Born The Fourth Of July Sparknotes

Superior Essays
The roots of the Vietnam War go back long before the American involvement which lasted from 1961 to 1975. The direct involvement of the American troops was only a part of a much larger military conflict, which had begun in 1946 with resistance by the Vietnamese people towards the French colonial rule over their territories. The Vietnam War, or the Second Indochina War was unique for the Americans on many levels. Firstly, unlike any other war, the Vietnam War was a failure from military, social and political points of view for the United States. Secondly, not only was it unsuccessful but also it was unsupported by the general American public as well as by a large number of people among different nations. Thirdly, it was the first so-called …show more content…
However, the majority of the characters claim that they wanted to fight for the freedom of their country. For instance, in Platoon, the main character Chris says, “I just want to live up to what grandpa did in the first war and what dad did in the second. I just want to do my share for my country". Similarly, in Born on the 4th of July it is highlighted on many occasions how the title character wanted to serve his country “like a man” and how important it was for him to defend the freedom of the United States.
On the other hand, in some films the characters give different or no reasons why they joined the war. For example, in Full Metal Jacket the protagonist indicates that he enlisted to the marines to become “a killing machine”. In Apocalypse Now the main character Captain Willard is rather anxious to return to the war. Moreover, in both Forest Gump and Good Morning Vietnam the main characters do not give any specific reasons why they joined the army or if they were drafted how they felt about
…show more content…
In all the films American soldiers speak using derogatory forms when they refer to the Vietnamese people. Instead of using the terms “Vietcong” or “civilians” which are seldom used they usually label their enemy and the local population as “gooks”. That shows that the Americans had very little respect for their adversary and also for the regular Vietnamese people. Additionally, the lack of trust to Vietnamese is strongly emphasized in several films. For example, the Vietcong was made up of the ordinary Vietnamese and therefore, it was extremely difficult to distinguish who was there to be protected and who was the real enemy. It is excellently portrayed in Platoon where the Americans soldiers’ frustration grows as they do not know who is a friend and who is a foe. As a result of this, out of fear and confusion they start shooting innocent people. Furthermore, in Full Metal Jacket one of the soldiers when giving an interview says, “Some of these fellow who are supposedly on our side, I keep meeting them coming other way.” What is more, the lack of remorse for killing the Vietnamese is immensely present in Apocalypse Now. After an assault on a Vietnamese village colonel Bill Kilgore walks around the battlefield surrounded by the dead Vietnamese and casually discusses surfing.
Films such as, Born on the 4th of July, Good Morning Vietnam and Platoon also show another perspective

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