Category: War

Introduction

The Korean War has been labeled as one of the most significant occurrences after the end of the Second World War. In fact, some political analysts referred to it as a direct replacement of the Second World War. It had an indelible impact on the Cold War that followed immediately after. The Koreans however felt the full impact of the war as a tenth of the population lost their lives or disappeared completely. There was equally massive loss and destruction of property. By 1949, the Korean gross national product had significantly declined owing to the effects of the war. North Korea suffered even more. It lost a total of 8700 factory establishments while the south incurred almost twice this loss. People were left homeless and in a state of hopelessness. This research paper seeks to establish the reasons behind U.S involvement in the Korean War as well as the cause of the actual war.

Possible Reasons for U.S inclusion

This war that involved two opposing occupants of the Korean state was inevitable. A state once occupied by Japan was taken by the Soviet in the North and United states in the south, with two different political, social and economic approaches. This led to one part being communist and the other a capitalist thereby causing civil conflicts after the World War II. They had been split along the 38-parallel peninsula boundary according to their colonizers agreement. North Korea was backed by the soviet communist States while South Korea was aligned to the United States. Their leaders Sung (north) and Rhee (South) had made two different political parties with a rival state in South Korea. Conflict began along the 38-parallel line as both parties had hoped to manage the whole country. U.S was in denial of starting the war, while the two states kept on contradicting each other over the cause of the war. Most studies done on the war by scholars have not culminated into something similar; instead they have ended up with conflicting ideas and propaganda. Most of the writings from the Soviet sources accuse the Americans of causing the war. These Studies have gone for over three decades without any clear explanation for Americans involvement in the war. However, there have been various substantial reasons thought to have led to this incident. Among the reasons subject to debate is Gouldens line of thought that brought to light the possible interest of the U.S in the war. He conveys how the United States had planned to oust the Korean (South) President Rhee because he did not approve of negotiations on armistice.

Another example could have lied on McArthurs desperate inclination which might have contributed to their decision to get involved; he was too determined to win and this caused his dismissal with the loss of China to the communists. On the other hand, American President at the time, Mr. Truman was completely convinced that Stalin had ordered North Korean attack on the South. This differed with the South Korean counterpart Rhee who believed that it was the United States who had triggered North Korea into attacking them. His thoughts were derived from the fact that United States had declared his state out of their security periphery giving the North Koreans advantage to attack. Another opinion by Berger proposes that it was Russias effort to counteract Japans influence in the Korean states (Millet 5). These suggestions were many and varying, giving contradicting opinions. According to Stone, Based on the American and UN documents, the war was a plot between South Korea and the United States to defeat the communists and gives Russias miss from the UN meeting as a clear proof. Other writers like Hitchcock think that North Korean premier Sung decided without compulsion from Moscow to start the war. Another writer, Bohlen, contradicts Hitchcock by claiming, North Korea must have been instructed since their military had been trained in Russia; obviously this had the rarest of validity. Some writers also concluded that the war was civil and could not have been caused from outside. The Peninsula that was overtaken by the North Koreans had great importance to the security of the South and according to general McArthur, only the U.S troop could help the southern state to regain it, another possible reason for their involvement.

Most of these suggestions look more as speculations than clarity since the main reason for the war was unclear. However, there are underlying issues that must have triggered the war. These include the political and social war between the communist and the capitalist states which had influence on the Koreans and The cold war between the communist soviet powers and the capitalist American powers who wanted to stamp their authority in the country. On United States involvement, it was clear from the beginning that they never wanted the communist to win in any region and the fact that they declared South Korea out of their defense periphery indicates that they might have expected this war with the tensions that were developing. Other reasons were on Soviets acquiring of nuclear weapon which was tested in 1949; this threatened the U.S as they thought sitting back could lead to a direct war with the Soviet Union.

Background

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Japan and the Peoples Republic of China had very close ties with Korea and her counterpart Manchuria. This was way back in the 19^th century. The cordial relationship made the Soviet Union to have the desire to conquer Korea owing to the fact that they had been traditional cronies for long. United States counteracted the soviets plan by occupying the southern part of the country. Some kind of effective occupation was gaining ground. This ended up with South Korea being run as a nationalist state while the north pursuing a communist ideology.

The Centre Stage of the War

As the Cold War was taking shape and gathering momentum, there were two major concerns which were destabilizing, the British-American warm relations namely prisoners who had been victims of war as well as the Indian declaration (Cotton 116). Nevertheless, the Korean War equally erupted with Britain supporting the United States. This was on 25^th June 1950. In fact, the Korean War was a product of this economic, political and social struggle between the Soviets and United States of America. This is considerably true given the way United States dealt in this war. First the use of only their allies in the peace keeping effort was apprehensive; the UN resolution that condemned North Korea and allowed the US in the war without the attendance of the Russian state representatives was a clear indication of the war at hand. China was not given the chance in the meeting and this prompted Russias skip. This though is also supported by Paige who believes the U.S played an important role in their admission into the war. Further possible evidence on Americans hidden agenda on the Korean War was the fact that they modified their policies which had previously outlawed military engagement in Korean War. The war was fought from two fronts with U.S supplying its own army as a mediator in the peace keeping force courtesy of the United Nations. However, the Soviets did not directly engage in the war. Neither did they provide any weapons to North Korea to aid them in fighting. The United Nations peace keeping force constituted by U.S was in any case a disguise because it was made up of its own troops alongside a few allies in the pretext of maintaining peace as put forward by Truman (Reiter 86). At this point on the onset of the war, it was almost conspicuous that the United Nations was like a toothless dog and could be manipulated by U.S at will. Some years later, China grew into a communist state but U.S did not embroil itself much on it. Moreover, U.S did not react substantially even as Eastern Europe became a victim of the iron curtain policy. As a consequence, the United States changed its foreign Policy especially in regard to the Cold War.

South Korea was not necessarily a very pertinent territory to U.S. Her entry into the Korean War was merely a strategy to combat the economic ideology of communism which was spreading very fast. Besides, communism was viewed as a very serious threat and hence its spread to U.S would spell doom. As an impact to Korean War, the United States of America worked towards heightening its military power and arms ability. This was estimated to have grown up to four times the initial level (Park 98). It marked the relentless pursuit for military and weaponry supremacy that would culminate in the intriguing cold war. Truman leadership indeed perfected the art of arms race when his leadership argued that the intended attack on South Korea would be compared to the aggressions of the Second World War (Park 253). Eventually it was used as the pointer to joining the war. This was because the United States policies at the time could not allow a direct involvement of their military in the war, while at the same time there was a possible threat to U.S economic, political and social policies if the communist States won. This could have lead to either a direct war between the two giants, Russia and the United States. The communist ideas were fast spreading and this could have lead to deterioration of the U.S policys influence on the world rendering them of less powerful globally.

