Many 18-year-old boys are drafted off to fight for their country-when most had never picked up a gun. These young men are not ready to deal with war or with death. In lives so young, death is a topic that goes untouched. Erdrich, in the beginning, describes a close relationship between two young brothers, Henry and Lyman. She looks at two chapters in the lives of these boys: before Henry went to Vietnam,
He decides to go to war because he is ashamed of running from it. “It had nothing to do with mortality. Embarrassment, that's all it was” (O’Brien 59). That same feeling of embarrassment is what made half of the soldiers go to Vietnam. Jimmy Cross went to war only because his friends did, and that led him to danger.
No strategy.”(Doherty) He also wrote in his book, “I was not going to try to win the war. I was going to try to save as many Marines as I could and make sure that we didn’t harm any more civilians.”(117) In Vietnam we struggled to adapt to our enemies style of combat, this led to mass casualties, and many mixed feelings about the war itself. Today War has
We never quarrel about religion.” “Brother, the Great Spirit has made us all, but He had made a great difference between his white and red children. He has given us different complexions and different customs...” …” Why may we not conclude that He has given us a different religion according to our understanding? The Great Spirit does right. He knows what is best for his children; we
Our country was not prepared for the multitude of issues that Vietnam would cause in the men. There was no government money being designated specifically for programs to help the returning vets. They were dumped upon by society, families and their government. With the end of both the draft and Vietnam, the country turned to other issues, namely, the recognition of minorities. The African Americans and Latinos had continued to push their issues during the war, demanding, and wanting equal rights.
“The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, is a short story about a group of men serving in the Vietnam War. These men are all carrying different items aside from the usual necessities needed while in combat. The items they are carrying are personal effects, and gives insight on how their lives could lead if they are back home. Lieutenant Cross’s personal items however, may be the reason members of his platoon are dying. His obsession of the relationship he desires to have with Martha is causing him to lose focus.
Brian Johnson, is as normal as every students are, is dropped off by his mother and his little sister. They pressure him that he has to take his detention time to study and doing homework, yet he argues that student cannot do their homework during detention session. These students come to their school by different ways, and each way shows what kind of stereotype they begin. From what Brian’s mom did to him in the car, viewers can easily recognize that he is some kind of nerdy. Brian is forced to take advantage of his studying whenever he is able to do it.
During the time of the Vietnam War thousands of soldiers who felt it was their duty to protect their country lost their life. This, in itself, did not mean that in this story the Lieutenant should have continued on his journey leading to the path of destruction and not have prevented the loss of members of his troop. Neither did the fact that the Lieutenant was of the same age as those in his troop. According to the narrator, O-Brien was a man who took the death of each of his men seriously. It is possible as outlined in this story that he had a change of venue, an epiphany, in that his infatuation and love for a girl back home might be the culprit for his loss of focus in his duty as Lieutenant and that he held himself responsible for loss of lives.
This shows his compassion and feelings to everybody that no matter their skin color or social status, he loves them the same way. This same axiom concerns Calpurnia, as she is loved like a family member by the Finch family. Calpurnia is like a mother to the kids as their mother passed when they were very young, and Atticus cares for her and treats like her like any other woman, with respect. Mrs. Dubose is another great example of Atticus’s devotion toward everyone. He admires her for her continuing effort fighting her morphine addiction every single day.
Paradoxes of the Vietnam War that affected America “But the hospital had changed all that…Now I wanted to know what I had lost my legs for, why I and the others had gone at all.”(Born on the Fourth of July, ) Vietnam soldiers return home and realize they have missed out on a lot. Soldiers are left physically and mentally scarred and no legit reasons as to why. The Vietnam War resulted in serious contradictions that changed America as a nation. The American people were split over whether the war was right or wrong. There was the anti-war and pro-war Americans fighting about patriotism and if the government was right or wrong.