Seven Pillars of Wisdom - Literature review Example

Section/# 7 Pillars of Wisdom: An Analysis and Review Whereas a great deal of information on specific instances in history can be learned from reading current scholarship on the topic, reading the original documents and manuscripts that were penned during the times themselves always helps the reader/researcher to understand the topic to a more complete level. Whereas many soldiers have penned war memoirs with regards to the exploits that they lived, T. E. Lawrence was able to blur the line between high literature and the retelling of war stories in his book 7 Pillars of Wisdom. This brief analysis will seek to elaborate on the ways in which T. E. Lawrence was able to blend the ways in which he related the horrific tales of conflict and war with the subtle yet nuanced discussions of human nature and the natural beauty that is exhibited in the deserts in which the book is set. Collectively known to the rest of the world as “Lawrence of Arabia”, T. E. Lawrence was a prominent British officer who took the side of the Arabs during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule during the WWI years. Yet, as has been stated, rather than focusing solely on the human conflict and the fights that he engaged in from one barren landscape to the next, T. E. Lawrence chooses instead to expend a great deal of ink discussing the personal dynamics of the men fighting with him, cultural aspects of Arabia, the relationship between man and beast (so integral to desert warfare), and more than a degree of anger and frustration with regards to the level of support he received from the British assets within the region. One particularly interesting dynamic that unfolds within the book is the fact that T. E. Lawrence was used by the British Empire as a destabilizing force and diversion to keep the Turks occupied within the far reaches of their own empire rather than directing the full force and might of their military towards targets in the West. This was of course deliberately affected to create a two front war that would ultimately weaken “the old man of Europe”; as the Ottoman Empire was named. One interesting aspect of the means by which T. E. Lawrence was utilized is the fact that it brings the reader to identify him with the character of Sir Francis Drake. Although T. E. Lawrence never mentions such a parallel, possibly out of humility, the fact of the matter is that both T. E. Lawrence and Sir Francis Drake were utilized in very much the same way. Whereas Drake was a state sanctioned pirate who preyed upon Spanish shipping from the New World to the Old as a means to weaken the Spanish Empire’s foothold within the Americas, T. E. Lawrence was used as a means of weakening the already weakened Ottomans from having a larger impact upon the outcome of the First World War. However, as a function of this pseudo-recognized relationship with the British Empire that T. E. Lawrence enjoyed, some key issues were related to the reader. Whereas a cursory reading of the text helps the reader to understand that T. E. Lawrence was fiercely patriotic, key level of exasperation with the Imperial decision making and military leadership was frustrating to him to say the least. One instance of this level of frustration can be seen in the way that T. E. Lawrence relates to the reader how he consistently requested and was denied material aid and help by British assets within the theater of war. In this way, Lawrence explains to the reader how it seemed as if he was consistently being asked to do the impossible without the material support or any level of help from the entity he was seeking to serve. T. E. Lawrence relates a particular incident in which he desperately required supplies and support from the British base in the Suez. However, rather than assisting, the British forces continuously refused to supply the needed help that Lawrence required. Says Lawrence, “They regretted it was not their business...They were sorry, but had no free boats... .I got through again. ...They cut me off..." (Lawrence 87). Regardless of this frustration however, Lawrence did not allow this to get the better of him and continued to utilize all available resources to accomplish his mission without becoming embittered. A final aspect of interest with regards to the book is the way in which Lawrence discusses the mundane realities of desert life. In such a way, he spends a great deal of time discussing the camels and other beasts of burden that make the entire campaign possible. Whereas most authors would seek to glamorize the conflict at the expense of discussing the less interesting logistics of how it came to be, Lawrence shows a degree of tenderness and concern for things as small as the means by which these animals are cared for and/or the birth of a young camel. Says Lawrence of one of the camels, “Ghazala lifted her head high and began to pace uneasily...I tried to urge her but Abdullah dashed alongside me...sprang from his saddle, calfs skin in hand. He lighted with a splash of gravel in front of Ghazala, who had come to a standstill, gently moaning. On the ground before her he spread the little hide and drew her head down to it. She stopped crying, shuffled the dryness thrice with her lips, then again lifted her head and with a whimper strode forward..." (Lawrence 54). By choosing to focus upon so many different aspects of the human experience and the way in which the characters in the story relate to nature, Lawrence is able to provide the reader a far more nuanced experience than merely a typical retelling of a war story might affect. In such a way, the book integrated with this reader in a powerful way and helped to provide an enlightening view into a conflict that would otherwise be housed upon the dusty and impersonal shelves of history. Work Cited Lawrence, T. E. Seven pillars of wisdom : a triumph. Poole, Dorset: New Orchard Editions, 1986. Print. Read More