Truman had to use his powers to initiate military action against the wish of the Republicans and some democrats. He overlooked the policies plus the congress and went on with his plans which were accepted at the UN council although debatably with a hidden mission. He overstepped his earlier plans and passed the 38-parallel border to try and unify the country under capitalism. This failed as the communist neighbors, China came into scene and the US had no option but to pull out after the armistice. This was to later work negatively on the Democratic presidential bid in 1952 when they lost to the republicans.

Impacts of the War

The Korean War era also witnessed the inclusion of both black and white soldiers into the expansive U.S military troop. Black Americans had never been subjects of importance in regard to the United States military service. This was a pat on the back to U.S as far as civil rights were considered. US shift in policies targeting the inclusion of the blacks in the military is considered one of the positive impacts of the two wars, Korean and Vietnam. According to Dalfiume, these changes were made out of pressure from the civilians. Desegregation was one thing that raised issues in the U.S. The majority public resisted the participation of blacks in the federal military since there was conflict between the races. Previously no black had been allowed in the American military camp. This change brought great reforms that made several steps to involve blacks in many other sectors of the U.S economy.

As a result of the War, Britain sent troops to maintain peace as part of its peace keeping force required by the United Nations. This further cemented the relationship between U.S and Britain because the latter had agreed to support the former on its foreign policy. The U.S military troops worked hand in hand with European counterparts to gain military supremacy. The long term impact of this power arrangement was the emergence of China as an important global economy and political power.

Another remarkable impact of the Korean War was seen in the manner Vietnam War was fought (Paige xvi). This war provided a base for skill and competence gaining among the Asian communities. A lot could be shared out between the two Wars. For instance, the U.S drastically shifted its foreign policy from the one supporting a corrupt system to the eventual support of communism. Indeed, U.S eventually became allies to communist states both in Europe and Asia. This was a paradigm shift in terms of political views held by some of these countries purporting to uphold justice. In spite of the dramatic events and happenings of the Korean War, the key actors and policy makers did not change much in terms of their tactics. In other words, less was learnt from the Korean War even as the Vietnam atrocities broke out in the 1960s. The same mistakes were repeated.

The present day alliance between South Korea and United States of America is an impact that resulted from the war. For instance, U.S military bases are well established in Southern Korea today in addition to a mutual defense treaty. Moreover, the stamping of U.S authority and its total presence in South Korea led to the inevitable spread of American culture (Jenkins & Frederick 130). The military bases established radio stations which were used for the sole purpose of information and entertainment to its crew. In extension, the Koreans got hold of the opportunity to disseminate their news as well as entertainment value for its citizens. Moreover, the U.S system of nationalistic and democratic governance was well established in South Korea while North Korea remained largely under the influence of the soviets and communism.

Conclusion

The Korean War which lasted from1950 to 1953 has been considered to be the first proxy war in which the outstanding superpowers fought by extension and indirectly, intertwining a third party in their conflict. The United States of America mainly got involved in the War as a way of stamping its superpower authority overseas. This war had great impacts on the United States, and how they viewed the black race which since then, started improving.

Works Cited

1. Cotton, James, and Neary, Ian. The Korean War in History. Manchester; Manchester University Press, 1989. Print.
2. Jenkins, Charles, and Jim, Frederick. The Reluctant Communist: My Desertion, Court Martial, and Forty-Year Imprisonment in North Korea. California; University of California Press, 2008. Print.
3. Millet, Allan. The Korean War: The Essential Bibliography. Potomac Books, Inc. Quicksilver Drive. Dulles. 2007. Print.
4. Paige, Glenn. 1950: Trumans decision: The United States enters the Korean. England; Chelsea House Publishers, 1970. Print.
5. Park, Hong-Kyu. America Involvement in the Korean War. Society for History Education, 1983. 16(2); 96-103
6. Reiter, Dan. How Wars End. New Jersey; Princeton University Press, 2009.Print.

Introduction

The success of any military operation depends on the commanders ability to develop an executable plan and implement it successfully. Operational art and design are instrumental in describing how exactly (ways) the military force can utilize the available capabilities (means) to achieve military objectives (ends) and mitigate possible risks (Department of Defense, 2017, p. IV-1). Importantly, operational art and design ensure the alignment of strategic plans with specific operations and tactics.

The focus on major strategic objectives is essential as the country has to defend its major interests envisioning current and upcoming challenges. The analysis of particular military conflicts can illustrate the effectiveness of the use of operational art and design notions. This paper includes a brief analysis of U. S. participation in the Korean War with the use of the concepts of operational art and design.

Background Facts and U. S. Governments Ends

The Korean Peninsula became vulnerable to further military conflict after the decision of allied forces to unite at the 38th Parallel. The Western allies saw this movement as a temporary meeting point that provided military benefits while the USSR regarded the line as the future border of the spheres of influence (Clay, 2015). As a result, the country was divided into North and South Korea with two opposing economic and political trajectories.

It is noteworthy that thousands of North Korean soldiers took part in the Chinese Civil War and became one of the major forces in the Korean War (Forbis, 2015). The northern part of the peninsula was under the influence of the Chinese Communist Party, while South Korea chose capitalism and democracy as its strategic development. In addition, North Korea was supported by the USSR, and South Korean economic and political, as well as military allies were the USA, the United Kingdom and other western democracies.

The U.N. acknowledged the risks associated with the proximity of Communist China. China never abandoned its attempts to instill the Communist rule in North (and South) Korea. Therefore, it was decided to keep a considerable military force in the South Korean theatre to safeguard the independence of the state (Lee, 2018). American military forces constituted the basis of the UN presence in the peninsula. Although the USSR focused on European theatre trying to achieve its regional goals, the country also provided military support to North Korean and Chinese forces in order to weaken the USA as its major rival (Kim, 2019). Clay (2015) also notes that although the 38th Parallel was an unintended consequence of the Second World War, the USA did not want to change the status quo and provoke Chinese involvement.

The American society was unwilling to be engaged in a new war in a distant Asian region. Lee (2018) states that Americans did not see the spread of communism in that Asian country as an immediate threat to the democracy of the United States. Hence, President Truman was reluctant to provide substantial military forces and resources to the peninsula or use such major means as a nuclear weapon to ensure peace in the region. These political aims defined the development of military ends and operations, as well as the course of the entire war in the area.

