War of The Worlds Essay

Essay by EddyJones12345A-, September 2011

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ISP "But if our hopes are betrayed, if we are forced to resist invasion of our soil, and to defend our threatened homes, this duty however hard it maybe be, will find us armed and resolved upon the greatest sacrifices." (King Albert II) While King Albert was referring to the battle for Belgium's independence against Germans in WWI, this statement could equally apply to War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. War of the Worlds functions as a warning to mankind. Human civilization is a thin veneer. When humanity is faced with a crisis, human nature devolves and civilization unravels. Human society reverts to primitive survival mentality when social structure fails. The military and law enforcement failed to protect and serve the citizens, the government failed to spread the word of the Martian invasion to their people, and the humans themselves fail to stay civil. In War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells, the military and law enforcement in the face of a crisis abandoned all their responsibilities in an attempt to protect its citizens and ultimately failed in protecting the people.

This led to the eventual collapse of society. When the civilians in London first hear of the arrival of the aliens, panic ensues. In fact, "By ten o'clock the police organization, and by midday even the railway organizations, were losing coherency, losing shape and efficiency, guttering, softening, running at last in that swift liquefaction of the social body" (Wells 191). Human reliance on the military during a crisis is too strong and since the humans relied on the military to destroy the Martians, it ultimately leads to panic and chaos in the city of London. When faced with the danger of the approaching Martians, the citizens of London lost all respect, politeness and courteousness and...