From the crossing of the Potomac River to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, war has been an effective tool that different societies in the global community have used to push their political/cultural agenda on another. Whether justified for reasons such as self-defense or even unjustified for reasons such as social gain, war has time and time again proved its disregard of the average global citizen compared to the rest the global community as a whole. How so? Consider the utilitarian approach utilized at the end of World War 2: the lives of the rest of the world, in terms of the number of bodies outweighed that of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, so the decision to bomb the two cities was considered sound (despite the overlooked fact that it would negatively affect the health of that region for many …show more content…
Ultimately, O'Brien and other bodies of war literature can provide an effective critique of war as they often communicate to their audiences themes such as the nativity of blind patriotism, the loss of innocence, and reality of war's grotesque nature. O'Brien's "On the Rainy River" and Felix Pollak's "Speaking: The Hero" both examine and critique the way countries instill their citizens with such a blind loyalty that any slight opposition to war is considered unpatriotic or cowardly. For example, Pollak does this through the use of paradox, repeatedly employing the use of couplets to highlight the discrepancy between those in power and the average soldier being drafted. As the poem starts in lines 1-4, the unnamed soldier does not want anything to do with the war, confessing to his audience that "I did not want to go" or "I did not want to die" in lines 1 and 3. However,
Tim O’Brien’s book “The Things They Carried” epitomizes the degradation of morals that war produces. This interpretation is personified in the characters who gradually blur the line dividing right and wrong as the motives for war itself become unclear. The morality of soldiers and the purpose of war are tied also to the truth the soldiers must tell themselves in order to participate in the gruesome and random killing which is falsely justified by the U.S government. The lack of purpose in the Vietnam War permanently altered the soldier’s perspective of how to react to situations and in most cases they turned to violence to express their frustration.
First, the reader must understand just what makes a good "war story". The protagonist of the novel, Tim O'Brien, gives us his
War is often misinterpreted as an exciting occurrence filled with glory and acts of terrific heroism. In reality, it is brutal and serves as an effective simulation of hell. Timothy Findley's The Wars depicts an inhumane world where individuals are taken out of their elements and are forced to struggle to hold onto their humanity amidst the horrors. The lack of rules in war targets and destroys every aspect of what it means to be human. It heavily interferes with one's motivations, desires and purpose of living. The war also targets one's innocence and brings about suffering both physically and mentally.
Vietnam War and the draft that was used to accumulate soldiers for the war. While thinking of
The narrator’s emotions toward the war contribute to the overall tone of the chapter. The word “coward” (79) applies emphasis to this tone by showing how he feels about his involvement in a war he does not believe in. The narrator also uses the word “detested” (10) in order to demonstrate his feelings for the war. On these same lines, O’Brien discusses his “hate[red]” (4) for the situation he now finds himself in. The label of the word “coward” (79) is one people are rarely content with; it is a self-deprecating word that instigates the ashamed tone. This negative connotation can be applied to “detested” (10) and “hate[red]” (4) which are words that cause a feeling of discomfort within a person. O’Brien “detest[s]” (10) the war, and
People who have never experienced the war portray it as “grotesque.” (O’Brien 77) They’ve never truly listened to the soldier's stories, Tim O’Brien is able to find beauty within the “awful majesty of combat.” (O’Brien 77) The metaphor comparing the “trace rounds” to “brilliant red ribbons” illustrate the war in a completely different light. (O’Brien 77) The respect for “the fluid symmetries of troops” shows the organization of the war and the training and preparing that the troops do to serve our country and protect Americans. (O’Brien 77) There is beauty within these individuals and their stories of why they decided to risk their lives to protect us. Tim O’Brien’s simile comparing a “bombing raid” or “artillery barrage” to “a killer forest fire” or “cancer under a microscope” explains the “aesthetic purity” within the war. (O’Brien 77) Tim O’Brien puts the war into an idea that his readers can understand, he proves it’s possible to find beauty even in a
Tim O'brien tells his war story and explains his feelings and emotions throughout his short stories. He explains his feelings about losing other soldiers that were like his brothers. Some people believe that war was just about the act of fighting. But, it also was about the relationships and bond that the soldiers created amongst themselves. This fictional selection really captures the history behind war.
