Like some infernal monster, still venomous in death, a war can go on killing people for a long time after it’s all over.
Interpretation
Wars can have lasting effects and continue to harm people even after they officially end.
This quote by Nevil Shute emphasizes the lingering consequences of war, suggesting that its impact can persist long after the cessation of conflict. The analogy to an 'infernal monster' evokes the idea that the atrocities of war can remain toxic, affecting countless lives through trauma, unresolved conflicts, and societal disruptions.
In practice
During a speech to discuss the aftermath of a recent conflict.
In a guerrilla war, the line between legitimate and illegitimate killing is blurred. The policies of free-fire zones, in which a soldier is permitted to shoot at any human target, armed or unarmed, further confuse the fighting man's moral senses.
War is a series of catastrophes which result in victory.
Air power may either end war or end civilization.
From now on we shall bomb Germany on an ever-increasing scale, month by month, year by year, until the Nazi regime has either been exterminated by us or - better still - torn to pieces by the German people themselves.
Having found the bomb we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbor, against those who have starved and beaten and executed American prisoners of war, against those who have abandoned all pretense of obeying international laws of warfare. We have used it in order to shorten the agony of war, in order to save the lives of thousands and thousands of young Americans.
The natural formation of the country is the soldier's best ally
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