South Vietnam

The main characters in Tim O’Brien’s’ Enemies Friends, turn hatred into the definition of friendship by unmasking war-infected minds during Vietnam. Between the ages of two and three, people are rewarded for doing right; however, punished for doing wrong. Yet, when thrown into a war, where innocence is lost, what truly is right. The narrator states ‘A missing jackknife’ (59), is what caused this fight. As the jackknife is not something most would hover over as if it’s a diamond. He held the…

Women and men’s roles in society varied greatly during the Vietnam War. While women avoided the draft, protected from its brutality and tragedies, men were forced from their homes to serve in the ambiguous battles. In O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, women are portrayed as apathetic towards these soldiers. They are the homebound sex, not aware of the world outside their own. On the other hand, men are those who carry the weight of the world, submerged in the pain and politics of war. There…

Characters in The Things They Carried all earn respect from their bravery throughout the Vietnam War, but bravery is not something easy to have. Soldiers took a lot of sacrifices to be able to be considered brave. Tim O’Brien proves that life as a soldier is extremely difficult. Characters in The Things They Carried endured harsh conditions and required a long effort to be attributed as “brave”. Curt Lemon, Ted Lavender, Norman Bowker, and Kiowa each had great patriotism to sacrifice their…

changes people. The Vietnam war changed many soldiers, families, and countries who were affected. This war was different from the other wars we had fought in the past. It was long and, it lasted years longer than they had expected. The war became increasingly unpopular at home in the United States. The Things They Carried is a historical fiction novel that follows Tim O’Brien, who is also the protagonist of the book- and his fellow soldiers in the Alpha Company during the Vietnam war. Tim…

In What It Is Like To Go To War, Karl Marlantes tried to build common ground with his audience in his, “lying” chapter by having the audience mentally place themselves in the Vietnam War. “Assume you’re a decent soldier like me…You know there’s a bunch of lying bastards the other guys, who will do anything to get ahead and who aren’t decent at all.” By trying to appeal to the emotions of the reader, Marlantes has the reader contemplate the morality of lying. By placing themselves in the…

In Uneasy Balance: Civil- Military Relations in Peacetime America Since 1783 by Thomas S. Langston, Langston successfully conveys the challenges faced in the United States in regards to the civilian-military relations once an American war is resolved. Langston’s purpose in the writing of this book is to help American’s realize that this never ending struggle between civilian-military relations cannot look for one side to be right and the other wrong. Instead, the thesis he presents in his book…

The Anzac Legend has been part of the Australian value since the landing in Gallipoli on April 25th 1915, often described as what it 'means to be Australian'. To this day, it is central to Australian identity, being our nation’s first military involvement. Despite our military defeat, Gallipoli was the triumph of Australian spirit. It is the symbol of courage, of respect and mateship, which were the characteristics the soldiers were said to have possessed. However, as today marks the centenary…

Trust turned into Guilt The Vietnam War, November 1st 1955 to April 30 1975, twenty years of war, twenty years of changing young men's lives for the worst. Tim O’Brien, the author and narrator of the novel The Things They Carried depicts the tragic experiences he endured while in the Vietnam War. He was a young college educated man who was drafted into the war, along the way he got close to many soldiers in his platoon, gaining support and trust. Having these relationships helped him get…

1. Introduction Questions arise, people are asking how their grandfather, a family friend, or even a community member once survived the Vietnam War after being severely injured. Flight nurses, would be the answer. Flight nurses played a vital role in the transportation of wounded soldiers by serving to save many lives in the Vietnam War. Flight nurse are nurses that fly around in helicopters to different places of a war zone. They pick up severely wounded patients that need to be escorted…

confrontation of the Vietnam Memorial opens a gateway of misery and confusion for him. In his poem, “Facing It,” the poet relives his painful memories from the past, coming from early experiences in racism and later on in his life in the scarring events of the Vietnam War and Komunyakaa must learn to cope with these heavy memories without letting it destroy him. In his poem, “Facing It,” the dark slab of granite wall reflects the narrator’s attitude and memories towards the Vietnam War and all…