Keziah Tutu Tutu
Prof. Whitley
ENG 201 102
12/20/12
Mark Twain once said "only dead men can tell the truth in this world", even though a dead man can not speak in the end he is the one who knows the truth behind his death, we humans may investigate, have false witnesses, and even persecute the innocent but it's true that a dead man has seen some truth in this world that no one else has. A truth that got reviled on the day of his death, the truth that we humans may know exist but we either suppress it or cover it up with other means. This quote remind me of the short story Mark Twain wrote called
A War Prayer. This short story is about a religious nation joined together, heads healed up high with pride and adoration towards their sons who are off to battle the "foe". Together the people in the nation join in a church with their pastor as they say a prayer of victory for their sons, who are so brave to go and risk their lives on the foreign lands of the foe. Twain uses satire criticism to expose how religion is used as a scapegoat to justify the wrongs that even the bible it's self abhors when it comes to war. The story uses strong language to express the same fact which Louis Tyson's book
Learning for a Diverse World introduces based on Marxist theory on religion. the fact that it's the most dangerous drug out there. Also in the article "We're not a Christian country" by Jim O'Leary Twain collaborates his genius of writing along with his own political opinions in this story to prove his point of why imperialism on foreign lands is wrong, especially the tactics used by the United States to implement imperialism. the argument of what is God's will in mans life is also present in the story and religion used as a toll of distraction instead of salvation is also argued in the short story and article. Then lastly Jack Kenny the author of the article "Mark Twain's Tabooed Talk" speaks about how Twain was ahead of his time when it came to speaking out against blood thirsty wars and being an activist for the anti-imperialism society; even though this short story touched base with a serious issue on waging war on the innocent and the use of religion as a scapegoat back in the early 1900's this story is still used today as a voice of those countries which war has stripped them of their life. For example the current war in Iraq, even though we may pray for safety, security, and victory for our troops we are also unintentionally praying for the murders of the people who live on that soil, the same people which the Bibil itself says are our brothers and sisters. So in the end we are left stunned and shocked just like the people in Twains story wondering what is the Christian Right?
Twain's short story reminds me of the Marxist theory in the Learning for a Diverse World by Louis Tyson, specifically the section on religion and how according to Marxist theory, justifies the wrongs in the world. In Tyson's book it states "One of the best-known Marxist sayings is that "religion is the opiate of the masses" This means that religion acts as a kind of drug that keeps poor people quiet…Belief in God is not the issue here. Rather, the issue is what is done in the name of organized religion to keep the poor oppressed. For example, white plantation owners in the pre-Civil War American South used the Bible to justify slavery". (60). This whole thing about religion being a drug is something that can be proven. Even though of course it's not literally a controlled substance it at times can act like it. Religion can cause people to do anything in the name of their God. When it comes to faith people who have strong faith will believe that they are un-touchable and even if some catastrophic event were to occur they will recover quickly or end up entirely un-harmed because a greater power watches over them. Some people voluntarily die for the sake of their religion. For example their are some martyrs who have strong beliefs that their deaths will be repaid with a handsome reward. For some muslim men it is their belief that death will bring them to a heavenly paradise with the company of 72 virgins. For Christians it's the belief that death will bring wonderful prizes beyond our wildest dreams, peace, harmony, and a life time of it in heaven. All religions come with it's own rules and laws and following them is how you maintain the power source which protects you. The followers of said religion must do what ever they have to, to keep that power source happy and in Christianity that power source is God. The Bible in a way represents the rule book. In the short story the priest reads from the bible, some words of encouragements for the families whose sons are putting their lives at risk and he is also calling upon God to protect his sons (soldiers) while they are on the battle field. The story states "…merciful and benignant father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers, and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their patriotic work;…help them to crush the foe, grant to them and to their flag and country imperishable honor and glory--" (1). Even though these young men are risking their lives, because of their faith death is now "patriotic work". Also the short story presents us with the mind set of the people when it comes to war, the story states those who opposed the "rightious" war quickly left and were not to be heard from again. Another sticking thing in the story is the fact that it states this about those who did not have sons to go off to war "…and envied by the neighbors who did not have sons and brothers to send forth to the field of honor, there to win for the flag, or, failing, die the noblest deaths". (2). The amount of faith and attention this war ha gotten has watered down the setiousness of war, blood, death, the murderous weapons which flood children into orphanages and leave women to become widows. Their faith has given them so much confidence of an easy victory that protesters turn away in shame, people who instead of celebrateing the fact that they do not have a son to give the nation, for him to be murdered on strange lands are actually upset and envy those who do. This shows how strong religion can be, the lengths it can lead people to go,so much that death and the loss of a child does not affect a family.
