Book Review of Not So Quiet Essay

The role of wo hands during the First ground War or even the s World War has never been fully recognized as that of men. There argon only a few literary and academic pieces which depict the roles that they contend and their importation to it. In this regard, children who be tasked to read record volumes function the nonion that women did nonhing noteworthy during the state of warfare. However, in reality, there argon galore(postnominal) women who played important roles during the war, their effort were in effect(p) left unrecognized by historians. Women, estimable exchangeable men overly participated in the war and exerted tremendous effort only to nonplus through it.M each of them also god in the battle grounds chip for their rustic and helping their countrymen who be risking their lives sightly to raise the flags of their country and protect their inte alleviations. The book Not So Quiet by Helen Zenna Smith mirrors champion of the significant roles tha t women played during the First World War. The story is a funny and lively story of a group of women who served as ambulance drivers for the British army. They had the perk of bringing the wounded soldiers from the freezing heatless of the war partition murder.These women were sent by their p bents to serve in the army in pitch to signify their patriotism for the British crown. Their p arnts are truly proud of their children who are in the army. However, they just dont chicane the pain and hardships that they are handout through just to be considered as patriots. These women were nether the tutelage of their com soldierydant, who they named as Mrs. Bitch. As the name itself signifies, Mrs. Bitch is not a very total Commandant in the eyes of the girls. She is very watchful and strict. She wants the girls to be al slipway on the go temporary hookup the girls at times would want to rest from their heavy work.For instance, they want to receive a decent bath only if they can not because they do not agree the sufficient facilities that would give them to and even of they had, Mrs. Bitch would not throw in them. Moreover, Mrs. Bitch was very cruel that she would land every pain they complain of as mere femi ball club affectation. Tosh, one of the female ambulance drivers, decided to cut her cop short because her cop is starting to be a house of lice. This act was frowned by many of her colleagues since she looks alike(p) a boy. To them, the hair reflects a lot about feminity.It is a crowning glory of every women and thereof should be preserved as a good contain(prenominal) as possible. However, for Tosh, the hair is not much of a big deal peculiarly if she cannot chip in the resources in order to grapple to it. Although Smithy is serving hard in the war, she does not see the point of going to war and shedding tons of blood. unlike those people who are so wrapped to becoming a patriot, she holds the view that wars are pointless and useless. It is a grue roughly agency of taking away limb part from a human being and culmination many innocent lives.Everyday, she takes the bodies of men shout out from pain. They are full of blood and some parts of their bodies are even missing. She in some way empathizes with their cause but she cannot do anything but to bring them to where medical services are available. In addition, wars also put women like her on the line 24 hours a day, seven days a calendar week just to serve the unavoidably of her countrymen, heedless if they are blare. Ambulance drivers pretend no placed hours. They can be called out any one of the twenty four, Helen said. The total war changed Helens life in so many ways than one.First she was undeter tapd to the realities of life. Living in their home with her parents and siblings, she had not idea how the war district is like and what patriotism is all about. The war zone is not a place for those who are weak and afraid. It is a place for untoucha ble and determined individuals. In addition, the war zone is a not place for those who do not have regard for patriotism. Although not a self-acclaimed patriot, she has done much for her country to consider her one. She has to work in knit even if she is sick or had not even experienced a fill in rest.Moreover, her work requires her to adequately take guardianship of the sick and injured soldiers while they are not yet being go to to by medical practitioners. Ambulance drivers are not simply drivers. They also need to take extra care in relationss with the needs of the people the transport. We have no fixed rest times aft(prenominal) driving all night, and consider ourselves golden to get consecutive hours sleep We are supposed to have an afternoon off weeklyI never had mine once, Helen claimed. There was even an instance wherein she is sick but had to spend only a few hours of rest as this is the Commandant asked her to. other change that Smithy had to deal with is to eat t he food served on the table. In the comfort of her own home, she has a pity mother to take care of her meals. She ingest palatable and satiable food. However, her service in the war forced her to eat whatsoever the cook serves them, the taste be it good or bad. Eating as a matter of fact has establish a joy for the drivers as they do not eat anything if they are on the road. either driver out on responsibleness during mealtimes simply misses the meal, Helen said. Moreover, Smithy was raised to become prim and proper.She was educated with the proper ways of speaking and acting in motility of many people. She was raised well, however, in the war zone, she had to be customary to the brutal path of speaking and dealing with other people. It is a mans world and she needs to let go of her desire for sophism just to locomote and be the gunslinger that her parents expect from her. She can only squeak about the changes that she is facing. My conversation daily is increment less refined, Smithy said. Having a cleaning muliebrity in the war zone is tout ensemble difficult. There are many adjustments that the char needs to face just to survive the war.The head start thing that she should get accustomed with is the fact that she does not have the prodigality of time to pamper and beautify herself. In the case of Smithy, they are ambulance drivers who are of all time on the go. They can be called anytime thus, they cannot get their hairs done or apply make up on before they croak otherwise, their patients will die. In addition, they also do not have the option to have a decent bath or to care for themselves. They have to satisfy themselves with some(prenominal) is available. We have not had our garments off for nine days, Smithy claimed.Compared to men, women are very conscious of their looks, the clothes that they wear and the display that they exude to the public, however, Smithy and her co-ambulance drivers had no mode for any of these feminine ro utines. They need to begin in the itchiness of their heads and bodies. We have been rub furiously for days past, Smithy uttered. excursus from their looks, women who are serving in war zone also need to get accustomed with a light nourishment while working the tasks of a man. They had to matter themselves whatever is available be they piddle biscuits or the bad food in the canteen.As Smithy said, we are unceasingly hungry in varying degrees. Another difficulty that they faced but encountered is dealing with bloody screaming men. At first they had difficulty complemental their tasks but as they went along, they got used to dying men interior the carts of their ambulance. The women in the story may have faced difficulty in completing their task as ambulance drivers but they managed to send it off. While being a woman gave them several difficulties in dealing with their job, they did not use these in order to book binding off and leave their dying countrymen in the war zone. These women only show that men and women are just as able-bodied in doing anything for their country. These women survived in a mans world and became instrumental in saving the lives of their soldiers. In this regard, women should never be forgotten in history books. They should be seen in equal light as men are for they too have their own contribution to the liberty that many nations now enjoy. Reference Smith, H. and Marcus, J. (1989). Not so quiet stepdaughters of war. New York Feminist press out