When war comes..

Looking at the current situation, with numerous countries having enough nuclear warheads to destroy Earth many times round, it only depends on when the war is to come. Many think that if we can have peace now, why can’t it continue to last and stay so. To answer this, allow me to quote one of Mitch Albom’s book, which tells us that, ‘War never stops, it only pauses’. As many countries have spent billions on its army, it only depends on when these countries decides to stretch its muscles, it also only takes one foolish man to do something foolish to spark off a great war. And when that day truly comes, will we really be ready for it? This is just what I am going to talk about with you.

As I have read from many sources, it is foretold that the 3^rd World War will be between the East and the West, mainly between China and America. When that day comes, every single country will have to take its sides and every one of them will be pulled into the war. Every single country now, are trying to train its people, teaching them combatting skills, most important of all, how to survive. Many countries also have mercenaries fighting for them but will they still help you if they are pit against his own fellow countrymen? No matter how high a price you are paying, they will still return to their own country, so in the end it will still be your own people that will fight for your country.

Many countries now have national service for its people, to train its people, to make them ready and able to fight for the country when war comes. However, the battlefield is heartless, no matter how skilled you are, it just takes a stray bullet to kill you. Also, there is no ‘save’ button in real life, which means that it is totally different from you playing computer games, from what you did during national service. Many will think that, ‘then we just prevent a war, stop it from ever happening’, that thought is naïve, wars are bound to happen, it only depends on how long before it happens again, and that whether we are ready for it.

When war really comes, it does not just depend on which side is better equipped, it also depends on how well a side is prepared. Looking at our current education, we are taught Science, Mathematics, Language, History, Geography, Computer skills, art and many more. However, when war comes, are these subjects that we are taught, tested on really going to save our lives? Is it really going to be much of a use during extreme circumstances. One may argue that we are learning these in order to have a brighter future. What I can tell you is that we need real life saving skills, surviving skills to be learnt, instead of these subjects that are supposed to give us a brighter future, a better job, bigger houses, more expensive cars and better aircraft seats. All these will not save you. One may say that by being an educated person, will make you make educated decisions and by doing these will stop you from making decisions to go to war, however, it only takes one guy foolish enough to start a great war, it only takes one technical error that misunderstands something else as a flying missile to start a war so why not be better prepared than to be naïve, thinking that war will never happen ever again.

I do not believe that by learning all these subjects that we are learning now keep us alive. By knowing how many bones there is in our body will not keep us alive, by knowing that NaCl is sodium chloride will not keep you alive, by knowing that light travels in a straight line will also not save you, by being able to speak more than three languages will also not save you. One may say that if you know your enemy’s language, you can tell him to spare you. Stop being naïve! That will not save you, the battlefield is bloodless, it will not save you even if you are crippled, this world is cruel so we must be better prepared for things that are to happen, even if it does not happen now, doesn’t mean that it will not happen in the future.

So why be sorry only when things happen when we could have been better prepared, don’t blame the people who started the war for all the deaths, blame the dead for not being better prepared, they could have kept themselves alive, if they had been better prepared, why waste time on stuffs that will not keep yourself alive, we are born not just to study, to have a good job, have a big car and definitely not to suffer because we are ill-prepared. Why not start now, start getting prepared for what that is to come soon, in the near future, we have enjoyed peace for decades and it has been too long, it has lasted too long, not long after it will end and when that day comes, don’t die because you are not well prepared, die because you tried but failed.

Task 2

Rainbow Death America did not foresee Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri! Expecting others to pay a high price. Now thinking twice? Toll on the innocent and unborn. Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn. Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead. All the deceit continues to spread. Nefariously America led astray - Generations untold WILL pay - Execrable effects of agent orange spray! Hubert Wilson

Point of view: Hubert, was one of the men fighting in Vietnam during the war, the area he was in was also one of the areas with high use of Agent Orange which causes health problems to those who are exposed to it. Hubert who was a Vietnam war veteran, witnessed the death, suffering caused by the Agent Orange, he realised that America was so desperate into winning the war, they did not think twice and they just went on with the plan of using Agent Orange, as the writer wrote, 'Now thinking twice'. Situation and Setting: America could not win the Viet Cong fighting against them, due to their guerrilla warfare. As the America had no more ways that they can think of to best counter the Viet Cong, they decided to use the Agent Orange although it doesn't seem to be the best way. When the Agent Orange was use, the problem came. Everybody who came into contact with it was affected by it. The American's plan backfired, as it not only brought pain and agony to the Viet Cong, it also brought pain to the soldiers who came into contact with it and also innocent civilians, as can be seen when the writer said, 'Toll on the innocent and unborn'. It also affected generations and generations after, as can be seen, 'Generations untold WILL pay'. Language/Diction: potpourri- a mixture of dried petals of roses. In this poem, it is referring to the different combination of colours of the Agents. omnipotent-almighty or infinite in power, as God deceit-the act or practice of deceiving nefariously-extremely wicked or villainous execrable-utterly detestable Personal Response: After reading this poem, I feel that wars are meant to kill and bring suffering to people involved in it. There is nothing called a end of war, there will only be pauses but wars will never truly stop, one war may have ended but there will always be another, and that even when one war has stopped, ended, people involved in it will still suffer, no matter it is the soldier or the civilians. Generations of the civilians will suffer, as the Agent Orange case, generations after the war, the civilians are still suffering, through the effects on people who came into contact with Agent Orange, as the writer said, 'birth defects and prematurely dead'. The writer is witnessed the horrors of war, the after effects of it and he hopes to tell us by writing this poem, to tell us that war is cruel, and people involved in it will also turn evil, no matter how he was before the war, as they only want to win, not thinking about the consequences.