The Doctrine and Means

The Korean War was a comparatively short military conflict that, however, caused considerable damage and was associated with unprecedented death tolls. The doctrine utilized by the U. S. military forces and the available capabilities contributed to the duration of the war (its rapid termination) and its devastating nature (Lee, 2018). The war doctrine that existed in the 1950s was based on the experiences gained during the Second World War (Forbis, 2015). According to this framework, a combination of naval and land warfare, as well as air force, was to be employed to reach the established military aims (Lee, 2018). The use of land warfare was central to the American doctrine as it proved to be effective during the Second World War.

Nevertheless, the focus on the doctrine based on the European theatre of the military operations during the Second World War led to a failure of some operations performed after the landing in Incheon. The doctrine implied the activities on flat European territories while the peninsula had mountainous terrain (Lee, 2018). The utilization of land warfare proved to be less effective as it had been planned, so such tactical objective as the envelopment of the enemys troops in Incheon was failed. The largest part of the North Korean forces managed to escape the envelopment due to the specifics of the terrain and climate. At the same time, the U.S. troops managed to destroy one of the primary centers of gravity of North Korean army during the war, which was a considerable strategic gain.

It is also important to add that the use of marine blockade had a limited effect on the supplies of the army of North Korea, although this tactic was beneficial during the Second World War. Initially, the U.S. government intended to employ naval and air resources in the Korean theatre (Forbis, 2015). However, a more detailed analysis of the situation made it clear that land resources would be central.

The Communist government received aid from China and the USSR through diverse channels, and they did not rely on marine routes (Lee, 2018). However, without using naval resources, South Korea could have been invaded by the North Korean forces (Clay, 2015). Naval and air operations enabled the U.S. forces to cause substantial damage to North Korean communication channels and military bases. The use of air warfare in numerous operations was some of the primary reasons for the unprecedented destruction of major cities of North and South Korea.

Ways Employed by American Corps

The analysis of the Korean War and the U.S. activities in this military conflict illustrates the effectiveness of the use of operational art and design. Although the American military leaders did not apply the corresponding concepts, they managed to create successful plans that enabled them to reach their military and political ends. Lee (2018) states that American generals did not concentrate on immediate gains but had a more strategic approach.

They developed a plan to turn some defensive operations into massive offensive activities. Landing at Incheon was one of such plans that enabled the US army to damage North Korean communication channels and forced their adversary forces to retreat (Lee, 2018). Importantly, the American forces attacked eastern and western coasts in order to disorganize the enemy and make the northward operation possible and successful. As mentioned above, the Incheon area was one of the major centers of gravity of the North Korean Army, so American troops successful operation was critical to the overall success in the war.

The American forces (jointly with other UN corps) also managed to identify the most serious vulnerabilities of the enemy. The attacks on Kunsan and Nakdong areas were the central methods utilized to achieve this tactical goal. The Kunsan operation was followed by the Nakdong raid, which ensured the success of landing at Incheon (Lee, 2018). These tactics were also formed during the Second World War and utilized as a part of war doctrine during the Korean War (Lee, 2018).

Again, the success of these operations had been preceded by serious defeats of American troops. However, these defensive measures were soon replaced with offensive activities based on the annihilation approach. Rapid and massive raids confused the North Korean army and contributed to the morale of American and South Korean troops.

As mentioned above, the U.S. government did not want the involvement of China in the conflict. However, after successful operations conducted by the corps of the United Nations, Chinese troops supported with the USSR military resources interfered, which made the UN forces retreat to South Korea (Forbis, 2015). The further military operations were characterized by the focus on enemies vulnerabilities, so the region had to endure substantial damage. The use of air warfare and significant land resources ensured the implementation of the strategic plan that aimed at safeguarding the 38th Parallel.

Meeting Military and Political Ends

The Korean War was characterized by massive destruction and thousands of deaths on both sides, and it terminated in 1953 when the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed. North and South Korea, as well as their allies, did not have sufficient means to continue the war (Forbis, 2015). Moreover, American military and political ends were met as the status quo regarding the 38th parallel was retained.

The sovereignty of South Korea was safeguarded, and the spread of Communism in the region was also terminated. The agreement signed in 1953 ensured the creation of a demilitarized zone that helped the UN meet certain military ends (Forbis, 2015). The rapid and unpredictable invasion of North Korean or Chinese troops was impossible. All these political and military ends were achieved, so the success of the U.S. forces, as a part or rather backbone of UN troops, was apparent.

Conclusion

On balance, the analysis of U.S. participation in the Korean War with the use of operational art and design concepts suggests the effectiveness of applying operational art and design when planning military campaigns. The identification of major goals (ends), capabilities (means), methods (ways), and vulnerabilities (risks) is a primary step in creating executable plans that result in successful operations and campaigns. The U.S. military command undertook these steps and managed to focus on strategic goals rather than tactical gains, which resulted in the successful termination of the Korean War in terms of the American objectives.

The American government aimed at maintaining the 38th Parallel status and achieved the emergence of a demilitarized zone. The sovereignty of South Korea was retained and secured by the agreement and the demilitarized zone. It is necessary to add that some unsuccessful operations took place as some risks were not properly analyzed and due to the reliance of an outdated war doctrine. Nevertheless, the major ends were reached, so the American military forces were successful when planning and implementing military operations in the Korean theatre. This experience has been studied, and the gained knowledge has been employed in more recent operations, which enables the USA to address the major challenges of the contemporary international politics.

References

Clay, J. D. (2015). General MacArthurs strategic success during the early months of the Korean War. USA: Pickle Partners Publishing.

Forbis, M. D. (2015). General of the Army Omar Nelson Bradley in the Korean War and the Meaning of the Chairmanship. San Francisco, CA: Lucknow Books.

Department of Defense. (2017). Joint planning (JP 5-0). Web.

Kim, Y. (2019). Why did Stalin not support a quick victory for the Korean peoples army? Stalins unspoken global security strategy for the Korean War. The Korean Journal of International Studies, 17(1), 79-102. Web.

Lee, D. P. (2018). The application of operational art to the Korean War. Web.

The War Prayer Analysis: Essay Introduction

Mark Twain, officially known as Samuel Langhorne Clemens, is a celebrated American author whose work and practice both in academic and political fields contributed immensely to shaping American literary history, socio-political environment, and global academic development. The author, a critic of American discriminative leadership, is a central figure in the development of American literature through his writing style, wits, appeal, and vibrant social experience (Tarnoff 866). After dropping out of school in his early years, Mark Twain pursued his academic and gained substantial work experience in American literature, journalism, politics, and war. His writing skills focused on tangible facts affecting Americans and society, which has made him relevant in American literary development history. As Mark Twain is a famous author in the United States, this essay discusses how one of his works, The War Prayer, has influenced and shaped American literary history.

