In the film, "The Fog of War", former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara talks about his careers in life. He discusses being involved as an officer in World War 2, being a professor at Harvard, becoming the President of Ford, and his eventual move into the position of Defense Secretary under President John F. Kennedy. He discusses all of the events he was involved in, including the Bay of Pigs and the Vietnam War. He does this by discussing 11 lessons he has learned in his life, which are:
1)Empathize with your enemy
2)Rationality will not save us
3) There's something beyond one's self
4) Maximize efficiency
5)Proportionality should be a guideline in war
6) Get the data
7) Belief and seeing are often both wrong
8) Be prepared to re-examine your reasoning
9) In order to do good, you may have to engage in evil
10) Never say never
11) You can't change human nature
In the first 4-5 lessons we see McNamara having sympathy for the people who died during the Vietnam War, almost showing that he was against the whole conflict. He used past events, like when Tokyo was burned in WW2 to legitimize his reasoning. However, after the 5th lesson, his attitude started to change from sympathy to defending himself and legitimizing his actions. He was using the excuses that the government had used to defend itself from the atrocities and actions they had made during the Vietnam War. At the end, he does not take any responsibility for his actions, and blames it all on LBJ. He also states that he thinks that if JFK were in office, things would have gone differently.
I am not sure how I feel about McNamara's sincerity in the film. He cries quite a bit, but I am not sure that he is crying because he genuinely feels bad, or if he is making himself cry only to appear that way. I was starting to believe him as the film progressed, but every inch of belief I had went out the window when he refused to take responsibility for any of the choices made during the Vietnam War. After viewing the film, I think that Robert McNamara filmed this documentary to make himself feel justified in his actions, not to apologize to all of those who had been badly affected by the decisions he had helped make.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Blog 11-RR
"Rambo 2" is a movie about John Rambo, a Vietnam veteran who is asked to go back to Vietnam and document by photograph and POW's that are left overseas. The movie is narrated through Rambo, whose point of view is that America has not supported their veterans properly and who has distrust for the government. Rambo is told by Murdock and the Colonel not to save the POW's, but just document their existance. He finds POW's, tries to rescue one, and Murdock aborts the mission, leaving Rambo stranded, again confirming the mistreatment of veterans by the government.
This movie was a bit unrealistic in that it is very improbable that one man could take down a whole base of soldiers, plus Russian soldiers, by himself. I think that this movie was made mainly for entertainment purposes, but it did have many subliminal messages throughout the film that fit with the time. One example was the Russian involvement with the north Vietnamese troops. This film was made in the 1980s, during the height of the Cold War, which helps with the appeal of the Russian troops being the "bad guys". Also, when the Colonel and Murdock get into a yelling match with each other, a lot of the sentiment that veterans felt after the Vietnam war came out, including that it was all about money and that the governnment, was in essence, deceiving the people of America.
There were major political undertones in this film, some including the ones listed above. The main political undertone was Rambo's distrust of the government establishment itself for what it had done to his life, and what had happened again while he went to Vietnam the second time to document the POWs. Mainly, this movie shows how veterans felt about how the American people and the government treated them once they returned home from the Vietnam War. They felt betrayed by their own people, and alone.
This movie was a bit unrealistic in that it is very improbable that one man could take down a whole base of soldiers, plus Russian soldiers, by himself. I think that this movie was made mainly for entertainment purposes, but it did have many subliminal messages throughout the film that fit with the time. One example was the Russian involvement with the north Vietnamese troops. This film was made in the 1980s, during the height of the Cold War, which helps with the appeal of the Russian troops being the "bad guys". Also, when the Colonel and Murdock get into a yelling match with each other, a lot of the sentiment that veterans felt after the Vietnam war came out, including that it was all about money and that the governnment, was in essence, deceiving the people of America.
