The Forever War By Joe Haldeman - 2059 Words

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman is a classic work of military science fiction depicting a war between the human race and an unfamiliar alien entity known as the Taurans. The overall plot line follows a fairly typical path, but Haldeman’s real genius is realized through the interactions that take place between the protagonist, William Mandella, and the Earth he returns to between military operations. Developing beneath the ever-present war of the two species lies a much subtler conflict between generations of human thought and culture. Brought about by the way troops are transported in space, time dilation creates an interesting dichotomy between the early soldiers of the war and the rapid evolution of human society and culture remaining on Earth. The Forever War questions the stability of human nature by creating a scenario where its fluidity is exposed through an invariable link to time. The expression of human nature changes as cultural and personal identities adapt to new s ituations; viewing these changes through Mandella, we begin to see how different expressions of human nature can impact human nature itself. William Mandella is an intelligent physics student who was drafted into the military at the age of twenty-three. Beginning his journey in the year 1997, he goes on missions in space to advance the human agenda against the Tauran alien race. As he and his company serve their military term, they utilize the recently discovered mode of interstellar transportationShow MoreRelatedSimilarities Between The Forever War And The Vietnam War1598 Words   |  7 PagesThe Vietnam War was in many aspects one of the lowest periods in American history, being not just a military failure, but also contribute to social unrest and extensive political change in the mainland. In many ways, ‘The Forever War’ is an analogue of The Vietnam War, that, in abundant detail, explores the vast amount of opinions the veterans of that war had towards a new societ y, vastly changed from the one they left. The resemblance between ‘The Forever War’ and the Vietnam War starts withRead More Abraham Lincoln Through Many Lenses Essays1740 Words   |  7 Pagesposition on slavery - he was against it. He didnt want Negroes in America period. From the debate we have these following Lincoln quotes which you will never read about in the school classrooms today. From Lincoln-Douglas Debate, published by Haldeman-Julius Company, Girard, Kansas 1923 Page 44 quot;I have no purpose to produce political and social equality. I am not in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes or of qualifying them to hold office or allowing them to intermarry with white people