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Comparative Book Review
Baa Baa Black Sheep by Gregory Boyington
and With the Old Breed by Eugene Sledge
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Baa Baa Black Sheep by Gregory Boyington is an autobiographical
war novel, which describes events that took place during the
World War II. Boyington dedicated all his life to military,
he took part in several wars and was even captured during
the war and awarded with Congressional Medal of Honor and
a Navy Cross for his achievements, so he knew what he was
writing about. The book describes everyday life and great
deeds of the Black Sheep squadron during the WW2. The main
character is described as fearless and wild person. At the
beginning of the novel he becomes the author describing his
drinking experiences during the first year of military service.
He spends much time describing his problems with alcohol and
uncontrolled behavior, such as shooting Japanese planes being
completely drunk. His courage and unconquerable spirit don’t
stay unnoticed and soon he becomes the leader of the flying
squadron. Awesome responsibilities change him and he becomes
able to overcome his drinking problems. The squadron fights
bravely but finally Gregory is shot down by Japanese and gets
to their prison. The time he spent in prison is described
in great detail. He gets through beating and torturing. At
the same time he meets kind Japanese people who help him.
What is noticeable, he doesn’t hate Japanese and doesn’t
treat them like enemies. He is liberated after the end of
the war and comes back home. Unfortunately, the main character
can not overcome his drinking problems and turns back to alcohol.
With the Old Breed : At Peleliu and Okinawa written by Eugene
Sledge is an autobiographical account of his military service
during the WW2. The book describes the fighting in the South
Pacific during the WW2. It describes campaigns in Peleliu
and Okinawa in great detail and brave actions of the USA Marines
during this campaigns. The author starts the book with the
description of his first impressions after getting to the
war. He joined the army the year after the bombing of Pearl
Harbor and served there from 1943 to 1946 and these years
are described in his novel. Sledge honestly describes his
experience from the time when full of illusions and romantic
expectations he steps on the beach of Peleliu and till the
time when brutality and horrors of the war destroy his illusions.
Then he describes long months of the war full of pain, struggle
and fear. Sledge depicts horrors of war and difficult climate
conditions with sincerity. “To me, artillery was an
invention of hell. The onrushing whistle and scream of the
big steel package of destruction was the pinnacle of violent
fury and the embodiment of pent-up evil. I developed a passionate
hatred for shells. To be killed by a bullet seemed s clean
and surgical. But shells would not only tear and rip the body,
they tortured one’s mind almost beyond the brink of
sanity”(Sledge, p.76). Reading the story you get a perfect
idea of the way the USA Marines fought during the WW2.
In Baa, Baa Blacksheep Gregory Boyington doesn’t use
sophisticated literary style or technique and it’s probably
hard to expect it from the brave soldier. But still, the book
captures your attention from the first pages and you don’t
even notice how you start living the life of main characters.
Pappy Boyingtion, famous pilot of the WW2, is the protagonist
of the book. It was told once that the author can depict what
he has experienced best of all. I think it’s very true
for this book, as Boyington depicts events which happened
with him and his friends. Though he describes comparatively
recent time in his book we get into another world while reading
it. It’s hard for us, peaceful citizens, to imagine
the life during the war time when the human life was under
the constant threat and killing was an ordinary thing. I must
admit that Boyington does a good job making the reader not
only read the story but also feel and experience it. The lack
of literary style is fully compensated by sincerity and passion
of the author. The autobiographical style and first person
narration make the story very personal and make the reader
very sympathetic to the author. The author, or the main character
of the book, may be called a tragic character as we may see
his inner conflicts and the way he overcomes them. We can
see the beautiful transformation of the main character and
his personal development. The book has two planes of depiction
and two levels of meaning, to my mind. First level is a depiction
of the WW2 and second one is a depiction of inner world of
the main character, his system of beliefs, growth and transformation.
It’s amazing to read how these two level interact and
influence each other during the development of the plot.
With the Old Breed by Sledge can be interesting for both,
historians who are interested in the events of the WW2 and
those who like historical reading. The novel is very captivating,
though some details can be horrifying for those who have little
knowledge about the scaring truth about the war. I think the
author’s purpose wan not to depict the horrors of war
but to underline that even during the war it’s possible
to stay human, to care about other people and sacrifice life
for the sake of ideals. Sledge isn’t a historian, he
isn’t a professional writer either but I think he accomplishes
his task brilliantly. The book is a very detailed historical
record of two great fights of the WW2. It even contains the
maps and pictures, which make the story more realistic and
help those, who want to see real historical facts. The book
is interesting also for those who are more interested in the
inner state of the main character, who had to pass through
the hell of war and not only saved his face but also became
morally mature. I think that with the help of the events described
in the book Sledge proves that it’s possible to stay
human in any conditions and extreme situations like war uncover
true personality of people. The author’s writing is
very poetic and professional. The author shares his inner
feelings and emotions with stunning sincerity and makes the
reader involved into his inner world.
I would say books are very alike though they depict the problem
from different sides. Both books describe the event of the
WW2. Both are autobiographical novels written by the participants
of this horrible war. Both books can be very useful for those
who are interested in the history of the US and the events
of the WW2 in particular. The books are different in their
styles. Sledge’s language is richer and he builds his
narration as a professional writer. We can not find such skillfulness
in Boyington’s writing but he has his particular style.
What is interesting, both books describe the transformation
of the main characters. In Baa, Baa Blacksheep the main character
gives up his drinking habits when he becomes the leader of
the squadron. In Sledge’s book the main character has
to find his place in the cruel reality of the war when you
are in danger every moment. In both books we can see the development
of the main characters’ personalities and the war becomes
the main stimulus for this change. Autobiographical character
of both novels makes the reader penetrate deeper into the
world of the man characters and get insight into their feelings.
Both books contain realistic depiction of events and a lot
of descriptions of cruelty and pain. The reading can be difficult
sometimes but I think that it’s necessary to learn about
the history of the country. Only learning lessons from the
past experience we can escape repeating horrible events in
the future.
References
Sledge, E.B., With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa.
San Rafael, CA: Presidio Press, 1990
Boyington, Gregory. Baa Baa Black Sheep. (Fresno, CA: Wilson
Press), 1958.
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