War History

War history

Introduction

The term national interest holds a strong meaning in itself. The word national interest is a French expression that refers to a country's ambitions and goals whether they are cultural, economic or military goals. National interest is not only an important aspect for Australia but for every country who have faith in them and wants to keep their sovereignty intact. For a strong base for the realist school, the meaning of national interest plays a significant role. Hence, Australians had the same psyche of securing their national interest and therefore willingly participated in the British war i.e. World War. This has been further elaborated in the following paragraphs by showing examples from different movies and perspectives of different books written on Australians.

Discussion

Australians have always believed in their integrity and therefore have always tried their best to maintain their integrity. The national identity of Australians was forged by struggle and adversity. Australians from federation have always made themselves involved into wars as long as their integrity is saved. Australians not only have started a war against them but they also have helped others in their wars. It is their involvement that has helped to shape their image of both Australians and foreigners. There are many works of Australians that have been represented. These include Australian's involvement in the First and Second World Wars as well as Vietnam and the Gulf Wars. Two of these works include the films Gallipoli (1981) by Peter Weir, as well as Baz Luhrmann's Australia (2008). Not only have films represented Australia's identity and self interest, but also many other books including: Kokoda by Peter FitzSimons and True Blue? One of them was Australian, edited by Peter Goldsworthy.

The Gallipoli film by Peter Weir's of 1981 was a film that has its own name and is like no other. In this film, Weir places the British in the position instead of placing the Turk soldiers. However, the main theme of the film was to depict Australians and their coming of the age. The movie tries to depict this scene and is shown throughout the film but is shown early on through the scene when Uncle Jack is reading. While he is reading he explains the jungle book and how Mowgli has grown up throughout his life. This theme has been compared with the story of Australians that how they have grown up by leaving their families as how the pack of wolves raises their families too. Just as Mowgli, Australia has grown up and no longer has to seek protection from England. In his interview on the special features of Gallipoli (1981), Mel Gibson said “Gallipoli was the birth of a nation...” ; this idea is also shared by many others including the British Generals at Gallipoli. “Though many were shot to bits, without hope of recovery, their cheers resounded...They were happy because they knew that they had been tried for the first time and not found wanting.”

Loyalty is a value that Australians hold ...