There were major political undertones in this film, some including the ones listed above. The main political undertone was Rambo's distrust of the government establishment itself for what it had done to his life, and what had happened again while he went to Vietnam the second time to document the POWs. Mainly, this movie shows how veterans felt about how the American people and the government treated them once they returned home from the Vietnam War. They felt betrayed by their own people, and alone.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Blog 9- RR
The Deer Hunter is a coming home film about three friends, Mike, Nick, and Steve, who all experience the Vietnam War first hand. The movie is organized into three parts. The first part is when the friends are heading to war. Steve gets married a few days before they are shipped out, and the small mining town in which they live are congratulating them for going to war. Mike, Nick, and Steve are proud to go to war, as are their families, and they are given a hero's goodbye, not fully understanding what they are getting themselves into. There is one part in the film where they are at the wedding and a green beret sat down at the bar. The guys started to ask him questions about the war, and all he could say was "fuck it." This shows the reality of the war, and the way people who have been to the war felt afterward.
The second part of the film takes place in Vietnam, when the friends are at war. One of the first scenes that the second part emphasizes is the Russian Roulette that the guys are forced to play by the north Vietnamese soldiers, which foreshadows the rest of the movie, and ultimately is the reason for its end. The friends' attitudes are changing drastically at this point in the movie, and they no longer seem to be proud to serve their country.
The third part of the movie takes place right around the end of the Vietnam war. Steve had lost his legs, Mike got to return home, but Nick stayed in Vietnam. Nick had gone AWOL during the war, and had found a passion for the adrenaline rush and the lucrative earning opportunities found with Russian Roulette. This eventually ends his life when Mike travels back to Vietnam to play one last game, and Nick shoots himself. Mike had tried to convince him to come home and get out of the hell that they know as Vietnam, and Nick didn't even seem to recognize him. This shows the huge transformation that can happen to people once they've experienced something as horrible as war.
The "one shot" symbol throughout the movie was quite powerful. At first, Mike talks about the one shot when he is hunting deer, and how you only have one shot when hunting. It continues on as a symbol during the Russian roulette scenes as someone playing Russian Roulette only has one chance with the one shot. The overarching symbol for one shot, though, is the one shot at life one has. Mike and Steve realized this after leaving Vietnam. Unfortunately Nick did not, and his one shot ended his life.
This film is definitely an anti-war film. It shows how people can become brainwashed into thinking that doing something for one's country is the right thing to do, regardless of what is involved. Then, after experiencing it, they realize how awful what they were involved with was. It shows the devastation that war can have on the soldiers, the family of the soldiers, and everyone who's surrounded them in their lives, and what a terrible toll it can take on them. The film shows how much war changes people, their personalities, and the rest of their lives after the fact.
The second part of the film takes place in Vietnam, when the friends are at war. One of the first scenes that the second part emphasizes is the Russian Roulette that the guys are forced to play by the north Vietnamese soldiers, which foreshadows the rest of the movie, and ultimately is the reason for its end. The friends' attitudes are changing drastically at this point in the movie, and they no longer seem to be proud to serve their country.
The third part of the movie takes place right around the end of the Vietnam war. Steve had lost his legs, Mike got to return home, but Nick stayed in Vietnam. Nick had gone AWOL during the war, and had found a passion for the adrenaline rush and the lucrative earning opportunities found with Russian Roulette. This eventually ends his life when Mike travels back to Vietnam to play one last game, and Nick shoots himself. Mike had tried to convince him to come home and get out of the hell that they know as Vietnam, and Nick didn't even seem to recognize him. This shows the huge transformation that can happen to people once they've experienced something as horrible as war.
The "one shot" symbol throughout the movie was quite powerful. At first, Mike talks about the one shot when he is hunting deer, and how you only have one shot when hunting. It continues on as a symbol during the Russian roulette scenes as someone playing Russian Roulette only has one chance with the one shot. The overarching symbol for one shot, though, is the one shot at life one has. Mike and Steve realized this after leaving Vietnam. Unfortunately Nick did not, and his one shot ended his life.
