It has been determined throughout history, education should be viewed as a fundamentally moral and political enterprise, where the cultivation of moral agency is central to the educational aims. The idea of education following moral and political enterprise should make it clear history should be void of fallacies, but in reality it is quite clear this is not the case, and that history is told from the perspective or viewpoint of the victor. “The Wars” written by Timothy Findley was originally published in 1977, and since then, it has been translated into nine different languages. This paper will compare the narrative of Ross from Findley’s The Wars to the similar timeline of Adam’s who was a classic history professor at Appleby College.
Similar to Ross, Adams was interested in joining the war effort because of his viewpoint of what is means to be a man or masculine, and the need to be heroic in times of social and political need. Some people are afraid to enter war, because they know there is a great possibility they could be injured or worse killed during their time in the military. On August 29, 1917, Adams sent a letter to his head teacher (Mr. Guest) mentioning the fact he had enlisted in the University Overseas Training Company. It is clear he was not chosen to join the military because he was drafted, but he decided it was his manly duty to assist in the war effort.
Adams’ parents were not pleased about his decision, and contacted his head teacher themselves with the goal of convincing Mr. Guest to stop their son from leaving his employment with Appleby College. Appleby College went out of their way to find suitable replacements for Adam’s enlistment, but it was unsuccessful. Adams was expecting his parents to try to change his mind for him since he was unwilling to listen to their recommendations. His parents felt he was going out of his way to be a hero, and in a war like the Great War, being a hero was the same as any other dead soldier in Europe.
The school continued to look for a replacement, but on December 29, 1917, the request for Adams’ exemption was officially rejected by the military. What is interesting is by August 27, 1918 Appleby college was alerted to the fact Adams was never shipped overseas, and took classes about musketry without the opportunity to fire his weapon. Appleby College may not have been able to exempt Adams altogether, but it was clear the request to keep him out of danger was heard loud and clear. This is similar to any other western culture during war times, because it is common for the rich and wealthy to wage war on the lives of the poor and uneducated citizen of their nation. Even though this is a common occurrence, it is still quite common for history to read in a way that all parties participate in war for the good of all. In reality it is quite clear wars are waged with the interests of a few in mind.
This is explained by Adams when he discusses the higher numbers of farmers or laborers to fill Army positions, as if these people were chosen because they did not have educations or careers. The intellectual inheritance and national identity protects people with like beliefs and values. Adams continued to fulfill his role as a hero when he tried to get a man West his old job at Appleby college, but it did not work out. This showed his ongoing concern not only for others within his country, but his intimate relationship with Appleby College.
The understanding of the information received being filtered through individual and collective viewpoints has resulted in a significant shift in the way history is taught in schools. Adams was a history teacher who understood how important the result of the Great War was to the future generations, which was his main inspiration for his decision to enlist, but also to continue to further his education in order to become a better teacher who is informed about the realities of war and the repercussions of war. The most personal suffering faced by Adams was the fact he was never deployed to fight in the actual war, which can make his time away from Appleby College seem like a waste, because he was never able to fulfill his goal of becoming a real life hero, who was willing to give up his life based on what he felt was right.
On March 18, 1919, The Great War was officially over. Once Adams returned from the Army Mr. Guest requested a dinner meeting to catch up and to convince Adams to share his story through a speech at a large dinner banquet. Adams agreed to attend the dinner, but was unwilling to discuss his experiences or create a formal speech. Adams was most disappointed by his experience, and was unwilling to return to his life as a teacher. Instead Adams decided to further his education to receive his doctorate in classical history.
This decision was fueled by his decision to discover legitimate sources of knowledge, which could be compared sided by side with the official records or artifacts collected. The disappointment with the conclusion of the Great War was clear based on Adams lack of correspondence with Mr. Guest. Some would argue the relationship was over once Adams refused to participate in the speech, but others would argue it was Adams knowledge the conclusion of the Great War was just the brewing period which led to WWII.
Even though Adams never seen active war, he was like any other solider before or after him, and had trouble adjusting back to his life once he returned home. The reflections of war stories have to deal with the complex interplay of external and psychic violence, which is generally unsettling for the audience. It is easier to understand why Adams was disappointed in his lack of masculinity, and held resentment towards his parents, who went out of their way to disrupt his plan to fulfill his place in the masculine and heroic goal he set for his life.
In conclusion, Adams’ suffering was more emotional and mental because he was physically safe. In reality this made him lose his mind, because he knew he was not able to participate in the manner he felt was necessary because of the intervention by Appleby College and his parents. It is quite clear emotional baggage is harder to deal with, because it is more difficult to treat. This is mostly due to the fact people suffering from emotional problems need to admit they have a problem and must be willing to make change.
The suffering of Adams was long lived, and interfered with the progression of his adult life. It was not until Adams was completely done with his education where he was finally able to settle down, get married and have two children. Luckily enough, his children were born at the beginning of WWII, which made him feel confident he would never feel the same fear his parents felt. It was not until this moment that Adams was finally able to understand his parent’s viewpoints. Sadly, he was never able to apologize for his absence after the war to his father before he passed away, but was able to admit to his mother he was being stubborn which he felt was his only way to prove to his parents he was a man and was dissatisfied with their behavior.
Heroes are people who are pushed into the situation, not those who go looking for it. If it was not for the ideals of what a man should be or the expectations of masculinity, there is a slight chance Adams never would have wanted to leave his teaching post. At the same time, it was theses ideals which made Adams was to be a hero in the first place. Adams was so angry with his parents there were no records depicting his communication between himself and his parents while he was in the army.
Works Cited
Chinnery, A. "On Timothy Findley's The Wars and Classrooms as Communities of Remembrance." Studies in Philosophy and Education 33.6 (2014): 587-595.
