War Separates

Author's Note: I wrote this essay for social studies, but figured that I could use this as my compare/contrast essay. The Patriot is a movie about a general who has to bear the losing of his two oldest sons in front of his eyes, but leads the patriots against England to a victory with the help from the French. My Brother Sam is Dead is about Tim, younger brother of Sam, who doesn't know to go either with Sam to the rebel army or with his dad to the English side. 

War was a harsh, cruel act in the 1700’s and 1800’s.  It separated families; in some cases, forcing them to kill each other.  But when your loved ones die, it is put on to a whole other level. The agony of watching a person you’ve grown up with, taken care of, and shared your life with, laying lifeless on the ground.  My Brother Sam is Dead and The Patriot are examples of these harsh conditions, but they are unique, because they show a different point of view.

                When sitting next to your sibling on the couch, do you expect them to fight in war, maybe giving up their life? No, no one does. Unfortunately, in My Brother Sam is Dead and The Patriot, these things have to be accounted for at all times. Benjamin Martin, a leader, sees his own children killed by a Britian soldier, one he eventually kills (Emmerich).  Tim, a follower, has to bear the shooting of his own brother, one he looks up to for every decision in his life (Collier).  No one in the world could know what it is like to watch their brother, son, spouse, get shot in war.  This was one of the many tragedies in the late 1700’s, one we fortunately don’t have to encounter.

                Although the main characters have to stand the killings of their loved ones in front of their own lives, they play very different roles for the war. Benjamin was a leader for the Colonial Army, leading the army against the mighty British army and Colonel Tavington (Emmerich).  Tim, the nararator of My Brother Sam is Dead, is a young boy who doesn’t know which side to choose in the war. He wants to follow his brother into the Colonial Army, but his conscience tells him to stick with his father. He ends up on the mid line, never deciding which way to go (Collier).

                The main characters differ in roles, but the characters have to endure the same happenings, the destruction of their loved ones. When you look deeper into these two films/books, there are many differences. But the main idea of the stories all bring them back together, the Revolutionary War. The Patriot and My Brother Sam is Dead are very great stories, and they all jump on the same main idea: War separates and kills.