This film is definitely an anti-war film. It shows how people can become brainwashed into thinking that doing something for one's country is the right thing to do, regardless of what is involved. Then, after experiencing it, they realize how awful what they were involved with was. It shows the devastation that war can have on the soldiers, the family of the soldiers, and everyone who's surrounded them in their lives, and what a terrible toll it can take on them. The film shows how much war changes people, their personalities, and the rest of their lives after the fact.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Blog 10 RR
The book "In Country" is a coming home story about the lives of people affected, both directly and indirectly, by the Vietnam War. The plot is based around Sam, a teenager who lost her father before birth in battle in Vietnam. She is much like other kids her age around the country who have also lost their family members in the war. However, her life is much different in that she also lives without a mother. Though her mother, Irene, is still alive, Sam lives with her uncle Emmett, a Vietnam vet, in the small town of Hopewell, Kentucky, while her mother lives with a new husband and new baby in Lexington. The main plot of the book is bookended by Sam's trip with her grandmother and uncle to the Vietnam War Memorial to see her father's name.
Throughout the book, we see Sam trying to constantly find out more about the Vietnam war through her uncle, Emmett, and his friends. We begin to see the signs of PTSD in Emmett, though Sam just thinks initially that it is just the way he is, though she is concerned that he may be sick because of Agent Orange. She specifically wanted to find out about the Vietnam war to see what her father had experienced and endured before his death. Sam also learns about herself throughout the book through different experiences, trying to figure out who she really is. She seems to get along so well with Emmett because they both feel lost, like they should be somewhere other than Hopewell. Emmett is haunted by the memories of the Vietnam War, and she is haunted by the history of her family that she really doesn't know.
The pop culture of the 1980s, as well as the Vietnam War era, was very prevalent throughout the entire book. We see the first glimpse of this when we learn that Sam and Emmett watch about 3 hours of television a night, including one hour of the then hit show, M*A*S*H, a show based on soldiers in Korea. We also see John Lennon, the Beatles, and Bruce Springsteen's music, specifically "Born in the USA", referenced in the book. The fact that Sam mentions it constantly shows the strong influence that this culture had on her. She connected with these artists because of how vocal they were against the war. She wanted to be vocal and to have her voice be heard, and wanted to learn about what really happened in Vietnam, but nobody was willing to listen or talk. It seems that she turned to music to connect with because she feels like she will learn who she is, and who her father was.
Throughout the book, we see Sam trying to constantly find out more about the Vietnam war through her uncle, Emmett, and his friends. We begin to see the signs of PTSD in Emmett, though Sam just thinks initially that it is just the way he is, though she is concerned that he may be sick because of Agent Orange. She specifically wanted to find out about the Vietnam war to see what her father had experienced and endured before his death. Sam also learns about herself throughout the book through different experiences, trying to figure out who she really is. She seems to get along so well with Emmett because they both feel lost, like they should be somewhere other than Hopewell. Emmett is haunted by the memories of the Vietnam War, and she is haunted by the history of her family that she really doesn't know.
The pop culture of the 1980s, as well as the Vietnam War era, was very prevalent throughout the entire book. We see the first glimpse of this when we learn that Sam and Emmett watch about 3 hours of television a night, including one hour of the then hit show, M*A*S*H, a show based on soldiers in Korea. We also see John Lennon, the Beatles, and Bruce Springsteen's music, specifically "Born in the USA", referenced in the book. The fact that Sam mentions it constantly shows the strong influence that this culture had on her. She connected with these artists because of how vocal they were against the war. She wanted to be vocal and to have her voice be heard, and wanted to learn about what really happened in Vietnam, but nobody was willing to listen or talk. It seems that she turned to music to connect with because she feels like she will learn who she is, and who her father was.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Blog 8-RR
In "Madagascar Plum", a former officer in the Sai Gon army tells the reader a story that relates to why he has PTSD. He tells the reader about a young girl who was found near the military camp, and comes to stay with the troop to assist the cook, Mr. Bay. They find that every night she sneaks out of camp with a bit of food, and returns before morning. The officer believes that the young girl is feeding the enemy, and becomes suspicious. He sends multiple troops out, and after unsuccessful searches, offers to go out himself. Two of his soldiers offer to go instead because the officer is drunk. The two soldiers don't return, but the girl does. The officer believes that the girl killed his soldiers, and starts to question her. He strapped explosives onto the young girl because she refused to talk, and blew her up. Momentarily after, his two soldiers returned to camp, and the officer realized he had made a grave mistake.
