Year 9 Reflections: the First World War
Year 9 students from Marrara Christian College wrote personal reflections on their experience of studying the First World War.
Jemima
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am a student currently finishing middle school at Marrara Christian College. Year Nine has expanded my knowledge with a vast array of different topics, including World War One.
World War One is a life-changing topic. Learning about the triumphs and the struggles that our soldiers went through has changed my view on life. Nationalism and colonialism were something big during that period of time, weren't they? It's amazing how just two words can become the main causes for such a big war. I often imagine being in the place of a soldier. Could they feel adrenaline running through their veins as they charged across the battlefront in order to show the spirit and loyalty for their country? Did they know that they are being regarded as heroes now?
Most of the people involved in the war didn't have a choice. There was a push for conscription during that period of time. People sensed the need to fulfil their duty, a task not that easy to complete. They knew this, but yet they fought, leaving their stubbornness and families behind, to show their country their loyalty. The mateship that developed during the long hours of darkness became quite a special thing, something that cannot be replicated easily today.
King Regards,
Jemima Fernandes
Joanna
To Sir/Madam,
I am a year nine student at Marrara Christian College. We have been studying World War One this term and I will be telling you about what WW1 means to me.
Although I had learnt about Anzac Day before, I understand what had happened better, I see Anzac Day differently now and as the day Australians established their own sense of independence as a country.
I think of every single soldier who had gone to war as brave whether or not they had been forced to go or enlisted, or on The Allies or Central Powers. Their bravery is now going down in history.
My overall view of World War One is that it is a terrible experience which people had to go through but the good that can come out of it is the lessons that we can learn from it, such as how imperialism isn't really important, how terrible war is and the Anzac spirit.
Sincerely Joanna.
Sophia
To the Australian War Memorial,
I am a year student at Marrara Christian College. This term we covered the topic of Wold War 1.
To me WW1 was a time of nations joining together, friendships being formed, enemies being made and county’s identities were being cemented in the World’s mind.
It was also the first industrial war. The war which impacted the strategies, and weapons we still use today.
However the way we fought is not what all WW1 is about: the war shaped how we view war and the people who live in times of war. The bravery the soldiers, nurses, mothers, fathers, children, friends and other family showed during that time stayed with that generation, they were a tough lot. My generation hasn't experienced the harshness of the war and I'm thankful.
Although there was a tragic loss of lives and destruction, this also united people and has shaped the way we view the war, so more efforts have been made not to repeat. Before, war was an easy option. After seeing the destruction people are a lot more careful and reluctant to enter into a war. No one wants to repeat the same mistakes.
War formed hatred between the two sides, however now I think that the wars that have happened should not divide us further. The horrific loss of life was awful, but we now have the opportunity to mourn the loss from both sides, and celebrate the bravery of soldiers.
To me WW1 was going to happen, our modern lives involve people from all over the world, and the war has had an impact on how we interact as we are aware of the destruction we can now cause with our modern weapons. However there are stills wars all over the world, and we should be aware that although there is no war going on currently that is so destructive, war is still war and the people who died in WW1 and people who fought are people just like the people in wars now, if a war lasts long enough just as many people may die.
World War One was an awful war, but it has made us aware of what we are capable of, not just killing but uniting, working together and being tough in hard times. There are so many lessons to be learnt from every war that has ever happened, including WW1.
Sincerely,
Sophia, a Year 9 student