Mark Twain's The War-Prayer - Essay Example

? Mark Twain's “The War-Prayer” Mark Twain's “The War-Prayer” Introduction Although Mark twain wrote “The War-Prayer” over a century ago, no doubt that had he been alive today, he would have written the same thing. This is because with what is occurring in the world today, with the role played by the U.S. in its interventions in conflicts in other nations, and with its war or terror, the U.S. and the rest of the world would benefit from Twain's poignant anti-war message. As Twain writes about the minister trying to encourage and incite patriotism among the people, he also writes about a pale stranger, apparently a Messenger from God, who walks up in front of the congregation to make the people realize the unspoken reality of what they are pushing for. Through this Messenger's words, Twain allows the people to vividly realize the horrifying realities of violence and death they have seem to be blindly asking for (Kiskis, 2009). Twain writes: Ponder this --- keep it in mind. If you would beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon a neighbor at the same time...When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory --- must follow it, cannot help but follow it. (1998,, p.365-6) In this short story, Twain is making people see that this extreme sense of nationalism and self-righteousness usually make people blind to the results of their actions (Kiskis, 2009). Should one look closely into Twain's rhetoric of irony, Americans would begin to realize that the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness does not go along the principle of waging wars even if “We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts (Twain, 1998, p.366). Should one look closely into Twain's rhetoric of irony, Americans would begin to realize that if there is the belief that all men are created equal, this equality should not be limited within the U.S. territory, and limited to be granted only to those who share the same American ideologies. Should one look closely into Twain's rhetoric of irony, Americans would begin to realize that the true sense of nationalism should be reflected through the Americans' push for the extension of the principles, on which the great nation was founded on, to lands and people beyond their jurisdiction. Irony in “The War-Prayer” The point in this short story is simple: that to desire victory for one's self is to desire defeat and destruction for the other (Lock, 2009). One cannot miss how the silent prayer for victory is pleaded unto “ Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend” (Twain, 1998, p.366), and that it is done so “in the spirit of love” (Twain, 1998, p.366). Even in the end, the congregation failed to absorb the Messenger's message. In the final line of the short story, Twain writes, “It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said” (Twain, 1998, p.366). Those who support the idea of war believe that nationalism is about advancing the interests of America by expanding the territories over which it has great influence. On the other hand, those who are against the idea of war believe that liberty and autonomy are for every people of every race. These same liberty and autonomy are, as mentioned earlier, the principles whereupon America was founded, and even defended on behalf of other nations. This therefore means that the only way to honestly talk about war is to look at war from both sides of the coin. Thus, Twain's use of dual meanings in the short story is not only effective in showing both sides in a single swipe, but is also effective in “exposing both the image and the realities of war” (Zehr, 2009). However, one can only speak of the image of war because if a person speaks of its realities, the person will be blamed --- as what happened to the Messenger in Twain's story (Lock, 2009). Indeed, “there was no sense in what he said” (Twain, 1998, p.366) because up to this day, over a century after the story was written, the people remain immune to the irony presented in this story. “The War Prayer” and “The Private History of a Campaign That Failed” What can be learned from Twain's “The War-Prayer” is clear: righteousness and nationalism cannot justify the effects of war. The same message can be gleaned in another of his short story entitled “The Private History of a Campaign That Failed” (Claybaugh, 2009). Here, Twain somewhat recreated his own experiences as a soldier during the Civil War. Between these two short stories on war lies the same message: war is not good. However, there are of course differences. First, one has to understand that Twain wrote “The War-Prayer” in response to the Philippine-American War, while he wrote “The Private History of a Campaign That Failed” in response to the Civil War (Oran, 2009). In these two stories, Twain uses a “stranger” to deliver the message. The way Twain describes the strangers in each story are similar. For one, the murder that is told in “The Private History” is a product of Twain's imagination, and the stranger involved seems to be a spiritual apparition, just like the stranger-Messenger in “The War-Prayer” (Claybaugh, 2009). Also, he chooses the color whiteto add description to these strangers. The color white is representative of innocence and purity (Oran, 2009). Twain writes about the Messenger: “his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders” (Twain, 1998, p.365) and in the second story describes the stranger: “his white shirt front was splashed with blood” (Twain, 1885, p.202). The metaphoric use of the color white is appropriate because both strangers represent the corruption and horrifying cruelties of war as they reveal the unnecessary loss of lives especially of the innocents (Oran, 2009). Another similarity in these two strangers is Twain's description of the messenger as “his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale even to ghastliness” (Twain, 1998, p.365), which sort of likens the Messenger to the dead body of the stranger in the second story. Furthermore, the accusing looks that both strangers give to the people (or to Twain himself in the second story) are similar in their shaming message. Twain writes that the Messenger “surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn eyes, in which burned an