The story itself may have seemed a bit far-fetched, but could be somewhat true. However, we learn that the officer is a self-proclaimed alcoholic, which delegitimizes his recollection of the story. Also, he refuses to tell the bartender the story until after he's finished his drink. It seems that the officer would not have been able to tell the story sober for fear that he may have remorse for what he did. Alcohol is a way to prevent him from having to remember everything and feel sorrow. We see this in many examples of soldiers with PTSD; the soldiers drink away their traumatic experiences, anger, and sorrow to try to forget it all.
Another instance of his unreliability was in the camp with his two soldiers drinking whiskey. His two soldiers left to find the young girl, and the officer said that he continued to drink wine until he became foggy. This shows that based on his recollection, he isn't even sure what he was drinking. Based on this information, I do not believe that the narrator was reliable.
Another reason the narrator was not reliable is because of what happened at the very end of the story. It seems like the narrator is in a park now, looking at light posts, describing to the reader how they remind him of a lotus. In the last sentence, a woman asks the narrator if the village he spoke of in Vietnam was a village in the Central Highlands. This shows that he may not have even been inside a bar to begin with, and that he was talking to himself in the park, while drunk, about this event with the young girl that happened while he was fighting in the war. His cup of whiskey rolled onto the ground, glimmering in the moonlight. This is another reason why I do not think that the narrator was reliable.
The story itself may have seemed a bit far-fetched, but could be somewhat true. However, we learn that the officer is a self-proclaimed alcoholic, which delegitimizes his recollection of the story. Also, he refuses to tell the bartender the story until after he's finished his drink. It seems that the officer would not have been able to tell the story sober for fear that he may have remorse for what he did. Alcohol is a way to prevent him from having to remember everything and feel sorrow. We see this in many examples of soldiers with PTSD; the soldiers drink away their traumatic experiences, anger, and sorrow to try to forget it all.
Another instance of his unreliability was in the camp with his two soldiers drinking whiskey. His two soldiers left to find the young girl, and the officer said that he continued to drink wine until he became foggy. This shows that based on his recollection, he isn't even sure what he was drinking. Based on this information, I do not believe that the narrator was reliable.
Another reason the narrator was not reliable is because of what happened at the very end of the story. It seems like the narrator is in a park now, looking at light posts, describing to the reader how they remind him of a lotus. In the last sentence, a woman asks the narrator if the village he spoke of in Vietnam was a village in the Central Highlands. This shows that he may not have even been inside a bar to begin with, and that he was talking to himself in the park, while drunk, about this event with the young girl that happened while he was fighting in the war. His cup of whiskey rolled onto the ground, glimmering in the moonlight. This is another reason why I do not think that the narrator was reliable.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Blog 3 - AV It didn't let me put it in the comments because it was too long.
Tim O’Brien’s The Things they Carried, is a collection of stories from fictional characters that fought in the Vietnam War. The book starts off with a description of what the soldiers “carried” with them. This included both material, and immaterial things. Soldiers carried things that we considered “necessities” , such as weapons, water, canned food, and much more. Some more examples of material thing include letters from loved ones, “lucky charms” from loved ones, etc. O’Brien used the list of physical objects that soldiers carry to show the emotional burdens that these soldiers bear. One example is how many of the soldiers are struggling to distinguish between fantasy and reality. The reason why O’Brien decides to do is, so he can show the reader what it felt like in the war. He wants to show us that even when the soldiers weren’t in a fire fight, they were always struggling; some physically, others emotionally.
