The article From Pacifist to Warrior: Gladys Arnold and the European Years, 1935-40’ by Young discusses the life of Gladys Arnold, a remarkable Canadian heroine whose fame emerged somewhere between the first and second world wars. The author explains much about the life of Gladys from her birth until she eventually becomes an officer in the French’s Legion during the Second World War.
Having been a pacifist for the better part of her life, Gladys managed to overcome everything in the society until she eventually became a reformist (Young, 2011, p.3). Much of Gladys’ works and achievements have been recorded in her memos and collection of letters which she wrote to her mother during her stay in Europe.
The thesis of the article is: Gladys Arnold was a remarkable woman whose efforts and achievements earned her honor and fame during the time of the war. She was a self-proclaimed heroine who managed to change and adjust her pacifism ideologies and concepts and eventually decided to become a soldier.
In order to support the thesis, the author has presented relevant information on the life and achievements of Gladys (Young, 2011, p. 4). The information is also supported by primary sources including memos and letters written by Gladys herself.
While writing the article From Pacifist to Warrior: Gladys Arnold and the European Years, the author used reliable sources to make it meaningful. Most of the sources are primary materials such as memos and letters written by Gladys Arnold herself.
The sources are of the best quality and the reason they present the best ideas and observations about the heroine and her achievements during the time of the war (Young, 2011, p. 11). As well, the author has used endnotes to support the discussions presented throughout the article. This quality of the article is clear evidence that the author has relied on research work in an attempt to write the article.
The author presents the work in the best way possible. The argument regarding the life of Gladys Arnold is succinctly presented and how she managed to achieve an eternal status. The article is also supported with documented evidences, most of which are works and memos by Gladys Arnold herself.
The writing style is also appropriate for the work because the author has used understandable language and approach (Young, 2011, p. 11). Although the article is very long, the choice of words and approach entices the reader to keep reading further and learn a lot about the achievements of Gladys and how she managed to become a warrior after many years of pacifism.
This work is carefully argued and properly referenced to present historical exactness about the life and achievements of the Canadian heroine. The author has also offered similar interpretations as the ones encountered in class readings and lectures. Basically, I will be willing to recommend this work to any person who wants to learn much about the life of Gladys Arnold, her works, and eventual roles towards the transformation of our modern world.
The work offers a lot of insights about the global conflicts during the world war period and how gender roles played a significance role during the time. The author has also adopted appropriate writing styles for the article thereby making it acknowledgeable and worth reading.
The work is therefore valuable to students because it explains a lot about the changes and developments that characterized the period of the war. The students learn a lot about pacifism and much about gender roles during the mid 20th century. However, the author might have improved the work by relying on a much formal approach in writing and also written in summary form while ensuring that the same was being passed to the reader.
Reference
Young, R. (2011). From pacifist to warrior: Gladys Arnold and the European years, 1935-40. Canadian Journal of History, 1(2), 23-58.