vera brittain Essay

Submitted By bigbucs1
Words: 463
Pages: 2

Vera Brittain
Juan Varela
AIU Online

Vera Brittain, a young woman from northern England that wanted nothing more than to grow up to become a writer and leave the small town confines to be relevant in the writing world. Vera did just that, however, not in a way she imagined. Her dreams of going to school and live a happy life were derailed by a war and sorrow as she loses many loved ones. Her experiences led to Vera writing many books to include the classic Testament of Youth. The Testament of Youth, a book that “moves and educates.”(Mark Bostridge, unk.) Vera wrote this book as a cry of outrage and agony, so that the futility of her loved ones deaths would be remembered. (The guardian.com) It all started right after the beginning of the war when her brother, friends and loved one got swallowed into the conflict and doubts and feelings of helplessness plagued her. (Editorial Board [E.B.], 2011, pg. 220) Sometime in 1915, Vera volunteered to assist in the war efforts as a nurse. Years passed by and unfortunate news came her way, first her lover was killed, followed by her best friends and lastly her brother in the last year of war. Her experiences of the war, constant dealing with depression and battle suffering numbed her, shaping her future as a pacifist. The end of war was the beginning of Vera’s Pacifist career, however the post-war time period featured many writings, poems, diaries and stories from other people that had experienced the atrocities of war, similar to Vera’s. The post-war time periods served as a Renaissance, helping people express themselves as an outlet but also save a culture for the future. Many of these people expressed themselves through art, drawing and sketching, collecting and