Exhibit:

The Shell-Shocking Reality of World War One--Khaalilah Muhammad

Preview of images

Part of Group:

Fall 2021-ENGL2540

World War One was the defining shift from a society characterized by Victorian ideologies, to one that had adopted a Modernist worldview. The War was a wake-up call of sorts, forcing society to question everything from gender roles, class systems, and more importantly, the art of war. For centuries, despite the negative outcomes brought on by war, it was widely beleived that dying for one's country was the proper thing to do--it was heavily romanticized. But unlike previous wars, World War One impacted society on a global scale in just a few short years. No longer was war a "sweet and fitting" thing, and the public had to face this reality as the true horrors of the Great War unfolded before them....

Images in this Exhibit

Bodies of Fallen WWI Trench Soldiers

This is an image of several fallen soldiers, half-buried in the trenches. Trench warfare became widely used during World War I, with some trenches being dug several hundered miles long! Althoough trenches provided an efficient way of to avoid the larger number of casualties that came with open warfare, there was nothing glamorous about life in the trenches. Living conditions were absolutely horrid, and unsanitary. In the first stanza of "Dulce Et Decorum Est", Wilfred Owen gives us a glimpse into trench life, by using negative connotations such as, "hags", "sludge", "haunting", (...
Britain Recruitment Poster WWI

Propaganda was used globally during World War One, urging people to join the fight, encourage hatred against national ememies, and moreover, convince the public how just the cause of War was. Propaganda as a whole exudes patriotism/nationalism, placing emphasis on how enlisting was their duty, and that fighting would bring them glory and honour--a story that had been told for hundereds of years. But this was an illusion; the heroism of war was nothing compared to its shocking reality. Following WWI, people were disillusioned, and this is what led to the rise of Modernism. This image is a...
Fat Capitalist Awarding A Wounded Soldier A Medal Of Honour

Following the War, many soldiers had become either disabled, shell-shocked (known today as "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder"--PTSD), or both. Although in some countries like Britain, there were rehabilitation centres put in place to help soldiers readjust to post-war life, it was difficult for them to forget the "monstrous anger of the guns", or the rapid stuttering of riles as Wilfred Owne described things in "Anthem for the Doomed Youth" (Lines 2-3). The photo above is a political cartoon from 1914 that depicts a wounded soldier, dragging his entrails behind him as he sits before a well-...
Anti-War Cartoon

This image, published towards the end of the First World War, depicts a cloaked figure (a physical representation of Death) being given a body by a man wearing a shirt that reads, "War". War stands at the counter, a wall of bodies behind him. Windsor McCay's, the illustrator of this cartoon, is personifying the constant fall of Man as a result of war. Although Death is the one receiving bodies from War--implying that He is the customer--War is also Death's greatest customer, as the act of war produces a significant amount of casualties, on and off the battlefield.

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Facing the Bullets

Towards the end of World War One, Germany began air raids on Great Britain, bringing the Home Front into the fight. This image is British propaganda poster,  stressing how it is better to face the dangers on the front lines, as opposed to facing the air raids on the Home Front. This is once again applying the "Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori" ideology to the War. Potential soldiers are being given an ultimatum; to risk their lives in battle (and for the glory of their country), or face the likelihood of air strikes by staying home. Death by air raid is not an sweet and...