The Best War Ever
Quick, what is your favorite war? If you are anything like the American masses, you are likely to say World War II. During wartime America was considered to be at its prime. America industry was booming, American soldiers were the strongest on the planet, and the nation was united as a well-integrated family. These images, which were also glamorized by Hollywood and the media, provoked people to develop a positive view of the war for decades to come. Contrary to these beliefs, World War II actually was not such a great war. To grant World War II the elusive title of the "best war ever", we must forget about the bombings and the gruesome fighting battles while exaggerating only the good things. In his book "The Best War Ever", Michael C.C. Adams challenges the reader to question their thoughts and experiences pertaining to America and World War II. Most people do not have first hand experience and go only by what they have seen and heard from the media, which makes "the result a cleaned up, cosmetically enhanced version of reality"(Adams 9). Adams attempts to debunk the myths pertaining to the misconception of glamorous battle conditions, the best fighting weapons, and a perfect home front in order to d
After concluding the book, it is obvious that World War II was a plethora of myths and in actuality it was not "the best war ever". As time progresses, only the good of the World War II comes out and what is forgotten is thought to never have existed. As a student living decades after the war, I was only cognizant of the goods of the war. I was of course aware that many people died and due to graphic movies such as Saving Private Ryan, had an idea how gruesome it was but never grasped the reality of just how horrible it was. After reading this book one cannot help but to alter their opinion on the Great War. Though I still believe it was a good war with a purpose, I now realize everything was not perfectly tied up in a neat little bow. Americans had the advantage of being spared the knowledge of the bloodshed because they never saw the battlefront or left the safety of the states. As a result our views of World War II have been reinvented. Maybe next time I am questioned on my favorite war, I can think before answering World War II. The final myth was the truth behind the American home front. It was thought that war effort would unite the country. In reality the war altered American way of life. The war changed businesses especially, as small farmers and businesses went under and only large businesses survived. After the destruction of Pearl Harbor, the number of farms in the United States declined by 17 percent and 200,000 small employers went under (Adams 118-119). In addition, family life changed as many couples married only so the husband could avoid the draft. The idea that children were
Some common words found in the essay are:
War II, Pearl Harbor, Private Ryan, United Army, world war ii, world war, World War, war ii, CC Adams, False Quick, home front, hollywood media, pearl harbor, favorite war, conditions soldiers,
Approximate Word count = 1091
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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