identical setting to the real world, other than the defiance of physics and gravity. The concept of limbo wasn’t properly channeled and expanded, almost eliminating the purpose of manipulating this context. The result was almost disappointing, as if minimal imagination and phenomena were included to create a supernatural environment.

Although I felt the subconsciousness concept wasn’t capitalized, it did encourage me to explore an alternative theory. Everything in life begins with an idea. As expressed in the movie, Cobb explains that “once an idea is planted into a person’s mind, it’ll change the person’s reality – forever.” It’s incomprehensible to think that everything in the physical world emerged from an idea and was originally created mentally. Everything must start from ideas in our minds, from the creation of computers to simply a pair of scissors. This brings forth the inquiry: Should humanity pay more attention to mental reality rather than physical reality? Instead of creating boundaries on what we view as doable, we should be more concerned about what we want and their possibilities. The strongest motivation for creation is inspiration, suggesting that to be successful in your physical reality, you must listen and acknowledge your mental reality first.

I have mixed feelings about “They Shall Not Grow Old” after watching it. The movie is excellent and shows many historical details I couldn’t have imagined. For example, there was a time when soldiers would steal footwear from dead persons if their shoes were in good condition.  I was also unaware that troops had time to smoke all the time. I had various ideas and opinions about how the battle would have looked in the past before watching this film. I had assumed that everyone understood what war was, but when I saw how excitedly men and boys went to battle as though it were an exciting adventure, I became confused. The fact that I don’t get overly moved by films and have no idea what it’s like to be at war and constantly hear gunfire is another reason I had mixed feelings after watching ‘They Shall Not Grow Old’. Though I sometimes get terrified when I think of the war in my country, it is nothing compared to what those people have gone through.

Throughout the documentary, They Shall Not Grow Old, I experienced a variety of profound emotions, ranging from sadness to confusion to hopelessness. I am cognizant that I cannot begin to fully understand or relate to the lives of the soldiers in World War 1, as I have never had to experience such a destructive event. That being said, the gruesome imagery and depictions of death so easily discussed provided a window into the unfiltered lives of the soldiers, allowing me to see the harsh reality of war. When hearing of the age of the soldiers enlisting, the stories’ poignancy was only enhanced. I have lived a fairly sheltered life, all things considered, so it seems unfathomable to imagine friends and family members of similar age in the same situation. Knowing that the soldiers had family and friends who loved them equally as much as I love mine is terrifying. No one speaks of the individual losses, always referring to the deaths on a grand scale, so hearing about their identities, aspirations, families, and lives made the authenticity and individuality of their characters all the more real.

How the film used colorization and sound restoration to give life to the war bridged the gap between past and present, humanizing the soldiers and giving them personality in a way that made it even more difficult to watch. It is one thing to hear of the horrors of war through statistics and history books, however, the realism that this film provided and having to watch the horrors unfold for myself was a stark reminder that they were just ordinary people thrust into a devastating situation. The most crushing realization was the juxtaposition between the innocent, and even excited young men, enlisting, to the harsh reality of the brutal warfare and conditions on the front lines. It was heartbreaking to think that most of these boys, who were once full of enthusiasm, never made it back home. This reality puts into perspective just how much they sacrificed for their countries, and provided a renewed sense of gratitude and appreciation for those who gave their lives for the cause.

If we talk about war, I will always be scared. I think it all started when all of my friends were obsessed with World Wars or Anna Frank. I never understood their enthusiasm and their passion about any of this; In fact I am quite sure I exhausted my dad in this topic. It became a regular thing that for three years, from when I was seven to ten years old, there was not a week that passed without me asking him once or twice a week, what would happen if a terrible war started in Mexico? What would he do? Would he stay and fight? or would we move to another country; He always answered me the same thing like something prerecorded. “I’ll stay here and fight for my country, but you my little girl, I will always make sure that your sisters, your mom and you are safe.” Then he would see me with my red eyes nearly crying and try to calm me down saying that I had nothing to worry about, that Mexico could not get into war, even if they tried. I was terrified of war and he knew it.

How can all these people sign in for war? If you ask me despite the fact that I am not an expert, I would blame the imagery. Looking at the pictures of the documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old” I am in fact convinced that a picture is worth a thousand words. If a thousand words can change your opinion about something I assure you that a good picture can too. There is a huge variety of images in the documentary, however I have decided to separate them into two categories:
Propaganda imagery that uses sexism to make people stand up with weapons by using well thought phrases directed to men and kids, for them to get soaked in courage and have no regrets at all! By using phrases such as “It’s just a big game!” clearly directed to kids and “Just a job!” for men gives us a tremendous importance about people’s perspective in that time that sadly is still there currently.

The other type of images I call them “look what we can do” or “look what they did to us”. What these pictures do is just make people mad. This is not direct propaganda, but still is. Historical pictures taken in war that you might see in a museum wake up emotions of frustration and anger, making most of them at that time nationalist. The consequence of this was that no matter what people lived in that living inferno that they refused to talk about, they were just trying to have more people signing in. It did not matter the life you had ahead of you, because they did not have the time to think about that.

