Blog 11 S.S

Rambo 2 is a film about a Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. Rambo is approached by Colonel Samuel Troutman to go on a secret mission. The colonel Troutman believes that Rambo is the only one who is capable of handling this mission. Rambo is sent to Vietnam to take photographs of the POW’s but he wants to get the POW’s out. This movie is made from the point of view of a Vietnam veteran. This film was made primarily for entertainment purposes. Rambo 2 is just another action movie with an unrealistic story line. However this film does send out a message about the Vietnam War. The director George Cosmatos places a significant emphasis on the government's abandonment of its soldiers. This film highlights the fact that the government did not let the soldiers win the war because of their own agenda. Cosmatos hopes that the government will continue to support the troops. Money has been a driving factor of the government's policies of the war and its soldiers. Although the U.S did not win the Vietnam War, Rambo however does win the war because for him rescuing the POWs was like winning the war.

Blog 11 AO

"Rambo 2 First Blood" was seen through the point of view of a veteran from the Vietnam War. Rambo the veteran who all he knows to do is war, not able to fit back into society any longer. Through Rambo's assigned mission to simply just take pictures of the POW camps, and not to save their own soldiers. Aside from the unrealistic action packed scenes, the movie sends out the point of view of the film as an anti government film, by the military were more concerned with their reputation than being concerned for the lives and safety of their soldiers. For example when stated in the film, soldiers are just a tool, and government is the machine. Therefore this statement shows how officials in the government treated its soldiers and veterans. In their eyes they were meaningless, just used as tools. They were more concerned how their newest technology was running than the soldiers that were being held in POW camps.
Besides the purpose of the film to be made into a Hollywood action movie, the other purpose the film served was to show how the the United States treated their mistakes and losses in the Vietnam War, to show the real hidden truth in the military that is covered up in the media. In the film Rambo is fighting his own war within the US government to save the POW's. Which in return then gives no credit to the veterans after they gave everything they had to fight into the war.

Blog 11 BJR

Rambo 2 is seen through the eyes of a Vietnam War veteran, 10 years after the war has ended. John Rambo is serving time for his actions after the war in Washington, where he just tried to escape public persecution by the local sheriff and deputies. His captain from the war approaches him with a way out of jail, and Rambo takes the mission. The mission he is given is secretly just an attempt to please politicians and civilians alike. The military wants to show America that there are no more prisoners of war, and that no one was left behind. They give Rambo the mission to take photographs of the camp, which is supposed to be deserted at the time. Rambo does not see eye to eye with this idea and decides to take action and free the Americans.
The movie is simply an action-packed, testosterone filled adventure story. It is a classic example of the Hollywood hero genre. Rambo destroys nearly an entire army of Russians and North Vietnamese to rescue these men, and he does so with only a bow, knife, and what he views as the most powerful weapon, his brain. The action of this movie is unrealistic, yet captures the viewer’s attention and willingness to put aside logic and cheer for Rambo.
I think that this movie was made to be a blockbuster action movie, and not necessarily to reflect peoples feeling or sediments about the Vietnam War. There are some points that are brought up by the characters that do reflect different points of view of different people. The military views these soldiers as “forgotten ghosts” or simply “expendable”. The view of Rambo towards his country is similar to that of the thousands of veterans returning home to a hostile environment. These men were willing to kill, and even die for their country, yet after all that is done and gone, they are pushed aside and forgotten. Rambo makes us remember these men who served, and Rambo, like those who served, just wants “my country, to love me, as much as I love it”.

Blog 11 CT

“Rambo 2: First Blood” shows a much different perspective on the Vietnam War than we have seen in the past. The main character, Rambo, is seen as this macho man and all he knows is war. I felt that this movie was more focused on keeping the viewer happy, with its action pack and romantic twist. It did show a few valuable ideas about the military and the war in general. The movie shows how at some points in the war the military was not putting the safety of their soldiers first. They were more concerned with the image that the U.S. Army was giving off and the strong reputation they have to keep. Throughout the story we keep hearing the term, and this could relate to the new movie that he is in, expendable. This means that the government doesn’t necessarily care about your livelihood.

Rambo doesn’t necessarily have the job many veterans had. He has to go in search of POWs. It seems that this was chosen to make the storyline more action packed. This was the first movie we saw that emphasized we were the losers in the Vietnam War. Unlike Deer Hunter, this movie makes it clear when it gets brought up in a question “if we can win this time.” It is important to not take the scenes as literarily what happened during the Vietnam War, although it does have good dialogue.

Overall, this movie showed how focused Sylvester Stallone movies can be on action and less on events that actually happened. The dialogue can help show a different side of the war than we are not use to seeing through the movies we have watched. This is a good example of a film that might have the plot of a war that actually happened, but it is solely made for entertainment purposes.