The War Prayer

In his prose poem, The War Prayer, Mark Twain, accuses Americans of being blind patriots and Christians of using prayer in encouraging war. Mark Twain uses the various elements of literature adopted in modern writing practices to portray the evil practices in society. These elements communicate the relevant mood, beliefs, and realities affecting society using theme, tone, point of view, plot, and setting. Moreover, the author employs literary styles such as satire, irony, humor, and imagery in portraying societal elements and pictures. The outstanding message in the poem is the authors theme that condemns human suffering and blames it on unfair social policies and bad governance. Particularly, his ability to adopt an explicit sense of space, which cuts across time and society and gives criticism and inspiration to the youth and leaders, has significantly influenced American literature.

Comprehensive Literary Elements

In his literary work, the adoption of comprehensive and specific literary elements enriches the nature and message of The War Prayer. Pons argues that in addition to enhancing understanding and discussion of literary work, the use of different elements in modern literature aids to develop better forms of communication (23). Elements of literature are essential in deepening readers understanding of the story through the actualization of events and the diverse functions and contributions of characters. Mark Twain adopted various characters in his work to depict the tangible element of the presence of diverse personalities in society. The use of different characters enables readers to categorize individuals based on their social contribution to social cohesion and development. In character representation, big figures threaten the existence and contribution of small figures in social development. This element of social representation on a written work has a significant relationship to the American society, and thus, it influences the social and academic perception of individuals moral accountability. Therefore, one can infer that the use of multiple character representations in The War Prayer significantly shapes the advancement of American literary work as an important tool for identifying the facilitators of events in an environment.

By using a polite topic representing a religious dedication to supreme intervention in challenging times as an approach of relaying his message, the author hides his main theme. However, the writers intention aims to create consciousness in the horror of war. Thus, this approach helps to disguise the intended message from the reader, which appears within the body of the text and creates complexity in literary work. The adoption of this writing style improves the standards of literature that significantly creates interest in individuals on the academic work while promoting readers understanding of the intended message. Thus, the onward appreciation of concealing the intended communication inside the body of a written work has influenced new authors contributions to the development of a robust framework of writing and conveying information in American literature.

In enhancing understanding, Mark Twain utilizes a description of the context by employing painted words to facilitate readers actualization of the circumstances central to the theme. The setting provides a cultural and historical context of characters. In the literary work, the author shows a sequence of events relating to the occurrence of war through the servant of God intervention (Twain), and the social perception of his mental condition, which builds a backdrop of events and creates the desired mood for the conceptualization of the work. The crumbling and aging stranger reflects the decaying and none reparable state of both the social values and cohesion. In this view, the author considerably contributes to the advancement of American literature by scaling the perfect model for the creation of invaluable work.

The literary work provides a causal sequence of events that happen in the social setup of the story. Twain narrates, Sunday morning came-next day the battalions would leave for the front& (Twain). Utilization of plot draws the reader into characters lives and enhances understanding of the possible choices at their disposal over a given event. The plot elements used by the author include exposition, complication, and climax. In the literature, the author utilized compilation at the start of the story in communicating social conflict. However, the entry of the servant of God acted as the expected turning point in the story for the characters to resolve the complication.

Mark Twain employed tonal variation throughout his work by adopting an appeal to senses, facts, and choices of language that catapult the actualization of events in society. Variation in character dialogue evokes emotions with each characters language being consistent, realistic, and natural. Twain says that&then in a deep voice he said& (Twain). The tonal variation expresses the writers attitude on the subject matter and contribution of the characters. Mark Twain employed a hopeful and optimistic tone to instill a sense of pride in soldiers and Americans who romanticized and praised war (Tarnoff 866). The change in tone creates the authors desired effect on readers while communicating his/her feelings towards the subject (Pons 25). Additionally, tonal variation aids to communicate the struggle between various forces and the contradictory stance of characters. Writers deliberately employ this approach of communicating the authors attitude to convey individual perception on themes that contribute immensely to the development of American literature over time.

Literary Styles

Literary styles reflect the way authors present their literary work and enable understanding among readers. According to Pons, literary styles are essential in constructing a unique perception of events through the creation of unlimited imaginations, interpretation of meanings, and the establishment of unique knowledge (38). Literary styles involve the use of figurative language, word choice, and proper sentence formation to create means through which authors deliver a message, conceal intended meaning, add depth to literary work, criticize, and induce amusement.

Irony

In The War Prayer, Mark Twain has employed irony throughout his piece of work to conceal the actual meaning of the words. The author says &in the spirit of love, of him who is the source of love& (Twain). The reality of the written phrase differs from the perspective created among readers. This style of literature builds interest, creates tension, and sustains the readers interest. Additionally, irony helps readers gain insight into the characters personalities. In The War Prayer, Mark Twain successfully uses irony to draw out the flaws of the characters and show the difference between what they say and the expected actions making readers conceptualize the central ideas surrounding social vices. In the development of American literature, Mark Twain has significantly contributed to the continuous adoption of this technique to attract readers attention while moving the story forward and deepening understanding.

Imagery

Imagery refers to the use of descriptive language to add depth to a literary work through the appeal to human senses. Mark Twain contributed to the use of imagery in American literature through a successful combination of words to create a vivid experience for readers through imaginations. In prayer to praise soldiers and pray for victory, Twain says that &in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism& to express the degree of patriotism expressed by Americans (Twain). As this concept of patriotism is relevant in American society, it has remained significantly important to the development of literature. Therefore, the use of the imagery in The War Prayer has influenced the continuous development and the adoption of imagery in American literature in generating a graphical presentation of scenes and enhancing readers understanding.

Satire

The use of satire in The War Prayer comprises irony, sarcasm, and ridicule. Satire effectively communicates the element of criticism of foolish behaviors exhibited by characters, their leaders, and society. The author uses satire in the written work to depict the hypocrisies of the church and religious leaders who preach love and mercy while supporting social vices such as war and destruction. As these social ideologies exist in every setup of society, they make the application of satire in literature work relevant. Therefore, in American literature, authors have adopted the use of satire as a technique to criticize and expose corrupt and foolish acts of individuals and society. Thus, authors of literary works in American literature have notably utilized this concept to improve humanity, bring attention to specific ideologies, and promote change.

