, Research Paper

The Oxford American Dictionary describes war as a & # 8220 ; discord ( particularly between two states ) & # 8221 ; and an & # 8220 ; unfastened ill will between people. & # 8221 ; These definitions give a good position on war itself, but do non give an account of why wars occur. The lexicon besides gives the definition of a pacificist as, & # 8220 ; a individual who wholly opposes war, believing that differences should be settled by peaceable means. & # 8221 ; In the novels The Bhagavad Gita and Agamemnon, the writers give non merely a narrative of war, but grounds behind it and the agencies, which they pursue, it. In The Bhagavad Gita Arjuna does non desire to travel to war with his fellow peoples. He shows pacificism because he doesn & # 8217 ; t want to ache others. Krishna calls Arjuna to weaponries and explains to him why he can travel to war. In Agamemnon, Agamemnon is called to weaponries by the amazing factor of retaliation. This is such a powerful force that Agamemnon can non get the better of it and thinks he must travel to war. In the terminal both Arjuna and Agamemnon learn through their experiences about the costs and benefits of their battles. From these authoritative texts we can larn lessons of war and the effects that come with it.

The call to weaponries is an of import subject in both The Bhagavad Gita and Agamemnon. In The Bhagavad Gita, the omnipotent Krishna, the being of all existences, calls Arjuna to weaponries. He explains to Arjuna that the psyche of those he is about to contend can non be destroyed, but instead they will populate on. He says, & # 8220 ; Interwoven in his creative activity, the Spirit is beyond devastation. No 1 can convey an terminal to the Spirit which is everlasting. & # 8221 ; This quotation mark is a good representation of Krishna & # 8217 ; s name to weaponries, which is directed towards Arjuna. In Agamemnon, Agamemnon is called to weaponries by his ideas of retaliation. His ain head is what gets him to destruct Troy, and with it many other people. When Agamemnon says, & # 8220 ; My will is mine, I will non do it soft for you, & # 8221 ; he shows that his motivations were personal and non for any other intent than to delight his ideas. In each instance the call to weaponries was different, and in each instance the benefits and effects varied as good, harmonizing to their calls.

As Arjuna and Agamemnon came to cognize, there are costs and benefits for every action. In The Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna is a pacificist at first. He does non desire to kill his ain kinsman because he thinks that by destructing them, the cost would be high and the benefits slim. This is why he decides at first to be a pacificist. He would instead allow himself be killed than to destruct many of his ain people. Krishna comes to Arjuna and tells him that by killing his kinsman he will non be making a dearly-won act, but instead set their psyches free to another life and a opportunity at going supreme. At these words Arjuna is called to weaponries, but this is where the narrative ends. In Agamemnon, Agamemnon & # 8217 ; s ain head takes control of him. He

is controlled by hate that stems from retaliation. He is so blinded by this that he will non halt to believe about the costs, which are to come. Agamemnon destroys Troy and in the procedure kills 1000s of people, including his girl. The benefits are that he destroyed his enemy, that is all. Agamemnon’s actions show that he is non a pacificist because if he was so he would hold gone out of his manner to make these awful Acts of the Apostless. From the narratives of Arjuna and Agamemnon we can larn a batch about the function of war in human personal businesss.

The narratives The Bhagavad Gita and Agamemnon show us a batch about human nature as it relates to war. The narrative of Agamemnon shows us the natural hatred and retribution of world. Agamemnon goes out on a pursuit to destruct Troy because of his personal feelings and the minute wagess he would acquire. He does non recognize that the means did non warrant the terminals in this state of affairs. His benefits were much less than what he sacrificed to accomplish them. In the terminal his married woman kills him for giving their girl and at this clip Agamemnon must hold realized the true effects of his actions. This narrative is a good illustration of the old stating & # 8220 ; What goes about comes about, & # 8221 ; and has many similarities with historical warfare. Whatever the grounds for warfare have been in the yesteryear, they have ever had effects much greater than the wagess. A authoritative illustration of this is the Roman Empire. They conquered people after people in the pursuit of universe domination and limitless wealth. And it is true that the Romans achieved this, but merely for a piece. In the terminal they were defeated and left in ruins. The Bhagavad Gita gives us a better expression at what we are endeavoring to make now in modern times, as relates to warfare. Arjuna was a pacificist and if he had gotten the chance, would hold settled the difference with words in a peaceable mode. This is the exact method of warfare today that is portion of a politically dominated society. There have been no major wars between first universe states since Vietnam. And even that was merely after long political attempts. The ways of war are turning from contending to negotiating, and this will go on increasingly with clip.

Both of these authoritative texts present a different position on war. Agamemnon is motivated by pride and retaliation, and will halt at nil until his war is won. The Bhagavad Gita on the other manus is a pacificist and does non desire to contend in the first topographic point. Both Arjuna and Agamemnon answer their call to weaponries, but the manner that each goes about it is different. And afterwards each learns that the cost of war is great and the benefits small. We can use these great readings to our ain society in how they pertain to war. Agamemnon represents the yearss of old when imperiums would seek to govern the universe. The Bhagavad Gita shows us the way that we should follow, pacificism.