“When the Great War broke out, it came to me not as a superlative tragedy, but as an interruption of the most exasperating kind to my personal plans” (Brittain 17). This is our first glimpse into the life and thoughts of the author of Testament of Youth, Vera Brittain. Vera is a determined and ambitious young woman (which was very unusual and considered “improper” at the time) who’s biggest dream is to go to Oxford and become a writer. However, as soon as those dreams are finally within reach, the Great War brings everything in her life into a stark and cold reality. Vera then abandons her studies and ambitions at Oxford in an attempt to do something that makes a difference. It is all in an effort to help her feel closer to those she loves fighting on the fronts: her fiancé , little brother, and best friend. She decides to become a frontline nurse, and with that, the horrors of war are experienced by Vera firsthand. Through the course of the war, she loses all that’s dear to her; first her fiancé, next her best friend, and finally her little brother. In the years following, Vera strives to bring peace and helps in the rising efforts of pacifists. This book is a memoir of Ms. Brittain’s life from 1900 to 1925, with the majority of the book focusing on the war years of 1914-1918. I believe that it was the goal of Ms. Brittain to help people in the coming generations understand and realize what the youth of the time had to go through and sacrifice during, and even after, the Great War. Throughout the book, she explained how the young people of her time had to grow up so quickly, and sadly, many of their talents, dreams, and aspirations were lost. For example, her fiancé had an incredible talent for poetry and writing and her brother had a wonderful talent for music and composing, but tragically those talents were lost when both men died at the young ages of 20 and 22. It made me think of how much every single person, young and old, was in some way affected by the war. I had never really thought before about all of the brilliant young people that were lost to the war. Of course, I had thought of all of the young men who died, but I had never fully considered the potential and talents that they possessed apart from their dutiful war service and loyalties to their countries. Also, the young people that still were left alive from the war might have been so deeply affected by the war that they lost their ambitions and dreams. There was a point in the book where Vera’s fiancé said that if he were to survive the war, he may not go back to Oxford or even become a poet. This was a book full of emotion, as it was a memoir which made it feel very personal. You got to look into the thoughts and feelings of Vera throughout the most turbulent time of her life. You experienced her pain and loss along with her and got a very intimate look of how she coped with the tragedies of war. I chose this book because I have always been very interested in the World Wars and I also have a dream to study at Oxford, but Vera and her time is nothing like I can imagine. At the time, women were not really supposed to go to college let alone have a career; they were basically supposed to marry a suitable man. This is hard for me to imagine because now there are so many opportunities for furthering my education, honestly, the options are limitless. Thus, that is something very different between my and Vera’s situations and lives. I also chose this book because over Thanksgiving Break, I watched the movie that was based on this memoir and it affected me in a way I did not expect. It was the most moved I have been from a movie for a long time, if not ever. That really drove me to want to read her words and experience it on a more personal level. I think that the struggles of the youth of the time really had an impact on me and how I will think of and put into perspective my hardships and trials. I think that this thinking will help me to be a better, more considerate, and understanding person in the future. by Bella B.
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AuthorSTenth grade students at Decorah High School share how they're reading outside of their own experiences and how it has changed them. Categories
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