The understanding that people have of war today is significantly different because of modern mass media platforms. Movies have played a role in the portrayal of the experiences of soldiers in combat. In the beginning of “The Sniper” you can see the soldier in the movie decide to kill a young native child that is potentially a suicide bomber. You can read the thoughts of the sniper just by analyzing the expression on his face and his actions. It’s so realistic that you can feel the suspense of the scene and you can argue the ethics of war in your mind. You begin to think if the soldier should kill the child or not. You can imagine the guilt that he will face if he were to kill the child and the guilt he would face if he didn’t kill the child.
War is something we bluff off if we haven't experienced it. Did you know that 378,000 family members or lost a year. This means that more than 200,000 families are deep sorrow each year. This short story will tell you about what civil war can be like. a sniper who is on a roof in his country, gets shot, and has to clean up his wound in the middle of a war. He then takes a shot at someone, killing the foe. Under fire, he darts over to the other roof where he killed the guy. So, he later realizes It is his brother. The short story “The Sniper” by Liam o’ Flaherly shows how war can tear apart families.
Walter Dean Myers touches on a subject that give thought to war in general in his book Sunrise Over Fallujah. Sunrise Over Fallujah focuses on the Iraq war after 9/11 and a young man’s experiences while there. The Historical significance of sunrise Over Fallujah is that the young man, Robin “Birdy” Perry, realizes shortly after arriving in Iraq that this war will not end quickly, and that he doesn’t even really understand why he is there, or why his country, for that matter is there. There is a lot from Sunrise Over Fallujah that relates to real life occurrences and thoughts in and about the war in Iraq.
death, the incredible hatred that must cause such acts of brutality. The broadcasting of war and the effect it has on soldiers who participated give us preconceived ideas about the horrors of war. These generalizations are ingrained in children from the day they could ask their parents about war. From that day on, we learn that war is “bad,” that war is “ugly,” we don’t stop to consider what really happens, the complicated truth of war. We look the other way and lose all perspective on war and its complicity. Societies generalizations affect the way that Americans perceive the war.
Far too often, war is glorified and soldiers are praised for their service, when their service is, in reality, a disservice. Soldiers are sent off into foreign countries to kill, almost always, innocent people, and here Fearing is using imagery to
The Sniper, written by Liam O’Flaherty, is a story about a Republican sniper in the Irish civil war in 1922. This story tells of a night spent on a roof looking for the enemy, the Free-Staters. In this short description of the nights events, the sniper kills 3 people; a soldier, an informer, and finally an enemy sniper on the roof across the road from him. In the end this enemy sniper turns out to be the republicans brother. This story shows the the specific characteristics a sniper must have to carry out their duty. A key moment in this text which influenced the sniper is the Civil war itself.
In every American war combined, about 1.2 million soldiers have died fighting in battle. Many look past the effects and consequences that going to war can lead to and every soldier is assumed to be a hero. Others believe that killing anybody, whether they are innocent or on a battlefield, is in no way honorable. Writers who protest war use imagery, irony, and structure to explain the negative effects of battle.
Society’s perception on war is often clouded by popular media. Action packed movies with fictional war heroes, and video games set in past wars, are examples of such hyperbole. It is outlets like these that raise society’s expectations of soldiers into unrealistic ideas. While it may seem as black and white as killing the bad guy, majority of the population does not consider the long term effects war may have on soldiers. Most movies portray soldiers as emotionless killing machines and leave out the lifelong psychological effects war can have on a person. Tim O’Brien’s book The Things They Carried is a look into the mind of a soldier in the middle of war. In the book, we learn of First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, a soldier who is carrying the guilt
Once war enters into town, Americans freak and panic, not knowing what to do, where to go, or where to even begin? Where will they hide? How will they survive? They were never exposed of what do in a situation like this, they had never heard of such “war” or even seen it, let alone experience it for themselves. They had been kept away from images of war, said to be protected from the reality of it, the blood, dead bodies, and dangerous weapons. “The case for showing gruesome images is not merely democratic; it is strategic as well,” (Kushner, 2004). War images help Americans make smarter decisions in how to react to the fighting, for they are exposed to what war is like, what they will be expecting and how to better prepare themselves so that they may not suffer the consequences. “How are viewers supposed to understand, and make smart decisions about how to react, if they are not even allowed to see images of war?” (Kushner, 2004). The viewing of these images, help the public to better understand, make smart decisions about how to react, after being kept away for so long from the truth.
