War is seen as both a good and bad influence when it comes to balance in society, but there is no consensus on the view of this occurrence. Some see War as a force that can assist in reducing overpopulation by getting rid of the young men who, at the time, are of reproductive age. Some view war as solely destructive, a force summoned by Satan himself, to disturb peace and order and cause harm and ultimate carnage. Slaughterhouse 5 revolves around Billy Pilgrim, who recalls the memories surrounding the ruined German town of Dresden during World War II, which accelerated his spiral into insanity.
Hotel Rwanda, a film depicting the true story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who housed over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda. War, as seen in both of these situations, serves both a cleansing and destructive purpose. Hotel Rwanda depicts a genocide of almost one million people over a 100 day period in 1994. Total destruction. Complete massacre. Houses, cars, buildings, and shops were all burned to ground or torn apart. Streets were covered with dead bodies. Not a night went by during those 100 days where gun shots and bomb blasts were not heard. The central question discussed in class, “What is the right day to think about war and the people in it?,” is answered by this sad film in a way that isn't pleasing to most audiences: war is sad, war kills many people, and war is useless. There is no point in causing war, especially one that promotes the massacre of fellow citizens over a years-old grudge created by an outside force. (Unfortunately, no one powerful enough was understanding of the fact that external forces created this conflict, and there was no use fighting over it.)
Another concept that is entertained in Hotel Rwanda is the question of, “Do humans beings have free will or is the universe deterministic?” The many members of the Hutu are killing people of the Tutsi. Toward the end of the film, an employee of Paul’s relays information regarding Tutsi’s escape from the land to Hutu leaders, which ruins the plans to escape the terror of Rwanda to a peaceful situation across the border. This film proves the concept that every human has free will, and the freedom to choose wether or not they want to use it for good or bad.
The two central questions discussed in class can be applied to any film or piece of literature relating to war or conflict. I’ve noticed that when pondering these concepts, feelings of sadness and ultimate disappointment encompass my mind as I wonder the typical teenage-girl-carrying-pumpkin-spice-latte question, “why can’t we all just get along and be friends?” Films like Hotel Rwanda help me begin to understand the brutality experienced by those involved in war, but never will I be able to fully comprehend the struggles of those people stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time.
