TOW #15 - "The Destruction of Culture" By Chris Hedges (Written Texts)

Often times, the most challenging task an author can take upon themselves is challenging social norms and a common belief among a civilization. In "The Destruction of Culture," Chris Hedges battles the belief that war is something a person fighting should be proud of, that its a selfless and noble act. Rather, he presents war as it truly is, a demon that can bring forth the destruction of a society. As a man who has witnessed and covered many wars, including those in the Balkans, Central America, and the Middle East, one of the most powerful rhetorical devices he uses to argue his claim is personal anecdotes. As he stands with mourners in Albania, he "pulled back the cloth to uncover the faces. The gouged-out eyes, the shattered skulls, the gaping rows of broken teeth... I stared into their lifeless faces... I could not wholly believe what I saw in front of me. This sense that we cannot trust what we see in wartime spreads throughout the society. The lies about the past, the eradication of cultural, historical, amd religous monuments... We lose our grip" (1043 -1044). By correlating what he viewed for himself and his personal view on the matter to the effect it has on the society as a whole he effectively argues his point that war should be viewed as a death sentence for socety. His logical conclusion also play a part in convincing the reader of this twist on reality. After an interview with the director of a production of Hamlet, he concldues that "Every reporter struggles with how malleable and innacurate memory can be when faced with trauma or stress... They struggle to connect disparate images. And those who see events with some coherency find there is an irreversible pull to twist the facts to conform to the myth" (1046). By providing an explanation to the reader of why these realities get molded into the myth, he allows the reader to follow his train of thought and think, "Okay, I see why that's logical." Through his use of personal anecdotes and drawing logical conclusions, Hedges effectively argues against the common belief that war should be viewed as noble instead of a ticking time bomb on society.