C. 42-46 題
As the catastrophic conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine persist, there is an escalating
apprehension concerning the profound psychological trauma that may manifest in their wake.
However, the scourge of war has plagued humankind for millennia, its tendrils ensnaring
generation after generation. This relentless reality prompts our ancestors’ exploration into
the coping mechanisms for the indelible anguish wrought by such belligerence. Confronted
by this haunting legacy, myriads of ancient societies ingeniously devised strategies ranging
from purifying rituals and religious justifications to immersive theatrical performances,
shining on a potential pathway to confront modern-day trauma.
Medieval afflicting warriors went through the trauma with the aid of a meticulous ritual
of atonement and purification. A year after the Norman Conquest, an ecclesiastical group of
bishops devised the Ermenfrid Penitential, including a litany of expiatory acts tailored to the
crimes in the bloodshed. This document prescribed penances calibrated to the gravities of
atrocities, whether rape, homicide, wounding, or indiscriminate slaughter. Transcending
mere compassion, scholars posit that penitence was a calculated endeavor to absolve the
Norman combatants of their “moral injuries.” The warriors could realize the inevitability of
trauma. Later, during the Crusades, they were told that entering into war was a holy act itself,
and could do away with all your previous transgressions.
Dating back to the 7th century BC, an intricate system of rituals and spectacles was
employed in Ancient Rome to fortify its soldiers against the pervasive trauma of warfare. A
paramount component was securing divine sanction through choreographed pre-battle rites
overseen by a designated priestly order, the fetial. Despite the ostensible contradiction of an
expansionist empire seeking justification for “defensive” conflicts, the Romans adhered
stringently to this legalistic framework. Additionally, the brutal nature of Roman martial
engagement, characterized by close-quarters combat with gladius swords, necessitated
mechanisms to inure warriors against the horrors they would inevitably confront. In this vein,
the gladiatorial games served dual purposes, both desensitizing the populace, including
children, to violence through these gory spectacles and purportedly steeping soldiers in the
martial spirit. However, the ubiquity of admonitions suggests the limited efficacy of these
strategies in wholly insulating combatants from the terrifying psychological crucible of
battle.
As for the ancient Greeks, they employed immersive theatrical performances as a potent
cathartic medium to confront and process the abiding psychological trauma. Aeschylus, a
revered soldier-turned-dramatist, crafted numerous plays vividly depicting the aftermath of
conflicts he had personally endured, including the famed Battle of Marathon. His plays, such
as The Persians, were remarkable in their unflinching portrayal of contemporary events and
their empathetic depiction of the enemy’s plight. Peter Meineck, a classics professor at New
York University, asserts that these dramatic works transcended mere entertainment, serving
as a profound form of catharsis that aided veterans in grappling with their harrowing
experiences. This tradition extended to seminal literary works like Homer’s Odyssey, widely
interpreted as an exploration of combat stress. In The Iliad, Homer poignantly depicted the
suffering of women and children. The immersive nature of these performances, staged in
intimate outdoor theatres amidst the mythological narratives that captivated the ancient
Greek psyche, rendered them uniquely potent conduits for processing the trauma of war. 【題組】46. What does the author mainly seek to accomplish in the passage?
(A) To shepherd the modern people in war-torn countries toward tranquility.
(B) To criticize the irrationality of the ancient coping mechanism for trauma.
(C) To pay tribute to the warriors who fought on the battlefields of European history.
(D) To appreciate some medieval manuscripts in the background of the Norman
Conquest.
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