Twain himself was not just a remarkable writer he was also an American who believed in practicing every American right and freedom that was garunteed under the United States constitution, however death with out a rightful cause was just not a thing he believed an American should be patriotic about. Even though some of his works like
A War Prayer may present him to be a rebel against his own country, he in fact was not. He idolized the America many people dreamed of, the place of freedom, the "land of the free" however, he disliked the fact that the nation would seek to imperialize other countries on their own invitation. Then excise murderous weapons upon man, even though the Bible claims we are all Gods children. They hypocritically preach about peace on sundays then repeat the same slaughter on people, claim it was the will of God then color the bright red blood that floods the foreign lands, and call it liberty. Twain himself was not a stranger to death and pain, he lost his wife and two children at a very early stage in their lives, this brought him amence amount of pain, so he living in a country which unleashes the same type of pain towards other families just because they are a little behind on development was just a brutal and un-justifiable in his eyes. In the first article called "That grotesque and laughable word": Rethinking patriotism in time of war" by David Caplan, Caplan collaborates some of Twains highly controversial works where he not only exposes his personal disapproving beliefs when it comes to religion but he also allows his works to portray his strong opinions in an unapologetic way. In the article Caplan writes about the ordeal Twain experienced and how it influenced his writing and beliefs, the article states "Toward the end of his life. Twain endured a series of agonies, burying two daughters and his wife. Twain's despondency merged with his anger over America's foreign policy." Later in an interview Twain responded to questions of the war between the U.S and the Phiipines by stating "I left these shores, at Vancouver, a red-hot imperialist. I wanted the American eagle to go screaming into the Pacific. It seemed tiresome and tame for it to content itself with the Rockies. Why not spread its wings over the Phillip- pines, I asked myself? And I thought it would be a real good thing to do…I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land." (142-143). As mentioned before Twain would creatively incorporate his own thoughts and beliefs into some of his works just like in the short story A War Prayer. In my opinion which is based on Twains own beliefs and the fact that the short story was not publish after his death because he wanted to share his own personal thought about the U.S and it's foreign policy tactics and not hide anything, he wanted to tell the whole truth. I believe that the stranger who spoke to the congregation about the real prayer that they were praying to God, (with all it's gruesome details) was Twain himself speaking through a character of his story about his feelings and emotions on such a war. This story was written in objection toward the 1899-1902 Philippine-American War.
One main argument that rises in this story and also a common theme seen in the world is the whole argument of God's will. How exactly is man suppose to know when something is God's will, when God actually approves of something whether it's a bad thing but will lead to positives circumstances or vise versa? In the second article "We're not a Christian country" by Jim O' Leary that topic is discussed. In the short story the priest reads from the old testament and delivers a church service which creates the ora of happiness, joy, and pride. However, the thing is these people in the congregation are sending their children off to be killed or to kill others, but the Priest makes this war seem as if it's God's will. The story states "…encourage them in their patriotic work; bless them, shield them in the day of battle and the hour of peril, …invincible in the bloody onset; help them to crush the foe…grant us victory, O Lord our God, Father and Protector of our land and Flag!" (1-2). The priest has made death and murder seem like a glorious thing that God will either protect the soldiers from or make it glorious, this is what war means to them until the stranger, the servant of God (or in my mind Twain's voice) enters the room and prays the hidden message in the prayer the congregation is asking God the grant. It states "O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with or shells; help us cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhe ring in pain:…help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst," (2). The stranger speaks the truth about the damage war does, even if soldiers go by faith to kill, regardless of their Patriotism, or faith blood will be shead and lives will be for ever lost. Even though the Bible it's self clearly states "that shall not kill" in the ten commandments created by Gd himself; during many real life wars that this country has been involved with the country will ask for prayers for the safe return of soldiers and victory for the country. They make God seem one sided. If we ask God for victory in war we ask him to kill of those who we fight against. Wars like the Civil war, where the nation fought against it's own, a war where blacks wanted to be abolished from slavery, but being a nation "under God" we seek spiritual assistance whether symbolically, we are the slaves seeking freedom or the owners denying them that right, both sides pray and make it seem as if it's God's will for them to be victorious. In the article it states "Thomas Jefferson, who made up his own religion and even wrote his own Bible, said one time about slavery (even as he himself owned slaves), "If there is a God, then let this nation tremble." (15). "WW1, WW2, the Cold war, and even recently the war in Iraq. Our nation claims it's entirely religious even though recent 2012 polls show that 14.1% of Americans are atheist. In the second article by O'Leary Twain argues the whole theme of God's will and American Christianity it states "What set Mark Twain off was Andrew Carnegie's. assertion that this was a Christian country.
