Dresden Rebuilt

One thing that really struck me about the article about Dresden was the images that were taken of present-day Dresden. After seeing the contrast between the bombed-out tower and the bright, bustling snapshot of the historical center of the city really struck a chord with me. As was said in class, this image really evokes a sort of Trafalmadorian idea. Horrible wars occur, it is unavoidable, they will happen, but they should not be focused on, they shouldn’t change anything, look at the happy times. The seemingly decadent modern Dresden does not belie the bombing that destroyed most of the city and killed thousands of people. I believe that this meshes well with the views adopted by Bill Pilgrim, and I do not entirely agree with it. I guess. To be honest, I’m quite conflicted about this whole thing. On one hand, I do agree with and understand the need to move on, there will always be violence and disaster sadly, and we can’t let that stop us from moving forward. I agree that it is important to rebuild, and that it isn’t healthy to just focus on the sad things, in this case the war and the bombing. However, I disagree with the seeming facet of this idea that wars should not be thought about at all. While one should not let a war define them, to try to completely ignore it is dangerous. I might as well throw in the cliché, “those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.” War changes. You can’t ignore that. War changed Billy. War changed the war. And while that seems awful, I believe you can and should learn from it. I think that instead of just covering up the damage and trying to hide it, it should be taught. Dresden moved on, which was good, but I feel that an emphasis on the importance of the war should be present. You can’t just go with the flow, you have to allow these things to change you and grow from it.