Humor

In The War Prayer, the writer vividly uses humor in depicting the most important aspect of a failed social misconception. Twain uses humor to induce amusement and create a surprising occurrence of events. The use of humor in the context eases tension and creates a feeling of hope among readers. The author uses humor to demonstrate the surprising turn of events in human needs that depicts social hypocrisy and develops a platform of individual judgment on events. The use of humor in The War Prayer strengthens the comparative judging of events on the expected and the misdirected outcome. Despite the logical argument and the wisdom espoused, the failure to convince the patriotic citizens led to his description as a lunatic. Therefore, the skillful utilization of humor in this literature has boosted the continuous adoption of this technique by most American authors in providing a comic platform, driving sense, and improving the quality of their work.

Writing Style

The literary work of The War Prayer relates to tangible facts of American society and cultural history important in communicating critical social issues. The religious phrase be thou near them in the prayer (Twain) utilizes the American dialect to create a sense of familiarity and social connection to the public and the author. This writing style convinces and modifies peoples lives for it reflects publication, composition, critical views, and popular responses. The writing approach that focuses on the real issues of human existence makes the publication important in its contribution to the development of American literature as it encompasses the exact nature of issues that have perennially affected the society.

The War Prayer Analysis: Essay Conclusion

Mark Twain is one of the popular authors of all time and a critic of American discriminative leadership who has made a significant contribution to the development of literary work in academic history. Twain has contributed to the development of literature through his wits, appeal, knowledge, and rich social life. His expertise in literature breathes life to characters in the poem and gives personality through the choice of words and writing style. These writing skills focused on tangible facts affecting American people and society that has since made him relevant to American literary history. In The War Prayer, Mark Twain uses various elements of literature and literary styles adopted in contemporary writing practices to portray evil activities in the society. The elements communicate mood, beliefs, and realities that affect society using theme, tone, point of view, plot, and setting. On the contrary, literary styles such as satire, irony, humor, and imagery relay the picture and pillars of social unity. However, of importance is the authors theme, which condemns and blames social policies and rules of governance for causing human suffering. The ability to adopt an explicit sense of space gives criticism and inspiration to the youth and leaders, and thus, shapes American literature.

Works Cited

Pons, Margalida. Mobility and Fusion in the Literary Field: The Maverick Poetry of Dolors Miquel. Journal of Iberian and Latin American Studies, vol. 23, no. 1, 2017, pp. 21-43. Web.

Tarnoff, Ben. The Bohemians: Mark Twain and the San Francisco Writers Who Reinvented American Literature. Journal of American History, vol. 102, no. 3, 2015, pp. 866-866. Web.

Twain, Mark. The War Prayer. War Prayer, Web.

Language is a subtle and multifaceted thing, which many specialists are studying. Grammar can be studied in many different ways. One can distinguish two types of grammar: descriptive and prescriptive. While descriptive grammar describes how the language is used, prescriptive grammar defines how the language should be used by native speakers (Does Grammar Matter?). The approaches of the two types of grammar are different, as are the ideas about the language. Each of them, however, is interesting and has the right to exist.

Descriptive grammar aims to describe how native speakers use the language daily. This type of grammar includes rules about how the language is used but not how it should be used. The focus of descriptive grammar lies on identifying and describing the diversity of a language without explaining what is correct and what is incorrect (Does Grammar Matter?). This approach includes studying the principles and patterns that determine the use of words, phrases, and expressions of native speakers.

Prescriptive grammar consists of rules for the use of the language by native speakers. These rules teach the speaker the most correct and accurate use of the language. Prescriptive grammar describes the mistakes to avoid, the grammatical model to adhere to. The thing is that the roots of prescriptive grammar go back to the 18th century when there were various social elites with specific language standards. Thus, this approach suggests the existence of bad and good grammar, and its primary attention is paid to syntactic constructions and grammatical forms.

I adhere to a descriptive approach to grammar because I do not support condemning deviations from an artificial language standard. I believe that prescriptive grammar mistakenly assumes some universal and unchangeable language standard which often does not even correspond to reality. Prescriptive grammar does not recognize that the language is constantly changing. People can speak differently depending on their age, education, social and racial affiliation, and beliefs.

Work Cited

Does Grammar Matter?. TED: Ideas worth spreading, uploaded by Andreea Calude, 2016.

Water is an essential human need without which people cannot survive and strive for growth. The case of Bolivia is an example of how privatization of water supply can result in a major backlash and political unrest. The main issue lies in the fact that the government decided to make the given segment commercialized by selling it to a for-profit organization. In other words, the process led to a gradual rise in water prices, which put a great deal of stress on Bolivian people. It directly increased the category of people living in poverty and halted economic growth because citizens started to spend more on basic needs. The given critical assessment will primarily focus on bringing a new perspective to the issue from the standpoint of political ecology.

Although traditional ecology can explain the modern issues within the environment, it does not include political factors. Therefore, political ecology is a more useful approach to Bolivias water crisis because they are a wide range of parties involved with an array of interests. Marginalization takes place against the ordinary people of the nation, and control occurs at the water supply level. Environmental conflict is mainly fueled by the privatization of a water-supplying organization, and subjects are impoverished masses, where political actors include the government and related entities. Therefore, these are five major elements of political ecology, which categorize and identify the key features of any environmental crisis.

Engagement

The two ideas which are the most resonant and relevant to the topic are the structure of ecology-driver conflicts and elements of political ecology. They can be applied to the issue because Bolivias water problem is also comprised of these notions. It is stated that political ecology includes five key components, which are political objects and actors, environmental subjects and identities, conflict and exclusion, conservation and control, and degradation and marginalization (Robbins, 2019). The latter aspect involves Bolivian citizens, where water supply is controlled. The political actor is the government, and subjects are people vulnerable due to water access limitations. The conflicts are fueled by the fact that an organization on the matter is privatized, and thus, the public demands changes.

The environmental and water crisis in Bolivia is serious and global because it is a violation of human rights. However, its emergence is associated with the economic activities of entities under the jurisdiction of the state. All states, as well as stakeholders, are forced to determine their position, actions, or inaction in relation to environmental issues. Administrative control and government regulation of the use of natural resources are only the tips of the iceberg of conflicts of interest. This causes latent conflicts, aspirations for various forms of domination, leadership, political control, and order configuration. Theoretically and institutionally, such a phenomenon as environmental policy is being formed.

Along with the emergence and development of the environmental policy of individual states, there is an understanding that a systematic comprehension of political aspects is necessary. It is important to take into account the fact that this applies to the foundations of the environmental crisis and environmental policy, where this gives rise to political ecology. Often, however, it is precisely because of the political nature that the meaning, tasks, and understanding of the content of these areas remain unclear.