One example of this is Jimmy Cross. He is holding on to a letter from the love of his life, Martha. The letter is not a love letter, but every night, Jimmy sits there and fantasies about the life Martha, and the life that he plans on having with her after the war is over. He is not certain if Martha loves him, but he tries to make himself think that she does. The reason I believe that soldiers were fantasizing instead of being realistic, is because there was a war going on in the real world. There was nothing good in what they were doing every single day, killing people, and having to think about that every day is ideal for many people. Thus, they had no choice but to try and themselves feel happy, and the best way to do that is to fantasize about the people they left back and the life they were going to have after the war. Not many soldiers saw the negative effects of fantasizing but there are a few. One is that it interferes with the duties of being a soldier. They would get caught up into the idea too much, and lose sight of reality and the war, thus, putting their lives and the lives of fellow soldiers in dangerous.
One interesting concept that O’Brien explores is the idea of what a “hero” is. A “hero” in our society is someone who tries to make the world a better place, and puts other people needs before their own. In chapter 4, On the Rainy River, O’Brien starts talking about what a hero is. He does this through telling us war stories, and giving examples of people he saw as heroes. To O’Brien, a hero is someone who has the courage to stand by their convictions and is able to the hard decisions, and stick by them, which not many people can do. O’Brien shows us that he is not a hero. He failed to stand by his own beliefs, and go into Canada and not enlist in the war. However, he didn’t; shame and embarrassment caused him to return back to the states and enlist in a war he didn’t have any reason to believe in. Thus, a hero is not someone who sacrifices his own life for the greater good, or a life of another to save many more, but someone who is able to stand by his own beliefs and make decisions that no one else can.
Another concept that was very interesting in the book was truth vs. the true. Many people would consider these two words synonymous, and in a sense they are. However, in these stories I believe they’re a bit different. Truth, I think, is what really happened and what can be proven. The true, I believe, is also true, but not the ultimate truth. In one event, many people can perceive something in a different way, and when they tell what happened, they are telling their own perception of what happened, and that’s not necessarily a lie, but there can be many different versions of the story because everyone perceived it differently. So, the true, is what one single person perceives and believes happened, truth, is the ultimate truth.
The last chapter of the book, The Live of the Dead, O’Brien talks about the girl that he loved, Linda. Linda died at a very young age due to brain cancer. Linda’s death symbolizes O’Brien’s “loss of innocence” because with that event he experiences both love and death for the first time. This helped him throughout his time in Vietnam because he had dealt with the death of someone he loved prior to going to Vietnam.
This book was an amazing piece of writing. Although, this book may seem like a non-fiction, it’s actually a fiction. Both the characters and the stories within this book are fictional. However, the ideas behind the story is not made up, soldiers in Vietnam really did go through most of things found within this book. O’Brien does a great job getting the things that happened in Vietnam across to the reader through the use of fictional stories. This book was the kind that tried to show us what soldiers where feeling, and what they were going through. It wasn’t as much about fighting, as most war novels are. This book did a great job explaining to us what soldiers had to deal with in the war, besides the obvious.
Blog 12 JKK
“The Fog of War” is a film created about Robert McNamara, former Secretary of Defense. Robert McNamara was Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War and discusses his struggles in this film. One of the main reasons McNamara decided to make this film was to try and change the way the world viewed him. McNamara was controversial and often blamed for the Vietnam War. Through the documentary, he tried to clear his name and make people see that politicians are normal people too who make mistakes. He uses the documentary as a way to justify his actions in the Vietnam War and World War II. McNamara also made this movie to give advice to the future leaders of America through his eleven lessons so that others do not make the same mistakes he did.
After the lesson “get the data” the tone of McNamara seems to shift. He was confident in his decisions and the war up until that point. After talking about getting the data and learning about the Vietnamese people, he does not seem confident any longer. After talking about that lesson, he seems reluctant and regretful as he continues discussing the other lessons. He recognizes that he made a mistake and that sometimes rational people make irrational decisions.
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