In this book, Tim O’brien reveals all his experiences in detail about the war; as well as stories about his fellow soldiers, and makes a true, but over the top about them. He explains how he feels through stories that are difficult to clearly identify as “true.” This book has a lot of themes, death and violence is one of the major themes.
In this essay, I will discuss how Tim O’Brien’s works “The Things They Carried” and “If I Die in a Combat Zone” reveal the individual human stories that are lost in war. In “The Things They Carried” O’Brien reveals the war stories of Alpha Company and shows how human each soldier is. In “If I Die in a Combat Zone” O’Brien tells his story with clarity, little of the dreamlike quality of “Things They Carried” is in this earlier work, which uses more blunt language that doesn’t hold back. In “If I Die” O’Brien reveals his own personal journey through war and what he experienced. O’Brien’s works prove a point that men, humans fight wars, not ideas. Phil Klay’s novel “Redeployment” is another novel that attempts to humanize soldiers in war. “Redeployment” is an anthology series, each chapter attempts to let us in the head of a new character – set in Afghanistan or in the United States – that is struggling with the current troubles of war. With the help of Phil Klay’s novel I will show how O’Brien’s works illustrate and highlight each story that make a war.
The short story “On The Rainy River” is written through the perspective of O’Brien in present day and as a young faced with a draft notice for Vietnam War. In “On The Rainy River,” O’brien portrays the importance of bravery in an individual through the use of symbolism, powerful tone, and reflective point of view.
The topic of war is hard to imagine from the perspective of one who hasn't experienced it. Literature makes it accessible for the reader to explore the themes of war. Owen and Remarque both dipcik what war was like for one who has never gone through it. Men in both All Quiet on the Western Front and “Dulce Et Decorum” experience betrayal of youth, horrors of war and feelings of camaraderie.
Countries come together to help when others are in need of their assistance, and neighbors try to take as much of the burden as they can off of a person if the person’s family has passed away. As much as war is cruel and devastating, its beauty can be found in “the fluid symmetries of troops on the move, the harmonies of sound and shape and proportion, the great sheets of metal-fire streaming down from a gunship, the illumination of rounds, the white phosphorus, the purply orange glow of napalm, the rocket's red glare… [and] you hate it, yes, but your eyes do not” (O’Brien 76). O’Brien tends to tell stories in the effort for the reader to feel them, not just to recite the series of event s that occurred in the story he is telling. This tends to make his writing contradict itself, which gives his stories a deeper meaning. The diction he used includes words such as “fluid symmetries”, “harmonies”, and “illumination” to describe marching troops, gunfire, and the bullets flying from their guns in the search for a life to take. The objects that O’Brien is describing had a denotation of something destructive and very awful. However, the connotation of the words he uses to describe them give them make them sound peaceful and harmless. One would not usually use such peaceful words to describe bullets whizzing past, which reveals the O’Brien almost admires the delicacy and allure the war brings. He is able to highlight
In the short story the "The Cat in the Rain" by Ernest Hemingway, the cat is a symbol around which the story revolves. As a central symbol, the cat reveals the psychological state and emotional desires of the American wife.
When it rains in the city most people in the city get out of sorts, the streets get waterlogged and the traffic escalates. The children cannot go out to play and we have to stay home getting bored with TV. My mother complains when we don’t clean our shoes before we get into the house, the laundry doesn’t dry and our hair frizzes. But in the mountain range, the rain is welcomed with joy and ease.
It was a rainy day in the early 2000s. A man sat in a building with his little students observing them as they did their activities they were told to do. The man looked out at the rain and then back to the children, an idea popped in his head. He called the children over to tell them a story. They children gathered around on the floor to listen to the story, the man spoke. “Do you kids want to hear how the story of how rain was created?” The kids looked at him in curiosity to see how rain was created. Whispers started circling around the circle. “Hush now children” the man said and the children hushed up while staring at the man. “It all started long ago, when the people from Earth begged for water and the gods has responded”