For me it is really disappointing that after all, now and then, images of the terrible things that happened in war are still going to “play” or “do the job” if necessary. I think we as humans can not relate or even try to empathize with what happens or what they suffer. We only want to feel courageous and powerful no matter what.

Through the tone of the classroom, I assumed I was alone in my feeling of contempt. The film didn’t evoke a sort of sadness; in all honesty I didn’t feel anything. I was more concerned about the feelings of the people featured in the film than I was my own. I didn’t feel bad because the film didn’t confirm my pre thought image of WW1. Before watching the film, I imagined WW1 as very serious, violent and depressing. This thought of war was shaped by me by the previous teachings, the tone of the explanation of World War 1 further instilled in my thinking the seriousness of the topic. This was codirected by the film particularly by the narrations of the soldiers. They explained the war as such as a core memory, the tone was softer and talked about in a calm tone. The soldiers did not talk about the war in such a way I would talk about my personal sad memories. I would talk about my sad personal memories in a quieter tone and avoid making jokes. Towards the beginning of the film, I had no genuine instrest in film, nothing resonated with me. As the film progressed, I started feeling more connected to the characters and began gaining empathy. My interest in the film was only through empathy and not interest in the topic of WW1 itself.  

I was surprised at the beginning of the film, They Shall Not Grow Old, because of all the young people who enlisted in the war as if it were a game. Children of my age or a little older were signing up to their deaths as if it were the soccer team. This fearsome thought got me thinking about what would occur if there was a war in this century, how hesitant me and the people I know would be in joining the bloodshed. Throughout the film there were the voices of veteran soldiers explaining their thoughts and feelings about what was happening and every last of them expressed excitement and a sense of wonder which made me feel very uneasy.

I was particularly disgusted in the way they pressured kids to lie about their age and bully them into enrolling in the military. Soldiers usually had to be 19 years of age to be able to do this but everyone pretended to know none the better when it came to it. I remember one story that one of the veterans told. The young veteran had gone to enlist in WW1 but he was only 15 as he told the officer and to his and my surprise he was told to go then come back and say he was 19. I’ve always pictured soldiers as these robotic killing machines so it is hard for me to imagine them as adolescents with real life families strapped with guns. 

As the movie went on, the illusion that it was just a big game continued to fade. No man’s land was shown to be plagued by the deaths of both British troops and the German ones. It was haunting for me to see the surface of how much violence there was, the artillery barrage killing countless people in mere seconds or the gut-wrenching images of soldiers getting their heads blown off by the seemingly endless rain of machine gun bullets. There were stories told of the men hiding in holes in the ground to avoid getting killed but their teammates were not as lucky as they were bleeding to their death right next to brave soldiers.

I am glad that I watched these men telling their perspectives in the war because I have learned to understand the emotions that were felt during the harrowing days fighting.

The movie started in the vintage tones of black and white. Rows, and rows of boys with childish smiles as though it were Christmas morning, being marched to and unknowing point of no return. Proud to be serving the country and land they were born and brought up on.

The innovation of the camera brings a wondering look to many of the young faces as they march down roads or wait to be sent to the frontlines, and looking through these cameras brings a look of sorrow to my own.

As the film fades into colour, it feels surreal. The amount of young innocent youth marching into the loss of memories and joy to come. 600 in, 100 out, “we’ll get em’ next time”. This is the heart wrenching reality that was portrayed as “the battle plan” in the film ‘They Shall Not Grow Old’.

I feel great amounts of sorrow for all the poor mothers who had to watch their boys leave home with no return. I love my mother very much and I know if I even thought of going to war, she’d hold me down. The love in her heart is to passionate and overflowing to let me risk the rest of my life for a battle where very few feel they have won.

I felt a connection to this movie when the British soldiers jumped out of their trenches for the first time. These soldiers simultaneously knew exactly what they had to do while also knowing nothing about the situation. The goal of killing Germans is all they needed to know to push through. As they endure chaos and trauma they are numb. Nothing else to feel or see because they’ve felt and seen it all. As the veterans said, in no-mans-land you start to think about your past. You do this because in moments of fear, reminiscing of simpler times is easier than processing the present. They might start to remember playing outside on the streets as a schoolboy, or how much they cherished a special toy. As a soldier, you start to wonder, “Am I going to become just like the others? Lying dead in the dirt, with such a rich past shot into nothing”. I understand how the soldiers felt as here they describe how weeks of training and years of living amount to this small but crucial point in their lives. I connect with the soldiers to the extent that your whole life is resting on one event. For them, this event is being killed, for me, this event determines the rest of my childhood. Until I am 18, I’ll be forced into change. Tell me, and the soldiers, how are we supposed to live stagnant with the fact that our lives will never be the same?