Sunday, May 6, 2007

Just for the Record:

I incorrectly posted my blog response “Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n.” in my own “comment” section to my first blog post dated Tuesday, January 30, 2007, rather than a “new” blog post.

Several Thoughts: In Response to Professor Hanley’s Two-Part Question:

What is the “Tachanka Theory” (Question posed in class by Professor Hanley.)

In Red Calvary, the Tachanka is described as “an open carriage or buggy with a machine gun mounted on the back” (footnotes, 75), “capable of unprecedented mobility and demobilization” (76). However, the “theory” lies in the effective utilization and implementation of the piece of machinery: “to hack to pieces―tachanka—blood.”

Is Red Calvary an anti-war book, or a pro-war book? (Question posed in class by Professor Hanley)

Babel’s objective was to “depict the disorder” of war: “petty bickering and blood baths, of rape and self-sacrifice, of mud, stars, and sudden death” (12). While simultaneously, “displaying the loyalty and courage of men and women in war, and, depending on circumstances, may appear vile or heroic” (10). Red Calvary serves as a counter-balance to the traditional glorified, romanticized, and idealized accounts of war.

Edith

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