Life — May 2, 1918 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page from *Life* magazine features a WWI-themed illustration titled "His First Big Shell" showing a soldier in a trench witnessing an explosion. The accompanying text includes a "Diary" entry from "an American Airplane" expressing anxiety about being sent to France as "apparently the only one of my kind," and a brief comic dialogue titled "Defined" between Mrs. Willis and Mrs. Gillis about what constitutes an "average man." The content satirizes American involvement in World War I—specifically the fear and uncertainty soldiers faced, and the absurdity of wartime definitions. The illustration depicts the terrifying reality of modern warfare, while the diary entry captures the isolation of early American military aviation. The "Defined" section uses domestic humor to mock social pretensions during wartime.