Book exploration of Thomas Conlan, State of War - Essay Example

Perhaps a 14th century Japanese warrior would not be pleased regarding the revived concept of the Unknown Soldier. Just the state of being a warrior was a source of fame, recognition, and glory for the warrior symbolizing a high position within the society. If one’s efforts in war were to be left unnoticed, it would be similar to being unappreciated by others for his “brave” acts on the battlefield. In his book State of War, the author Thomas Conlan recreates the concept of soldiery in the traditional 14th century setting of Japanese history.

It explains the aspect of a Japanese warrior as a soldier far from his ideals. The book presents a very contrasting perspective of what is generally accepted and assumed about Japanese warriors. While doing so, he demonstrated the reality of how states and societies actually functioned in the presence of a warrior system. Thus, the book presents an analysis of 14th century soldiery by analyzing the casualty records of the century. War had been for ages masked its brutalities in order to hide its real essence.

War became a source of unnecessary attention meant to earn recognition and fame by employing methods to be noticed among the huge army. Several accounts give a description of warriors coming on dyed horses of vibrant colors intentionally done so to be noticed from far behind (Conlan, 18). This form of a showy self-promotion was merely meant to get oneself recognized among his enemies for an image of high status. Conlan (13) presents the real experiences of wars in his book which reflect the true nature of wars and the motives of warrior to use the war as a platform to rise in the minds of people.

A historical account of a war provides details which affirm the flamboyant nature of warriors who were rewarded with great extravagances for displaying their supposedly courageous actions on the battlefields. All efforts made after the war glorified the soldiers who took part