The Call to Arms

The Call to Arms By Jarrett Taira

Table of Contents

Their Finest Hour ——————————————————————#1

Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death———————————————#3

Gettysburg Address —————————————————————#5

Brave Heart ————————————————————————#7

Black Gate —————————————————————————#10

We Shall Fight On the Beaches ————————————————#12

1

Their Finest Hour

Excerpt From the Finest Hour: “Never mind. Win or lose, sink or swim,

better die than submit to tyranny- and such a tyranny.” (Winston Churchill)

2

Evaluation

Said by Winston Churchill, this quote talks about how he is not going to war for

his country, he is going to war for the reason of what is seen as a calling to arms

to fight a greater tyranny. Almost as if it was a calling from god to fight a

relentless foe that performs atrocities were it goes. In thought, a call from god for

them would be something that must be obeyed. Similar to the order from the

queen to some, the order is demand more than a question. Churchill’s decision

was his effort to go protect the world from a tyranny that had to be stopped.

Ending the axis powers (specifically Hitler) to for fill the call to arms. This

supports the concept of going to war. This supports the main concept in the book,

they have no fear for their own life, and they go to war for a greater purpose to

fight a tyranny they must or face defeat. Similar to what happen in the first

chapter, all of the boys signed up for the military at the age of 19. They didn’t get

in on the draft, nor were they forced, they found a sense of duty to fight for their

country. Both of these support the same idea, going to war for a greater good, to

fight for what is right.

3

Give Us Liberty or Give Us Death

Excerpt from Patrick Henry’s Speech on March 23, 1775: “there is no

longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free—if we mean to preserve inviolate

those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending—if we

mean to basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long

engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the

glorious object of our contest shall be obtained—we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we

must fight! A appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us!”

4

Evaluation

This quote was said by Patrick Henry during the revolutionary war, this talk

about their call to arms to fight for what they believe in. To fight for their rights

and their freedom, the privileges they have desired for so long. In order to get the

rights you want, there was is a need to fight the British. Americans in the war

beloved in what they were doing and felt it is necessary. Patrick henry talks about

how they must fight, similar to the Students in the book all quiet on the western

front, they must fight. In the book they talk about how they are volunteering to

fight in the war. A sense of duty, or even a call to arms by a god like order, the

request to fight in the war in each of these situations supports the concept like the

one in the book, fight for what you believing.

5

Gettysburg Address

Excerpt from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: “It is for us the

living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they fought here

has thus far so nobly advanced.”

6

Evaluation

This Quote is a famous one, spoken by Abraham Lincoln during civil war

era. There was a large amount of tension going on between the north and the

south. So many had already died for the cause of African American freedom in

the USA and a new problem arises of possible succession from the south. These

factors have dawned upon the American people leading them in one side or

another. But in the myths of all of this, President Abraham Lincoln needs to find

a way to bring the people who believe in the same morals of equal rights together.

He made this speech at Gettysburg in the north to help tie the people together

around the moral call of duty to say that they will fight and counter the tyranny or

a rebellion against the United States. Lincoln was saying that there is a sense of

duty to fight for those that had fallen for their cause. This is similar to what the

book has in which they will fight for a cause that they believe in similar to what

Lincoln has believing he shall fight in. For Lincoln, he was fighting for no

slavery and his country. But in the book, fight their country and to preserve what

is theirs.

7

Brave Heart

Excerpt from William Wallace’s Speech in Brave Heart: “…. Our enemies

that may take our lives but they will never take our freedom!”

8

Evaluation

This is a quote from the movie brave heart. William Wallace was in front of

the many Scotsman that came to show their dedication to their country. They had

been under foreign oppression. They have been treated wrongfully and had their

rights obscured when under their foreign rulers control. But William Wallace

strikes back and rebels against the foreign rule. Before he starts a defense against

the foreign power, he rallies his men that have come to fight for their freedom. He

gives this famous speech to rally them and entice them to fight on for their

freedom and Scotland. The speech talks to them about fighting for a purpose,

their freedom. This is focus for many fights and wars, for the freedom or rights of

a population. In America we had the war of independence from Britain, now

Scotland has their own to be free of foreign rule and become independent and

free. Similar to what the books message behind the people fighting, people come

together to fight for what they believe is right. That concept is seen everywhere

from the smallest battles to the biggest ones. Here the Scottish come together to

fight for their freedom against the foreign power, but in the book they come

together to fight against the opposing force to protect their country from an

oppressive foe. Both sides fight for a purpose that they feel is Nobel, or right.

9

Both are following the same concept of war that can be considered worthy of

admiration and praise.

10

Black Gate

Excerpt from Aragorn’s Black Gate Speech in Lord of The Rings ( Return

Of the King): “An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the age of men

comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you

hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand! Men of the west!”

11

Evaluation

This quote is from the lord of the rings, Aragorn’s black gate speech. They

have been standing up to a large and powerful force. They are a small force

in comparison to the massive army that stood before them. But they were

standing fighting for a purpose they saw fit. To preserve the human race and

stop the evil that stood before them. The men were scared for their lives,

entering a battle of one to ten. Aragon gives a speech to for to them to not

back down no matter how bad the situation. He asked for them to stand tall

and rise up to fight to preserve the human race. Similar to the book and the

other quotes, they want to stand tall and not back down to their oppressive

enemy. They are men on a mission, scared, tired, starved, but not backing

down and running away. The young men stand tall and endure the pain of

war. Both the story and the film have shown that war is long and full of pain.

But they both fight for what they know is right and what they believe in. The

concept is universal in all of the wars. In the battle of black gate and in the

battle of the frontlines in the book, both fighting for survival and following

the same concept of war. Fighting for what they believe in is right.

12

Black Gate

Excerpt from Winston Churchill’s Speech “We shall fight on the Beaches” :

): “That is the resolve of His Majesty's Government-every man of them. That is

the will of Parliament and the nation. The British Empire and the French

Republic, linked together in their cause and in their need, will defend to the death

their native soil, aiding each other like good comrades to the utmost of their

strength. ….We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on

the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength

in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on

the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and

in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if,

which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were

subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by

the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New

World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of

the old.”

13

Evaluation

This quote talks about Churchill’s philosophy and his commitment to

the war. They are in the middle of world war two and they have started

fighting the oppressive axis forces. The French and British must join forces

to fight for the cause of beating the axis power. To defeat the oppressive

force they must rally together and use all of their power to defeat their

enemy. Churchill talks about how there is a need for all of their forces. The

British will never surrender is what and they will fight till the bitter end.

Similar to the book, the concept of going to war, the British volunteer to join

the fight out of pure dedication to fight for a purpose they believe in, a sense

of duty. To defeat the oppressive enemy, the y answers the call to arms to

win their battles. Just as the book explains how the young 19 year olds all

signup to fight the war, Churchill will answer a call to arms to defeat his

enemy and fight for what he believes in is right.

14

Perspectives OF War Period #