In Jennifer Turpin's essay, "Women Confronting War" she tells of women who suffer from the effects of war from being a direct casuality to sexual violence. Men are views as the make of war while women make peace. Turpin is telling us that although war affects the men it is ultimately the women that suffer the consiquences.
Turpin wrote this essay to get the attention of people every where who are directly affected and those who are not. War is causing more damage to women then it is to the men and it is seen during the war as more women and children became casualities.
During the war many women were raped between "August 1990 and February 1991 as many as 3,200" (Turpin, pg. 327). Why do men believe that "rape as a part of military life"(Turpin, pg. 327) is okay? Why didn't anyone speak up against these acts against women?
It is clear that men were brought up differently so why is it when they go to war they forget their upbringing and commit these acts of violence against women? Will they ever be able to go back to civilian life after the war?
It really does make you wonder how these men, who could not have been brought up to rape and brutalize women, can in good conscience do these horrific things to women. And, as you say, how can they ever go back to their civilian lives after this, and be able to sleep at night?
ReplyDeleteWe have many men who do these things in our own countries, the only difference is that when they are caught they always go to jail. I think the problem is, is that someone allowed it to become a choice whether to rape someone or not. There should have been more swift action and reprocussions enforced by the military on their own soldiers.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeena,
ReplyDeleteYou've raised some good questions in your blog. It is indeed a terrible thing that women are impacted by war. In terms of summary, you've raised some good points. I'd also like to see a paragraph of analysis whereby you talk about Turpin's writing strategies. How does she convey the situation to her reader, leaving us with a better understanding of the impact of war on women? Has she left anything out of her discussion or included examples that were weaker than others?
I'd also like you to look at that first sentence and see if you can make a stronger hook going into the blog. I had to read this sentence a couple of times and I'm not sure what you mean.
One last point, citations according to MLA style are (Turpin 327) no pg. It's a small point but I thought I'd catch it now before the research paper.
Good points and questions raised in this blog. The second sentence in the first paragraph is a little confusing though.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately psychological warfare is still an acceptable though frighteningly effective way to induce terror in ones enemies. I can't help but think it will be a global effort to stop the pain and suffering described in this article. It will take commitment from country leaders around the world to solve it.
That is a good question, probably one that has been asked for centuries, I remember a psychology article about this exact problem, and it talked about people acting a different way do to the situations of war and by letting there morales of civilian life dangle at there side, they use this animal like behavior as a coping skill.
ReplyDeleteGreat question. I have wondered about the guilt the men who commit rape must experience once they've returned to civilian life. Does it lead to anger, drinking, drug use to help them forget? Do they become reclusive and withdrawn. I'd think it would be especially hard for them to accept their actions if they had a daughter of their own. Would they accept this kind of treatment towards her - I hardly think so. Returning to some kind of 'normal' existence would, I think, be impossible.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing what human beings are capable of. I am sure most people who contribute to these horrific acts live a haunted life after the war.
ReplyDelete