Mark Twain knew this wasn't a Christian country back when we were killing Filipinos and it isn't a Christian country now."(15). When we think about it we are trying to force God to bring us victory, just like martyrs who commit suicide by bombs and take the lives of others with them but claim it's for God. Forcing God's name into blood shead of the poor, weak, or under developed is just not morally a righteous thing. However when it comes to religion in war, religion looses it's spiritual value, and faith is poured not onto God but onto flag. Like the short story stated "…sent forth to the field of honor, there to win for the flag, or, failing, die the noblest of deaths."(1). Our nations value is not in God it's in the Flag, the thrill to be the best, most advanced and richest and non of these things come with out imperialism, which means blood, war, and not to mention prayer to God to bring death upon the lands of our foe. Who have normally through out history been poorer, weaker, or less developed than we are as a nation. The article stated this about war and religion "If there is anything that contradicts religion, it is war. Nothing on this earth is more evil, cruel, wicked, irrational, horrible, ungodly, diabolical or injurious than war. Nothing. When this nation wages war and sings "God Bless America!" it smells like blasphemy, doesn't it?"(15).
Twains short story told of events that occurred during the war and a common theme of events that has repeated it's self through out time, even though Twain was an activist ahead of his time, one thing he does not help us with is the answer to the Christian Right. In the last article by Jack Kenny "Mark Twain's Tabooed Talk" Kenny explains the type of opinion Twain had towards the war and how it can be applied today however, Twains choice of publishing this story after his death in order to avoid any governmental issues may also be something to consider if he was in this day and age. The article states "Twain re- fered to American soldiers in the Philip- pines as “our uniformed assassins,” though his invective was more often and more appropriately aimed at the government that sent them there. Still, it is not hard to imagine the outrage that description would provoke were it uttered today about our troops in Afghanistan or Iraq." (33). Even though this was something many people could not talk openly about back then it's still a very controversial issue that may be seen as radical in this day and age.As the previous articles and short story have proven, religion has been used as a tool of distraction instead of salvation it's hard to understand or even come to terms with what the right thing to do is.Christians have a right to pray and seek the favor of God, however, asking for something that will affect others must be thought of because in this case the war killed thousands of Philipine more than the spanish American war which they were members of as well. Instead of doing something that will only benefit one party, we must all think about the circumstances then come up with another solution where both parties can become victorious. Even the Bible which has been used to justify war says this about the "foe" or wicked on Mark 12:31 "The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Then goes on to say on Luke 6:35 "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked." However, this goes beyond religion and the Bible. We need to think about the influence we have on others and think of them before we act out in a way that will bring them amens amount of trouble. The short story even stated this "If you pray for a blessing of rain upon your crop which need it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon some neighbor's crop which may not ned rain and can be injured by it".(2).
work cited
Caplan, David. "That grotesque and laughable word':Rethinking patriotism in the time of war." The Virginia Quarterly Review 83.2 (2007):139-151.
Print.
O'Leary, Jim. "We're not a Christian country. (Viewpoint)." National Catholic Reporter 39.26 (2003):
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Tyson, Louis. Learning For A Diverse World:Using Critical Theory to Read and Write about Literature. New York:Routledge, 2009.
Print.
Kenny, Jack. "Mark Twain's Tabooed Talk." New American 27.1 (2011): 33-36.
Print.
Twain, Mark. A War Prayer.1916.
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