Dear America Movie Analysis

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The Movie, Dear America, questions the relevance of the Vietnam War by depicting the daily struggles of the soldiers in Vietnam. Focusing on the struggles of the soldiers shown by the movie Dear America, highlighting the selfish reasons behind the war and vividly emphasizing the war’s effects on society and soldiers indicate that the negative effects of war, citing Vietnam an example, outweigh the benefits. Throughout the movie, there are references to the hardships endured by the soldiers so as to emphasize their endurance over the war itself. The most memorable reference, made during the movie, is that all the soldiers need is “a razor and a bar of soap for comfort,” which is quite gruesome when one takes into consideration that most of them were teenagers. In addition, the death toll that is shown at intervals strengthens the sense of suffering and…show more content…
Where William Broyles brags that war has allowed him to explore regions of his soul that other men most likely will never explore, the movie shows the devastative effects that war can have on loved ones and the soldiers themselves. For example, at the end of the movie, a mother reads a letter that her son’s comrade wrote about him after his death. This wrenching example is shown at the end of the movie in order to solidify the sense of loss associated with war. In fact, the other texts and songs we analyzed in class, such as “John Brown” by Bob Dylan, share the same perspective on war with the movie: the loss of the futures of so many brave young men is not worth the thrill that Broyles speaks of with sadistic nostalgia. In addition, this same thrill that Broyles speaks of can also have long lasting effects on the soldiers, in the form of PTSD. The result is that the soldiers are forever psychologically changed and they may not be able to properly function in
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