Psychological Impact of World War One told through a Graphic Novel by Arya T
Hi, and thanks for clicking on this post. As the title says, I'm going to be discussing some books that I've read over the break. As I said in my last post, there aren't many options for me to read that are up to my reading level at my house, so instead I started looking for some graphic novels. I use the term graphic novel instead of comic book, since there is a distinct difference between the two. Even though graphic novels and comics both tell the story through illustrations, graphic novels tend to more complex and their presentation of the information is similar to that of a regular book.
I eventually found a historical graphic novel: World War One: 1914-1918. This book intrigued me as I had never seen a graphic novel based on historical events. I was curious to see how the author (Alan Coswill) and the illustrator (Lalit Kumar Sharma) depicted World War I events. The book is told from the view of George Smith, a young British man who fought in World War I. The author describes major historical events in the form of text and illustrations and focuses on the personal anecdotes from Smith.
To me, what stand out in the book is its stunning imagery that relates to the devastation that was caused by the supposed "war to end all wars". The imagery shows not only how challenging and horrifying this war was for the soldiers in the field of the battle, but also the punishment and mistreatment they endured. On page 56, Smith describes how he was punished: being strapped to an artillery gun for two hours a day for two weeks. Unlike others who were also strapped to a gun as punishment, Smith was just out of reach of German bullets. Others weren't so lucky.
A lot of this book is dedicated to the psychological aspect of war and how it plays a part on a soldier's mental health. Smith describes how he was sent at night to fix the defenses (e.g. barbed wire defenses). It's dangerous work and even the slightest sound could result in death. During one of these wiring jobs, his buddy Phil Eddolls was shot while Smith lied on the ground behind cover, knowing that there was nothing he could do as his friend bled to death. These kinds of stories horrified me as I knew that these were realistically accurate stories that probably occurred at some point in the war.
In World War One, Smith loses many more friends to various horrors. One of these friends was Fred Cowsill. During the Battle of Hooge, the Germans unleashed a new weapon: the flamethrower. The imagery in the book clearly depicts the chaos, mayhem, and death during this new battle. The illustrator contrasts the dark night with the bright liquid fire that the flamethrowers spray on the trenches, giving the reader a sense of destruction and horror. Luckily, Smith and Fred escape. After the original assault, the fighting gets up close and personal, with hand-to-hand combat taking place. The illustrator silhouettes the characters against the sunrise as the Germans and the British fight hand-to-hand surrounded by barbed wire. This adds an element of anticipation and suspense to the words of the narrator. When Smith is about to be killed by a German, Fred jumps out and shoots the German, only to be killed moments later. Smith describes how Fred Cowsill's death changed him forever. He realized that getting attached to a friend like that only ended in misery and sorrow. From that day onward, Smith changes his attitude toward the war and toward the soldiers in the trenches with him. He states: "I'd be lying if I said I was myself after that day". This event describes the lives of many soldiers in World War I. They might not have experienced a friend's death, but there a countless other horrors that could have had a lasting impact on their mental health.
World War One not only tells the history of the First World War but also intensely describes the effect of the World War I on soldiers through many personal anecdotes and graphic pictures that really help to further the point that each anecdote is trying to make. The devastation and horror of World War One is clearly depicted through this novel. After reading this book, I dramatically shifted my view on war and what war is really about.
If anyone likes dark, graphic novels, this might just be your thing. It's a really unnerving yet descriptive book that (I think) really captures the impact of World War One on the world.
P.S. If anyone does read this book, there is also a World War II graphic novel: Under the Shadow of the Swastika. It's written by Lewis Helfand and is again illustrated by Lalit Kumar Sharma. I would highly recommend that book if you like World War One: 1914-1918. Instead of focusing on the psychological impact that the war has on the soldiers, Under the Shadow of the Swastika instead focuses on the atrocities that happened to the people of Europe.
I eventually found a historical graphic novel: World War One: 1914-1918. This book intrigued me as I had never seen a graphic novel based on historical events. I was curious to see how the author (Alan Coswill) and the illustrator (Lalit Kumar Sharma) depicted World War I events. The book is told from the view of George Smith, a young British man who fought in World War I. The author describes major historical events in the form of text and illustrations and focuses on the personal anecdotes from Smith.
To me, what stand out in the book is its stunning imagery that relates to the devastation that was caused by the supposed "war to end all wars". The imagery shows not only how challenging and horrifying this war was for the soldiers in the field of the battle, but also the punishment and mistreatment they endured. On page 56, Smith describes how he was punished: being strapped to an artillery gun for two hours a day for two weeks. Unlike others who were also strapped to a gun as punishment, Smith was just out of reach of German bullets. Others weren't so lucky.
A lot of this book is dedicated to the psychological aspect of war and how it plays a part on a soldier's mental health. Smith describes how he was sent at night to fix the defenses (e.g. barbed wire defenses). It's dangerous work and even the slightest sound could result in death. During one of these wiring jobs, his buddy Phil Eddolls was shot while Smith lied on the ground behind cover, knowing that there was nothing he could do as his friend bled to death. These kinds of stories horrified me as I knew that these were realistically accurate stories that probably occurred at some point in the war.
In World War One, Smith loses many more friends to various horrors. One of these friends was Fred Cowsill. During the Battle of Hooge, the Germans unleashed a new weapon: the flamethrower. The imagery in the book clearly depicts the chaos, mayhem, and death during this new battle. The illustrator contrasts the dark night with the bright liquid fire that the flamethrowers spray on the trenches, giving the reader a sense of destruction and horror. Luckily, Smith and Fred escape. After the original assault, the fighting gets up close and personal, with hand-to-hand combat taking place. The illustrator silhouettes the characters against the sunrise as the Germans and the British fight hand-to-hand surrounded by barbed wire. This adds an element of anticipation and suspense to the words of the narrator. When Smith is about to be killed by a German, Fred jumps out and shoots the German, only to be killed moments later. Smith describes how Fred Cowsill's death changed him forever. He realized that getting attached to a friend like that only ended in misery and sorrow. From that day onward, Smith changes his attitude toward the war and toward the soldiers in the trenches with him. He states: "I'd be lying if I said I was myself after that day". This event describes the lives of many soldiers in World War I. They might not have experienced a friend's death, but there a countless other horrors that could have had a lasting impact on their mental health.
World War One not only tells the history of the First World War but also intensely describes the effect of the World War I on soldiers through many personal anecdotes and graphic pictures that really help to further the point that each anecdote is trying to make. The devastation and horror of World War One is clearly depicted through this novel. After reading this book, I dramatically shifted my view on war and what war is really about.
If anyone likes dark, graphic novels, this might just be your thing. It's a really unnerving yet descriptive book that (I think) really captures the impact of World War One on the world.
P.S. If anyone does read this book, there is also a World War II graphic novel: Under the Shadow of the Swastika. It's written by Lewis Helfand and is again illustrated by Lalit Kumar Sharma. I would highly recommend that book if you like World War One: 1914-1918. Instead of focusing on the psychological impact that the war has on the soldiers, Under the Shadow of the Swastika instead focuses on the atrocities that happened to the people of Europe.
This seems like an engaging and descriptive book. I like how you gave a detailed summary and connected several events in the plot to the points you were making. I think it's interesting how the book highlights the psychological aspect of the war, and you did a good job of discussing it in your review. I probably won't read this book, but you wrote an insightful and informative review.
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