The concepts of ecology and politics have a wide variety of interpretations, are combined mechanically, and the result of their combination does not give new content. Building environmental policies on random grounds make them ineffective at best. Much more often, in the worst case, one person records the pressure of a political nature, both from external and internal structures. In this case, any vague environmental policies are used to their advantage. On the one hand, the threats and risks of a human-made nature, the load on the environment make the ecological crisis a global one. On the other hand, the global problem of the environmental concern is considered from the point of view of numerous actors with a different resource, institutional and communication bases. The art of political analysis is precisely in the ability to identify the unity of the particular and universal in the content of the problem.

In each era, the confrontation of political forces, expressing the essential contradiction of the period, seeks to end with the victory and supremacy of one of the parties to this conflict. Ideologically, this is interpreted as a struggle for the power of progressive forces against the forces of reaction. At the same time, the historical result of the battle between the parties is the resolution, the removal of contradictions. The structure and the liberation of society emerge from both this type of contradictions and their carriers. The essence of politics lies in the civilizational ethical contradiction, the content of which is the struggle of the polis civilization on the borders of the ancient world against barbarism. Political ecology is an example of opposition to a moral will that is born out of principle, which does not recognize identity as the morality of a public person. Political unities are divided into civilized and barbaric, and within agreements, people are divided into free and marginalized on a moral basis.

Reference

Robbins, P. (2019). Political ecology: A critical introduction (3^rd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.

Introduction

The two documentaries  The Lies that Led to War and To Sell a War display the way mass media present information and falsify facts to distort the representations of people and mislead them into supporting a position favorable to a certain political party. Apart from that, they explicitly showed the effects and power of a Big Lie, which was imposed on people and that masterfully persuaded them into believing in something which could be refuted by the facts. The purpose of this paper is to review the two documentaries, discuss the way Big Lie led to wars in Iraq, and analyze how this measure was used to manipulate public opinion in the buildup to these military conflicts.

Big Lie Concept

It is worth noting that the concept of Big Lie is one of the most powerful propaganda techniques. Its use goes back to Adolf Hitler and other leaders who interpreted it as a use of lies of such magnitude that no one would believe that someone had the courage to distort the reality in such an impudent way. In their turn, modern researchers define this concept as a specific technology in which a distorted or invented fact is repeated multiple times and with a strong conviction so that the targeted population automatically starts believing in the truthfulness of the facts or statements (Jowett & ODonnell, 2015). Moreover, this method involves the ignorance of the evidence and refutation, which could anyhow disrupt big lie.

Importantly, the initiators of a big lie resort to various methods to disseminate the distorted facts; however, one of the means suits this purpose the most. According to Jowett and ODonnell (2015), media is the most powerful and appropriate medium in implementing this technique. In addition, they are the main source and transmitter of war propaganda as media provide an unsurpassed opportunity to reach the whole audience.

Despite the fact that this technology was used by authoritarian regimes in foreign countries, at present, it has received even greater opportunities for the effective application than it had in the past. In recent decades, the free press that verifies the authenticity of data has not been able to prevent the effective use of this technology, and the wars in Iraq are the vivid confirmation of this assumption.

Manipulation of Public Opinion

In the video To Sell a War, it is revealed the way mass media was used to produce the required moods and sentiment so that the residents of the country would support the idea of initiating the Gulf far (Krazyhandz666, 2011). To be more precise, a young woman and her falsified testimony were used to brainwash the public that the Iraqi troops killed newborn babies by taking them from their incubators and then leaving them to die.

However, later on, it turned out that the only witness to it was the daughter of Kuwaits ambassador to the US, and the provided facts had nothing to do with the reality (Krazyhandz666, 2011). The womans testimony was disseminated across the country through multiple media channels disregarding the idea that the evidence would easily prove that no such event has ever occurred.

The same propagandistic patterns were discussed in The Lies that Led to War documentary. To be more precise, the video exhibited three different contexts in which the war in Iraq (in 2003) was presented as the only means to resolve the dangerous situation in the world (Ewing Smith, 2012). In particular, the media manipulated the public opinion into building up for the war through appeals to the human rights arguments, which evidenced the need for the US to interfere in the affairs.

To form the desired intention in the American population, the media used repetitive statements and engaged respectable and well-known people to comment on the events. The information flow was accompanied by audiovisual sounds and images to make the audience accept the arguments and disseminate them further (Ewing Smith, 2012). The rhetoric of the Big Lie lied in the allusions to political and religious leaders, including President Bush and others who repeated the falsified statements multiple times (Krazyhandz666, 2011). Thus, the misleading information was aimed at forming an image of Iraqis as an inhumane and degrading nation.

It was done intentionally so that the American people would support the war in Iraq because of the atrocities performed by Iraqis. Therefore, the Big Lie was created to establish a particular feeling in society, and the propaganda machine in the face of mass media promoted the required public consent (Ewing Smith, 2012). It is possible to assume that the two factors that enabled the media to produce the desired effect were the passivity of the audience and the goals of producers. The media were able to direct the collective attitudes towards buildup to the wars through a systematic formation of perceptions by multiple repetitions and discussion of the Big Lie while the evidence was fully ignored.

Using Big Lie for Good

In general, it is difficult for me to state whether or not a big lie can ever be used for good. On the one hand, it is impossible to continue distorting the facts forever since the evidence can be spread easily in contemporary reality. The environment offers multiple ways to disseminate truthful information, for instance, through the use of social media and so on. On the other hand, the audience needs to be indeed active to be able to disseminate any information further if this intention is undesirable for the government.

The state has levers of power to ban almost any activity if it has the potential to disrupt the governments authority or the authority of a particular party (Ewing Smith, 2012). Therefore, the state has enough power to suppress any opposition that might destroy the lie. In addition, there are significant reasons for initiating a big lie since it ensures the loyalty of subordinates and helps in holding the political system together (Jowett & ODonnell, 2015).

The political figures actively support their lies while suppressing the opposition, and the audience, as a rule, accepts the facts passively. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the compilation of these factors might provide an opportunity to use a big lie for good.

Conclusion

Thus, it can be concluded that the two documentaries discussed throughout the paper evidence that the concept of a big lie has been a powerful tool of mass deception aimed at making people support the political decision of initiating the wars in Iraq. This method concentrates on the multiple repetitions of distorted facts with the engagement from the side of influential leaders who wish to push forward the political propaganda. In this regard, mass media is the most suitable tool since it provides various levers to manipulate the entire audience through the use of audio-visual aids and persistent instruction.

References

Ewing Smith, C. (2012, 2 January). The Fifth Estate  The lies that led to War-CBC-2007 . Web.

