The Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age gave me chills while reading it. The gruesome details and profound imagery gave me more of an insight about what it would have been like to be there. Experiencing all of that death, while physically and emotionally struggling to survive is not an easy task. Also, the death of Jegoud was tragic. Modris Eksteins states, “His face was burned; one splinter entered his skull behind the ear; another split open his stomach, broke his spine, and one saw his spinal cord gliding about. His right leg was completely crushed above the knee. The most hideous part of it all was that he continued to live for four or five minutes. Having to die in agonizing pain like that is horrendous.  The Germans and the French, fighting the British was a thrilling engagement. The Germans owned a massive weapon named Big Bertha. This military artillery gun can project a missile weighing more than a ton. The impact and damage that this gun can do has a similar explanation to the impact of a bomb landing on a building. Hundreds and thousands of people dead, buildings collapsed inside of themselves, going on for miles. Throughout the story, the men are described as portraying fear more than bravery. For instance, small details like: The disappointment is overwhelming. Some huddle in shell holes. Survivors stumble back. Wounded men crawl. More men fall. Some cry out.