In A Mild Attack of Locusts by Doris Lessing, there is a lot of war-like diction and references. Lessing uses direct war-like diction like: "armies", "fight", and "attack", along with descriptions and situations that hint at war. The entire story is somewhat like a battle. When the locust army approaches, the farmers gather their "troops" and prepare to fight off the locusts. One of the biggest ways Doris Lessing relates her story to war is through sounds. The ringing of the gong to call the laborers is like the assembling of an army. Also, when Margaret is inside of the house, many of the sounds she hears could be heard in a war setting. She hears the shouting of the the men, the splitting crack of branches, and the thunderous roar of the locusts. These loud sounds could just as well be used to describe the screams of men in battle, the crack of a gunshot, or the roar of a marching army. After the "battle" is finished, Margaret listens to the men talking, and observes The men were talking as if they were planning a war." And in a way, this "war" may be just a real as a war between men, where both sides are fighting for their lives, and their future well-being.
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