Jowett, G. S., & ODonnell, V. (2015). Propaganda & persuasion (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Krazyhandz666. (2011). To sell a war  Gulf War propaganda (1992). Web.

The Star Wars story takes place in a galaxy that is going to face numerous threats. The viewers are introduced to main characters, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi that have to complete a mission and meet various allies during their long journey. Damaged by the Federation, their ship needs to be repaired, and they begin their search for parts. The meeting with Anakin Skywalker, a human slave, is a crucial point of the story.

It is necessary to say that becoming a pilot was the boys greatest dream. The presence of force within Anakin has been noted, yet Council thinks that it may be too late to train him, and he should not be free. The company has to look for other ways to solve the problem. Although it was not a simple task, the boy won a race against other competitors and was able to guarantee his freedom. Searching for a ship on a space station has been not simple with the presence of enemies. However, the heroes did not have time to waste, and they were not noticed. Anakin is going to be trained as a padawan, an adolescent that has the potential to become a future Jedi.

One of the most powerful characters in the story, Yoda, agrees that it is necessary. It needs to be said that he has all the necessary qualities to succeed. The idea to be a Jedi inspires the boy and others are ready to help him. Against all odds, the team has been able to complete the mission. The story ends with a celebration of freedom. The storylines within the first episode will be continued in the next movies. Overall, it is one of the greatest masterpieces in history that will be viewed even by the next generations.

Tense and conflictual relations between countries can have an impact on all parties involved. Thus, a precise analysis of the situation, the reasons for the involvement of countries in a potential military conflict, and the possible consequences are necessary. The central topic of the paper is the effect that a war between Taiwan and China might have on the economic activities of the United States. This paper will be based on an article by Hal Brands (2022) called Economic Chaos of a Taiwan War Would Go Well Past Semiconductors.

First of all, it is necessary to gain an understanding of the causes of the tensions between Taiwan and China. The basis of this conflict is that Taiwan has long been an independent state, which the Chinese government does not welcome. Hence, it is taking measures that are aimed at changing this situation. The U.S. involvement is that it is one of Taiwans arms suppliers. The article Brands (2022) notes that the United States should There are plenty of reasons the U.S. should seek to deter China from attacking Taiwan (para. 1). In economic terms, the main effect for the states would be economic chaos and multiple sanctions that could be imposed on both sides. It could also affect the decline of gross domestic product and destroy technological supply chains.

From a legal perspective, the conflict between China and Taiwan could split the legal institutions of the U.S. over differences in economic nuances. As Brands (2022) argues, in the example of the war between Russia and Ukraine, one can observe the distinctive views of legislators and policymakers on helping the Ukrainian government. On the one hand, opposition to an aggressor is the basis for financial assistance to a state that has suffered from a military invasion. However, on the other hand, the internal economic problems of the U.S. may be considered objective reasons to hold back the endless flow of money and weapons coming from the Western state. In the case of Taiwan, the situation can be similar. Focus on economic support can divide the government of the country and cause significant disagreement about the amount of financial support. Such an outcome is possible given the existing dissatisfaction on the part of individual American politicians with the involvement of the U.S. in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

The impact of a possible war on the U.S. economic market may manifest itself in weakened imports and, as a result, a decrease in trade potential. Brands (2022) emphasizes the uniqueness of Taiwans manufacturing base and draws attention to the fact that in the care of war, the American technology market will not be able to rely on the same output as before. As a result, supply chain restructuring and emergency contract signings may be inevitable outcomes of the war.

In conclusion, hostilities almost always have more disadvantages than advantages for conflicting sides. Thus, a possible outbreak of conflict between Taiwan and China may cause significant economic problems for the United States, including its internal and external markets. American trade and production ties with Taiwan are the reasons for avoiding the outbreak of confrontation. In addition, some of the economic consequences could be sanctions, a decline in the gross domestic product, economic chaos, and a split in the legal field due to disagreements about the level of financial support.

Reference

Brands, Hal. 2022. Economic Chaos of a Taiwan War Would Go Well Past Semiconductors. Bloomberg. Web.

Line of Argument

World War I brought significant cultural and political changes in all spheres of life. The demographic, economic, social, and political impacts on women included voting rights, access to education, and better jobs, and changing of womens positions in society.

Introduction

World War I and its aftermath were a time of significant cultural and political changes in all spheres of life, with old traditions and societal norms crumbling and giving way to new possibilities. The demographic, economic, social, and political impacts were immense, and the challenges they presented required revolutionary solutions. Global mobilization of human resources required women to take on new jobs, replacing men in their traditional positions and influencing the societal perception of gender roles. The resulting rise of feminist movements like the suffragists helped women to achieve goals they had been chasing for decades. Those include voting rights, equal and quality education, better jobs and payments, and changing the global perception of womens societal role.

Demographic and Economic Impact

Post-war France perfectly illustrates how a significant change in the sex ratio among adults impacted the labor market in the country. Eight out of ten men aged 15 to 50 before the war were conscripted, and with a military death rate of 16%, this brought significant changes in the distribution of labor in the country for the next few years. Women started working in jobs like heavy industry, munitions, and police work, influencing mens beliefs about gender roles. In post-war France, female workforce inclusion rates increased by 12% relative to pre-war levels, driven by single women and war widows.

Women entering the workforce during and after the war opened the possibilities for the next generations of women, eventually leading to more progressive views on the female labor force. A notable example of this shift in job distribution in the United States is how the percentage of women working on the railway jumped from 2% to almost half during 1914. Similar processes occurred in other countries like the British Empire, where approximately eighty thousand women served in the army as non-combatants. However, British women lobbied to be allowed to have rifle training and bear arms for home defense, eventually gaining the right in December 1941.

Socio-political Impact

Perhaps, the most famous consequence of broader womens employment and involvement in World War I is the widening enfranchisement of women as a direct result of recognizing their wartime contribution. While women did not have the right to vote before the war, this began to change immediately. For example, the Dussaussoy-Buisson bill, granting women voting rights, gained overwhelming support in 1919 France, indicating an increase in female suffrage support from 30% to 80% after the war. In 1918 Britain, the vote was given to property-owning women over the age of 30, coming down to 21 ten years later.

Passed by the United States Congress on June 4, 1919, after decades of protest, and ratified on August 18, 1920, the 19th amendment granted American women the right to vote. The same processes occurred in other countries, indicating the global shift in gender politics. Throughout World War I, women recreated themselves in the social context, first presenting themselves as protective and caring and then as fighting and valiant, shifting from pacifism to patriotism as the world around them was shifting. During and after the war, American women took on different images to be included in the rhetorical practices they supported.

