Perhaps they cried out in protest and in warning. but men paid no heed to their warning. and they, these few, fought a hopeless battle, and they perished with their banners smeared by their own blood. and they chose to perish, for they knew. to them, i send my salute across the centuries, and my pity. the imagery of “a hopeless battle” to develop the theme that group thinking limits man’s potential because it

The imagery of “a hopeless battle” helps to develop the theme that group thinking limits man’s potential because it depicts the collective society as a destructive force that represses the independent thinker.
As you can see in the excerpt, there were a few men who protested and warned against the danger, but nobody wanted to listen to them. Everyone just followed the crowd, even though the crowd was wrong, unlike those few smart men.

Iam thinking feelings and action