In the Society citizens in, it is tough to find resources that show true detail from war. Politics will bend the truth to get us into battle and suffer the consequences. They do not have warning signs and with that, endanger the lives of many Americans. In John Singer Sargent's art piece "Gassed" and Wilfred Owen's poem "Dulce et Decorum Est", they will reveal the reality of war. John Singer Sargent includes strong images in "Gassed" to show the tragedies War creates. Gassed is an art piece created during World War I to show the outcome from the battlefield. Sargent painted soldiers that have all been hit with mustard gas. The toxic gas has made them lose their vision. The soldiers have their eyes covered with bandanas and are each holding on the each other from the shoulder creating a line. Towards the bottom of the painting, there are soldiers unable to resist with the pain the gas created. Sargent made a strong point when he chosed to make everyone of the soldiers suffer from the attack. It emphasized how easily and how common it is to join the group. The blindness from the soldiers also indicates that War is "Blind." Sargent meaning of war is ignorant and helpless. The blinded Soldier are not capable of fighting, and can not see what their destiny, which is what War is. You do not if the next morning you will wake up to a white flags waving or a gas attack. The background Sargent decided to use creates a better view for the citizens. The yellow ashy color emphasizes the color mustard gas creates. He exaggerated the amount of toxins in the air so the viewer can double think before committing to war. The ashy shade of the art piece concluded that battlefields are unsanitary. The dirt and toxics flying around emphasizes the amount of sickness War contains. All the soldiers suffering can be concluded that they are not being attended as well as they should be. The soldiers are suffering and time is ticking for many.