This approach brought several beneficial changes through traditional societal roles, placing women as public speakers in their communities and bringing attention to their voices, gaining them some semblance of power. Nevertheless, the war did not significantly change womens positions or societal impact. They were strongly encouraged to return to domestic work and take on their former roles as wives and mothers. In the aftermath of the war, womens roles remained largely the same, focusing on motherhood, positioning them disadvantageously within the gendered status quo.

Educational Impact

Significant improvements in female education happened, mainly thanks to individual initiatives and the pioneering work of the Association for Promoting the Higher Education of Women. Oxford University was among the first to establish womens colleges, granting women degrees since 1920. Previously destined for the roles of homemakers and maids, women began occupying positions held traditionally exclusively by men, entering the working class.

This, in turn, led to a rise in the female suffrage movement as women became increasingly politically active. Women worldwide gained new social and economic options and stronger political voices, even if they were still viewed mainly as mothers first. However, divorces for women became easier, rising tenfold in number from 1910 to 1939 due to women wanting small families. This, in turn, gave women the possibility to pursue higher education, resulting in a significant increase in university degrees granted to women, particularly in STEM.

Conclusion

Despite women gaining voting rights, increased job possibilities, and a shift in the publics imagination regarding womens role in society, there was still a long struggle ahead for equal treatment and respect. Nevertheless, the achievements gained during the war left a significant long-term legacy. Even with the governmental efforts to go back to the previously held status quo, particularly with the British 1919 Restoration of Pre-War Practices Act, women managed to keep some of their political and cultural gains. Getting better education, higher and more diverse job qualifications and a stronger political voice eventually led to a rise in various womens rights movements worldwide, as evident nowadays.

Introduction

Women have been the focus of artists since pre-history. A close analysis of the painting can provide insight into the way the public and the author perceived women at the time. This paper will analyze two paintings representing young women performing leisurely activities, a compare and contrast approach will show the differences and similarities between the painting, as well as their common theme.

Woman Reading with Peaches

The first painting is Woman Reading with Peaches by Henri Matisse. It was painted in 1923, five years after he moved to a suburb of Nice. The painting is done in the expressionist style, with simple features and pastel colors. Much of his work at the time depicted leisurely activities and had a feeling of relaxation and pleasantness. The painting depicts a young woman sitting at the table. She is crossing her arms on top of a book. On her right is a metal tray with two peaches and a glass of water. She is wearing a yellow and white dress and a bracelet on her left arm. One of the more interesting features of the painting is that unlike other paintings by Matisse, her face is comparatively less detailed. The tray with water and oranges is much more detailed, with rich shading and detailed reflections. In a very odd choice, her eyes are completely black. However, this is not a representation of makeup on her eyelids because her right eyebrow is lifted in an intrigued or slightly surprised expression. Also, her dress hints at the summer season with its bright yellow color and loose fit.

The emphasis of the painting is the woman and the tray with water in peaches. The tray adds a hint that this is a leisure activity. Her proportions are realistic but are not defined enough to get a clear picture of what she looks like. Her lack of defined features creates an unnatural feeling, especially her completely black eyes and smooth fingers. Perhaps intentionally, this creates a sense of movement in the picture with the viewer first seeing her, then the book, and then the tray. Through this motion, we gain the impression that her leisure time was interrupted by the artist. As if he walked into the room and first saw the woman, then he was what she was doing, and then the context for her activity.

Girl with Ball

The second painting is titled Girl with Ball by Roy Lichtenstein, and it was painted in 1961. This is one of the more popular paintings by the author. It depicts a young woman dressed in a one-piece swimsuit holding a ball over her head. The painting is based on a 1955 ad for the Mount Airy Lodge in Pocono Mountains. This painting is one of his earliest pop artworks, and it is done in a comic strip style, with simple but detailed facial features. The painting uses bright colors and reflects the atmosphere of a summer vacation that was originally intended by the photo in the advertisement. The woman is wearing a blue swimsuit with white detailing. Her eyes and nose are monochrome and do not feature any shading. Her mouth is colored bright red with white teeth, utilizing the same colors as the ball. The background is yellow, with an uneven strip of white shapes at the bottom, representing the ocean. The painting is simple, but it effectively conveys the feeling of energetic activity on the beach.

Just like the first painting, the emphasis is on the young woman during her time of leisure. Unlike the previous painting, however, this activity is more energetic. The woman is shown either in the moment of catching a ball or throwing it. She is very excited while doing so, and this emotion is accentuated by the bright colors of the painting. Her features are simple, yet more defined than the previous painting. Her proportions are realistic due to being taken almost directly from the advertisement. Her face and hands are well defined, although neither is shaded. The painting has a strong sense of movement. The eye of the viewer is first drawn to the brightly colored ball, and then slowly moves down the painting due to its vertical orientation. The painting acts as a freeze-frame for a moment of leisure on the beach during a hot summer day. However, its origin as an advertisement and the nature of pop art brings a feeling of artificiality to the piece.

Comparison and the common theme

These two paintings have differences and similarities, as well as a common theme. Both paintings are done in simple styles with an emphasis on women performing leisurely activities. Both paintings take place during the summer and involve summer-specific attire, and both have a slightly unnatural quality to them. However, the paintings are focused on very different types of activities. Matisse shows the viewer a relaxed moment in the everyday life of a woman. There is no clear subtext to the painting. It just shows a natural activity that was likely common at the time. There is very little emphasis on the visual beauty of the woman, with almost no detail in her facial features. On the other hand, Lichtenstein portrays a completely artificial scene. With the original image being an advertisement, it is likely that the picture was taken in a studio with artificial lighting. Her body and facial features are accentuated, and she could represent the standard of beauty in post-war America. The painting highlights the artificiality of the commercial practice of using women to sell products, which became a common trend after World War Two. Her outfit would be illegal to wear in 1920s America, and it shows how the times have changed between the two paintings.

Although Matisse often painted naked women in sexual contexts, these paintings were always done sincerely and portrayed natural forms of women. Woman Reading with Peaches shares this natural feeling and is done without an ulterior motive. With the prevalent commercialism of post-war America, the image of a woman became a tool. Girl with Ball represents a cynical image of a woman, created as a fantasy to sell vacation trips. There is nothing natural about that representation, and the author successfully highlighted it in his art.

Conclusion

Despite the common theme of leisure, the paintings have shown to have completely different intentions. One shows a natural scene in a pre-war setting before televisions started to replace books as a past-time activity. The other is a clear example of the commercialism of post-war America.