How important is it for us to celebrate and commemorate the army members that were killed in World War 1? How significant is Armistice day to the younger generation, who may be less willing to relate and empathise with the cultural meanings of this day of remembrance. These are some of the questions I have been contemplating about on the lead up to the 11th of November (Armistice day).
Lets take the cultural artefact of a poppy for example, why do people decide to buy this and wear it and why do some choose not to? I, for one, have always admired the red poppy as something quite serious and sentimental, but I have never bought one or wore one. Me not wearing a poppy however, I believe is the least of the publics' worry in comparison to an authoritative figure or someone with a good following and scope for mass influence. News presenters and reporters are a prime example of industry figures that would be looked down upon for not wearing the poppy, out of respect. And this is what is interesting, why is there not more cultural awareness surrounding Armistice day, rather than an encouraged wearing of the poppy, with no backing.
Why the poppy? Well it emerged out of the fact that a field of red poppies grew around the dead bodies of soldiers, on the destroyed land during the Napoleonic war. The bar was raised by the Canadian surgeon John McCrae, who had wrote about the poppies as a symbol of sacrifice in his poem, 'Flanders Fields'. In this way, therefore, the poppy has come to be an ongoing representation of the war memorial worldwide.
An exhibition at the Tower of London has been put on, with a field of 888,246 (one each for every British life lost in the 1914 to 1918 conflict) ceramic red poppies, that has mounted great public appeal and anxiety over crowd control. The installation has been named as, 'Blood Swept Lands and Seas Of Red'. Mayor Boris Johnson has been reported to urge Royal Palace chiefs to extend the duration of the exhibition for another week or two. But a spokeswoman has said an extension is 'unlikely'.
As beautiful as the exhibition is, I feel sad at the fact that I cannot relate to this commemoration as I am of an ethnic minority background and have no uncles,brothers, cousins who fought in the war or rather any family members who experienced the turmoil of World War 1. It is because of this reason, I believe I cannot fully appreciate the terrible endurance of what the soldiers had to face. As someone who is quite emotional anyways, I might not get teary eyed about the remembrance of the lives lost in World War 1, but there is a yearning in my heart that arrives, for peace and justice at the very time millions of children were evacuated and taken away from their families, as well as millions of young men and their fathers alike joining the army.
Next Tuesday, during the two minute silence, I will concisely make a decision to engage in discourses surrounding World War 1 with the people around me, whether they are my university classmates, close friends or family members. Many have died in such a tragic historical war and we ought to comprehend that and do our best to empathise with the family and friends of the deceased.
Why the poppy? Well it emerged out of the fact that a field of red poppies grew around the dead bodies of soldiers, on the destroyed land during the Napoleonic war. The bar was raised by the Canadian surgeon John McCrae, who had wrote about the poppies as a symbol of sacrifice in his poem, 'Flanders Fields'. In this way, therefore, the poppy has come to be an ongoing representation of the war memorial worldwide.
An exhibition at the Tower of London has been put on, with a field of 888,246 (one each for every British life lost in the 1914 to 1918 conflict) ceramic red poppies, that has mounted great public appeal and anxiety over crowd control. The installation has been named as, 'Blood Swept Lands and Seas Of Red'. Mayor Boris Johnson has been reported to urge Royal Palace chiefs to extend the duration of the exhibition for another week or two. But a spokeswoman has said an extension is 'unlikely'.
Next Tuesday, during the two minute silence, I will concisely make a decision to engage in discourses surrounding World War 1 with the people around me, whether they are my university classmates, close friends or family members. Many have died in such a tragic historical war and we ought to comprehend that and do our best to empathise with the family and friends of the deceased.