Western Studies
Ms. Portman

Most quotations taken from Blood Rites by Barbara Ehrenreich

"war is a means, however risky, by which men seek to advance their collective interests and improve their lives. Or, alternatively, that war stems from subrational drives not unlike those that lead individuals to commit violent crimes" (8).

Which theory of war you think is more convincing and why?

"It is a shame, perhaps, that hatred and mortal fear seem to draw us together so much more reliably than love and camaraderie, but as any demagogue knows, a crowd is most likely to bond into a purposeful entity when it has an enemy to face" (82).

"Love of our neighbor may stir us, but the threat posed by a common enemy stirs us even moreWe may enjoy the company of our fellows, but we thrill to the prospect of joining them in a collective defense against a common enemy" (224).

What do these two statements say about human nature and war?

"War is, in fact, one of the most rigidly 'gendered' activities known to humankind"(125).

Give examples from what you previously know about war which address this argument.

"In the opinion of Hegel and the later theorists of nationalism, nations need war-that is, the sacrifice of their citizens-even when they are not being menaced by other nations. The reason is simple: the nation, as a kind of "organism," exists only through the emotional unity of its citizens, and nothing cements this unity more decisively than war. As Hegel explained, peace saps the strength of nations by allowing the citizens to drift back into their individual concerns..." (202).

Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Do nations NEED war?

"Battle, for [the soldier], takes place in a wildly unstable physical and emotional environment; he may spend much of his time in combat as a mildly apprehensive spectator, granted, by some freak of events, a comparatively danger-free grandstand view of others fighting; then he may suddenly be able to see nothing but the clods on which he has flung himself for safety, there to crouch-he cannot anticipate-for minutes or for hours; he may feel in turn boredom, exultation, panic, anger, sorrow, bewilderment, even that sublime emotion we call courage. And his perception of community with his fellow-soldiers will fluctuate in equal measure" (47).
The Face of Battle by John Keegan

How is the soldier's experience in war characterized in the above statement?