The sniper develops insensitivity to death during the war. When he kills the old woman, she’s trying to run away and isn’t really a threat. He even “utters a cry of joy” when he finally shoots the enemy sniper. This shows how war can get people caught up in the cat-and-mouse “game” aspect of it and forget what they’re actually doing—killing people. People get so caught up in the “game” that they don’t think about the repercussions for their actions.
Since 1968, there have been at least 25 films made that portray the events of the Vietnam War. Historians have to ask themselves when watching these films, "Did the fictional character represent historical figures accurately? Is this how a soldier would react in this situation?" The point of view of the director of the film can change with simple alterations in camera angles. For example, a view from the ground of a battle seen can show how the innocent people had the war in their own backyards. The view from a helicopter can show Viet Cong firing rounds at American troops and the troops can't tell the difference between the innocent and the enemy. The audience feels empathy and sympathy for the person from whose point of view the
War is something that can change the very principles of a person, it can change a person and leave multiple effects that can last for their entire life. The sniper is fighting in a civil war where friends and family can turn into enemies at a moment's notice. The fight is between the Republicans and the Free Staters, the protagonist is a sniper for the Republicans. Throughout the story, we go into the state of mind of the main character and learn some ramifications that he gained in the war. The text, “The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty shows us the physical and psychological results of war, that happens to people.
The theme of death and violence is another important segment in indicating the evils of war. Each individual is engaged in killing their enemies and struggling for their own lives. As seen through the view of the sniper, the people¡¦s lives are centred around killing and death. Lifestyle, even to the extent of lighting a cigarette becomes risky and could lead to death. Citizens are forced to be locked in their homes for fear of being shot. The incident, where an old woman is hot by the sniper, who is then injured by his enemy is an example of war¡¦s destructive nature. The loss of innocent
War is many things. It may be many different things depending on each individual. Many soldiers get trained so their mentality is to characterize their opponents as less than human, so their lives lose all worth. Some soldiers however, are not prepared for this, even though they have been trained. One thing is training for it, another thing is actually killing a human being. As they kill more people, it becomes normalized for them. All they have seen changes their mind, while all of their dreams get swept aside by bloody hands of the hypnotized while they carry the cross of homicide. But why kill other strangers? What’s in it for the soldiers? War feeds the rich while it buries the poor. Rich people are power hungry, selling soldiers in human grocery store, using them as their little puppets who obey their master, making them go around killing each other in order to determine who is right, but in the end, war determines who is left. “The Man I Killed” by Tim O’Brien shows how soldiers who commit violence become traumatized and how that changes over time.
After viewing the documentary film ‘The War You Don’t See’ by John Pilger, my previous feelings towards the war and the way people are treated grew more immense as I felt more informed as to what was going on behind closed doors. I have always found the thought of war pointless, destructive and inhumane, this documentary supports my previous attitudes. The way certain media associations manipulate and hide the truth is a scary thought, this film shows how the media lacks honesty on a destructive level. How can one take a position and make an informed decision towards what they should do or how they should react towards these global issues? They can’t, it is impossible to make an informed decision when one is not told the whole truth. ‘The War You Don’t See’ also informs the viewers to see how poorly the innocent civilians are treated and in many cases how their lack of rights results in cruel deaths. Pilger presents these issues to the viewers of this film in a way which looks down upon the people of the military and media and sympathise toward those innocent civilians of these war stricken countries, which I personally strongly support and am left feeling pleased with Pilger’s work.
“People go to war because of how they see, perceive, picture, imagine and speak of others: that is, how they construct the difference of others as well as the sameness of themselves through representations,” they argue.