Defensive Listening

In my opinion, Walter Dean Myers describes the scenery of the book so well, it basically feels like your alongside these soldiers in battle. He would describe the sounds, such as the whirl of the helicopter blades or the sound of the copious amounts of m-16's firing. The thing that really made him stand out however, was the amount of heartfelt emotion he made the characters express. This made me, the reader, have an almost personal connection towards these characters. It made me feel like I knew them from a past life.

This World War II epic follows Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), a Seventh Day Adventist and conscientious objector to the war. Despite his objection to killing, something he is so opposed to that he refuses to even carry a weapon, Doss feels it’s his duty to help the war effort. He signs up to be a medic, faces bullying in boot camp for his beliefs and eventually saves approximately

Penned during two distinctly disparate eras in American military history, both Erich Maria Remarque's bleak account of trench warfare during World War I, All Quiet on the Western Front, and Tim O'Brien's haunting elegy for a generation lost in the jungles of Vietnam, The Man I Killed, present readers with a stark reminder that beneath the veneer of glorious battle lies only suffering and death. Both authors imbue their work with a grim severity, presenting the reality of war as it truly exists. Men inflict grievous injuries on one another, breaking bodies and shattering lives, without ever truly knowing for what or whom they are fighting for. With their contributions to the genre of war literature, both Remarque and O'Brien have sought to lift the veil of vanity which, for so many wartime writers, perverts reality with patriotic fervor. In doing so, the authors manage to convey the true sacrifice of the conscripted soldier, the broken innocence which clouds a man's first kill, and the abandonment of one's identity which becomes necessary in order to kill again.

There are two types of people that fight in wars; those who consider their patriotic duty an honor and those who entered the war by force. In 1990, twenty years after returning from the Vietnam War, Tim O’Brien published The Things They Carried, a disturbing and remorseful collection of short stories that gives detailed, yet fictional, accounts of the horrific events that occurred during the war. Later in 2012, after his tour of duty, Chris Kyle released American Sniper, a humble and passionate memoir that describes what Kyle had to face during his tour. While The Things They Carried utilizes symbolism and similes to inform the reader about the horrors of war, American Sniper uses flashbacks and imagery to demonstrate that some people “come alive” during the war.

Copious bullets, like that of torrential downpour, reign over the battlefield; a setting in which man created through dispute, engulfs each and every individual caught within it. Some are immediately spun into a downward spiral, while with others, it hits them in the midst -- even if they have built an immunity to war’s ways. Two fictional characters, both sharing a similar atmosphere, experience the true affects to war in their own ways. Although war never changes, the individuals do, no matter the situation. This is exemplified through the fictional tales, told by Liam O’Flaherty’s “The Sniper,” as well as Tim O’Brien’s “Where Have You Gone Charming Billy,” and as the main characters are to each their own story, they bear contradistinction to one another in the aspect of war, personality, and the emotional reactions to war.

Beginning my love of reading an early age, I was never the type of child who was drawn to fictional stories. As an 8 year-old child in West Virginia, I was recognized by the local library for my love of biographies, autobiographies and recollections of world events. This love has continued throughout my adult life, desiring to read novels such as “We Were Soldiers Once…and Young” by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore rather than watch the major motion picture “We Were Soldiers” starring Mel Gibson. Even though the motion picture received multiple awards, when reading the recollection of Mr. Moore’s accounts, the feeling of loss, distress, anxiety and fear can be felt in each word that he has written while reliving this horrendous war.

War, war never changes. From the trenches of WWI to drones used currently, nothing truly changed. Men fight. Men die. However, for 75+ men fighting at Hacksaw Ridge that wasn’t the case. Desmond Doss single-handedly saved 75 men during one of the bloody campaigns in WWII.

“Hello mother, father, this is your Louie talking. This will be the first time in two years that you’ve heard my voice. I am now interned at a Tokyo prisoner of war camp and I’m being treated as well as can be expected under wartime conditions.” As a viewer we can see the look of pure disgust and longing upon Louie’s face. It was evident that he wasn’t eager to read what was prepared for him as it depicted a false perception of what his wartime conditions were truly like. The fact that he had to make it seem like he was well when in fact he was anything but. I am now able to understand that what those in society often herd about their captured soldiers was quite often incorrect. The enemy wanted to portray an image that hid the true conditions and circumstances the American soldiers were subject to. I not only found this film inspiring as it showed the resilience American soldiers had whilst confined in the prisoner of war camps but also found it interesting as it showed the truths of war so vividly in way that could never be achieved through the use of written words. As a result of this film I am able to see how much we owe these men for our freedom, we were never truly able to appreciate the sacrifice made by those men and women until viewing this incredible film. They went through so much to ensure the freedom of many generations to come and if it wasn’t for these men who knows what our lives would be like today.

