Hemingway: Video Understanding
Ernest Hemingway’s life was one full of women and adventure. Furthermore, he played an important role in the liberation of Paris and the Modernist movement of the early 1900s. The information in the Kultur biographical video showed me how he was influenced in writing A Farewell to Arms, as well as many of his other works. Overall, the video used Hemingway’s life, including love and loss, to enhance a reader’s understanding of A Farewell to Arms. The video accomplished this by providing an in-depth timeline of Hemingway’s life that paralleled the events of the book.
Hemingway’s life was obviously very influential in all of his works. Many of his books were based on true events that Hemingway was involved in: The Green Hills of Africa was about his expeditions across the continent, For Whom the Bell Tolls spawned from his involvement in liberation groups during WWII, and The Old Man and the Sea was a reflection of his life on the water in Key West. A Farewell to Arms was also greatly influenced by Hemingway’s life. It is the story of when he joined the Italian Army in WWI as an ambulance driver until he was severely injured in the legs. He describes this scene in depth in the book, which shows that this was probably very important in his life.
The video also shows how Hemingway’s writing style developed when he was reporting for the Kansas Star. It says that it was very event based, which is apparent in the novel. A Farewell to Arms relies mainly on what happened, not so much how the author felt. This is shown in many ways, mainly through his relationship with Ms. Barkley. He never sows emotion or how he feels, he just says what happens. Also, the biography showed Hemingway’s interesting love life. It shows four wives and mentions numerous other romances. This accounts for the “game of a relationship” that Henry and Ms. Barkley play. In addition to love, the video also shows much loss in Hemingway’s life. He was plagued with bad relationships and a suicide-inclined family before his own depression and suicide in 1961. While A Farewell to Arms seems like a love story, it is ultimately a story of loss, just like Hemingway’s life.
In conclusion, the biographical video helped me to understand Ernest Hemingway’s life. This story of love and loss was very crucial to the understanding of that in A Farewell to Arms.