uncanny light” (Twain, 1998, p.365), while similarly, the stranger who Twain supposedly killed in the second story “gave me [Twain] a reproachful look out of the shadow of his eyes” (Twain, 1885, p.202). The looks they give make readers feel how human these strangers are, and how common they can be in any war (Claybaugh, 2009). This helps fortify the message of the stories that the “images” presented by advocates of war do not justify the “realities” of the murdering of people, nor any other cruel consequences of war (Zehr, 2009). Twain's emphasis on the eyes of these two strangers can also be interpreted as the author trying to open the eyes of the many people who are blinded by the false sense of nationalism and righteousness with regard to war (Oran, 2009). Both stories deliver the same message --- one through the stranger's exposure of the injustices of war through words, and the other through the effects of the stranger on the narrator. Even if the two stories were written several years apart, the consistency in Twain's thoughts against war is evident. For the readers, it can mean that from the time Twain wrote “The Private History” in his earlier years, to the time he wrote “The War-Prayer” during his more mature years (Claybaugh, 2009), to the present times, mankind's lack of awareness --- or possibly turning a blind eye --- to the real cruelties and injustices in wars has been ongoing. Th moral in Twain's stories is useful not only during the time the stories were written, but up to this day and age where people still “do not get the message.” In fact, the Philippines then, to Vietnam several decades after, to Iraq post the 9/11 attacks, to Afghanistan recently, (and perhaps many others still) have something in common (Lan, 2009). They were all victims of America's “young patriots..(who went) forth to battle..to smite the foe” (Twain, 1998, p.366). It seems that Twain's stories are not the only ironic things here, but also America's sense of religious righteousness and nationalism (Vaughan, 2009). It is ironic to see how the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness can easily be taken as only applicable to Americans. This does not go along with the ideology that all men are created equal. If these foundations of this great nation are ironically represented by its citizens, then who can stop anyone from concluding that the founding of America is basically ironic? However, this paper does not really want to go into that topic. What this paper wants to reach are “eyes wide open” not only to the images, but also to the realities of war. Improving Life in America through Lessons Learned from Twain For one, it is a generally-accepted fact that the U.S. is mainly a Christian nation. Righteousness should be based on the true meaning of Christianity. Christianity does not mean to be willing to take lives in order to pursue national, political, vested interests, and psychological wants. Christianity does not mean invoking the name of the Supreme Deity to grant victory over viewed enemies (Vaughan, 2009) especially if it means: turn[ing] them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it. (Twain, 1998, p.366) It also does not mean that one should believe that the Almighty God gives His support to only one side --- the U.S. This is ridiculous self-righteousness and definitely “unChristianly” (Vaughan, 2009). Two, there is nothing wrong with patriotism, but there is something wrong with patriotism when its appeals tend to the need for violence and brutality (Zehr, 2009). The true and pure sense of patriotism is living up to the fundamental principles of this nation --- the ones that the forefather's fought so hard to establish. How can this nation --- who boasts of tolerance, equality, and human rights --- “lift (its) lamp beside the golden door” for the tired, poor, huddled masses, when it is the very one to cause wretchedness, homelessness, and disruption to those it promises freedom from these? Three, it is obvious that Twain did not mention being against the causes of war. He most probably believes that the causes will always be there. However, he does not believe that the causes justify the inhumanity that wars result in (Zehr, 2009). Personally speaking, it can be believed that there are several young Twains out there who share the same sentiment Twain has in “The Private History.” Twain writes, as he imagined the stranger giving him a reproachful look: it seemed to me that I could rather that he had stabbed me than he had done that. He muttered and mumbled like a dreamer in his sleep about his wife and his child, and, I thought with a new despair, “This thing that I have done does not end with him; it falls upon them too, and they never did me any harm, any more than he. (Twain, 1885, p.202) If only we can have more people think this way, then maybe there is a good chance that after over a century, people will slowly have their eyes open to Twain's irony. References Claybaugh, Amanda. (2009). Failed Campaigns and Successful Retreats. (Journal of Transnational American Studies.) eScholarship, University of California. Kiskis, Michael J. (2009). 'the War-Prayer': Samuel Clemens and 9/11. (Journal of Transnational American Studies.) eScholarship, University of California. Lan, Mong-. (2009). Mark Twain's 'the War-Prayer'—Reflections on Vietnam and Iraq. (Journal of Transnational American Studies.) eScholarship, University of California. Lock, Helen. (2009). Twain's Rhetoric of Irony in 'the War-Prayer'. (Journal of Transnational American Studies.) eScholarship, University of California. Oran, Maggie. (2009). Anti-War Statements in 'the War-Prayer' and 'the Private History of a Campaign That Failed'. (Journal of Transnational American Studies.) eScholarship, University of California. Twain, M. (1885). The private history of a campaign that failed. New York: Century Co. Twain, M. (1998). The war prayer. Peace Review, 10, 3, 363-366. Vaughan, Christopher A. (2009). Mark Twain's Final Offensive: 'the War-Prayer' and American Religious Nationalism. (Journal of Transnational American Studies.) eScholarship, University of California. Zehr, Martin. (2009). The Vision of the Other in Mark Twain's 'War-Prayer'. (Journal of Transnational American Studies.) eScholarship, University of California. Read More