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara was not just a fiction novel, it was a story of a man who actually saw the battlefield of Gettysburg and learned about the battle and its importance. When he returned from the battle sight he decided to write a novel based on his experience there. Instead of creating fictional characters he used the names and experiences he had directly with the main characters of the novel. Not only did Shaara study and review letters, documents and journal enteries of the men for the interpretation, he made it more realistic and personal by the portrayal of his characters. In the paper we will address four of those main characters with their background and how they were relevant to the war. Shaara, gave us a look at each of their inner thoughts and emotions.

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara is not just a fiction novel, it is a story of a man who actually saw the battlefield of Gettysburg and learned about the battle and its importance. When he returned from the battle sight he decided to write a novel based on his experience there. Instead of creating fictional characters he used the names and experiences he had directly with the main characters of the novel. Not only did Shaara study and review letters, documents and journal enteries of the men for the interpretation, he made it more realistic and personal by the portrayal of his characters. In the paper we will address four of those main characters with their background and how they were relevant to the war. Shaara, gave us a look at each of their inner thoughts and emotions. This will not cover most of the characters but a few that seemed tohave had the most impact in the book and in the war.

Hacksaw ridge was an incredible movie. The movie had me jumping out of my seat at some points due to the war scenes which had amazing detail into what war is really like and what happens on the battlefield. Desmond Doss showed true bravery in not bearing arms and walking into a insane battle versus the Japanese in WWII. At the beginning of the movie Doss was a kid and he was very violent compared to him in the future, in fact he hurt his brother by hitting him with a brick in the head in a fight. Doss from there saw a poster of the 10 commandments’ which he saw “Thou shall not kill” and suddenly had a revelation about life and saw the true purpose in life.

The high-action war drama, Hacksaw Ridge, shared the story of the fierce battles between the Japanese and United States during the second World War. The film followed the journey of Desmond Doss - an American pacifist combat medic who refused to carry a gun. His philosophy originated from the Seventh-Day Adventist Christian religion with some sects stressing nonviolence. The movie perfectly captured the reality of a pacifist during the war with many of his fellow soldiers disbelieving in his ways and even hurting him to force his retirement. However, the strong walled Doss did not let his fellow peer’s actions deter his involvement in the war, and later his group, the 77th Infantry Division, was deployed to Okinawa. During the battle of Okinawa,

The main character of this story is Desmond Doss. Desmond Doss is a Conscientious Objector and he decided to join the Army to serve his country. But since he was a Conscientious Objector he promised to himself that he would never touch a gun. While in boot camp he was mistreated by his sergeant and fellow soldiers for his belief. He later trained to become a Combat medic to help his fellow soldiers because he did not want to carry a gun. Before he got deployed he met Dorthy were he got married to her before going to Japan. While over there they attacked the ridge of Okinawa known as Hacksaw Ridge. Most men that were deployed of there were killed trying to take the ridge to gain a foothold in Okinawa, Japan. He was most well known for his action upon the ridge. He saved over 75 lives while not touching a single gun. After he saved another man he would say “Please lord let me get one more.” He ended up gaining the respect and adoration of the men he served alongside. At the end of the movie he was awarded the first purple heart for a Consensus Objector. Also because of his work inspiring the other soldiers they were able to take the ridge.

The speaker lets the reader know right away about the reality of war. The invincible, fearless soldiers that are envisioned by the reader are quickly transformed into

In the film Hacksaw Ridge, Andrew Garfield portrays Desmond Doss a WWII American Army Medic who served during the Battle of Okinawa. The film takes you through his entire childhood and threw his difficult experiences in the Army as well as his upbringing and how this shaped his views, especially his religious view and anti-killing stance. You also see Doss's trials and difficulties after enlisting in the Army and trying to become a medic. And last but not least the film takes you through the harsh battle that Doss and his fellow soldiers undergo.