Blog 11 CA

Rambo: First Blood ( Part 2 ) is the second movie in the "Rambo" movie series. Rambo: First Blood was directed by George P. Cosmatos in the year of 1985. As most other Sylvester Stallone movies, Rambo is based on pure action and heroism. The story is told from veteran John Rambo's point of view. The movie portrays American patriotism and heroism despite the governments lack of support and gratefullnes. The movie catches the general view towards the war: a view of mistrust to the government and undeniable acknowledgement towards the veterans.
The movie Rambo is a representation of the Vietnam veterans feelings: exceeding expectations and a sense of being neglected and mislead by the government. We can see throughout the movie, that the war hero Rambo is treated very poorly by his own government. He is punnished for his heroism and love to his country and is left to die by his own government. This is a notion which many Vietnam soldiers felt during and after the war. One can also analyze that the only ones that really do care about the soldiers well-being, are the soldiers themselves, and not the government. This can clearly be seen throughout the movie, where Rambo is heroicly trying to rescue the POWs, while the government punishes him for doing so.
In order to get these ideas across, the movie uses heroism to the extend where it seems overwhelming. The impossible missions are being completed by the hero Rambo with excellence. As a result; the movie comprises of hardcore action and aggression. This notion of perfection is enhanced with strong quotes throughout the movie.

Blog 11 - AV

Rambo 2 is a film about an American soldier, John Rambo, who was sent back to Vietnam after the war to rescue POWs from the war. He is prepared to do this for his fellow soldiers, but he knows that the government isn’t very concerned with his life, thus he’ll have to look out for himself at all times.

The point of view of this movie is of a soldier who risked his life in the Vietnam War for years, but ended up not winning the war due to US orders to withdraw from the war. Rambo seems to have a grudge against the US government, not only because they pulled out of Vietnam too early, but also due to how he and other veterans where treated after the war. He feels that the government left may soldiers who were captured behind and never went back for them. The government sends Rambo on his mission, but what they really want to get out of it is photos that show there are no more POWs left in Vietnam. When Rambo gets to Vietnam, he doesn’t take pictures but instead decides to take actions into his own hand and save the POWs.

This movie seems to have been made primarily for entertainment purposes. This is a action packed film, with an unrealistic plot. Rambo is made out to be the classic hollowed hero. He goes is and destroys an entire village, all on his own. Rambo 2 was also made to transmit an important message about the government and soldiers. Not only didn’t the government let these soldier, who had risked so much, finish and win the war, they also abandoned a number of them after the war. The US government needs to start caring about its soldiers and start supporting them.

Blog 11 LW

Rambo 2 is seen through the point of view of John Rambo, a Vietnam veteran who is quite disgruntled about the results of the war. As shown in the beginning of the film he has not been able to return to a normal life in the United States as he is put in prison. He feels betrayed by his own country, believing that he is just a pawn in the hands of the U.S. Army and his life has no value to them. This proves to be true as Rambo learns that his mission to find American POW’s is a ploy by the U.S Army to show that they made an effort to find POW’s but to not bring them back. The rest of the film shows Rambo single-handedly rescuing the POW’s and exacting revenge on the Russian, Vietnamese, and U.S. military.

Rambo 2 is a highly unrealistic film. It was clearly made for action junkies and admirers of Sylvester Stallone. But the movie also illustrates the point that the U.S. Army and the government are both corrupt organizations that take the lives of soldiers for granted. Through interference from the government the soldiers were not allowed to do their jobs and win the war, whatever that might have meant. For Rambo, winning the war would have been to rescue the POW’s, which the government tried to prevent him from doing. It also goes to show that one cannot always trust what is portrayed in the media concerning foreign affairs in general, because often times many things are covered up in the attempt to keep morale and support high.

Blog 11 JKK

Rambo 2: First Blood is a movie about a green beret soldier who goes back to Vietnam to rescue POW’s that were left behind. Rambo is assigned a special mission to go into Vietnam and take pictures of the POW’s at the camps in Vietnam. Rambo was also specifically told to not help save them. This movie is told from the point of view of a disgruntled Vietnam veteran who is unhappy at America for not supporting the soldiers.

In the beginning of the movie, Rambo explains how he believes he is expendable to the United States government. The government does not care about his life and sends him into in an extremely dangerous Vietnam camp. Once in Vietnam, Rambo goes to the camp and sees that there are many POW’s there that are suffering. He is able to rescue one of them and on their way to the rescue helicopter, the Americans are given orders to abort the mission and leave Rambo and the POW there to die. This shows how America did not support the soldiers in Vietnam. The military left Rambo and the POW in Vietnam to die because they did not want any proof that there were more soldiers left in Vietnam. The United States wanted to look like the good guys in the situation and did not want any more bad press about the war. Rambo becomes angrier at America and the military and vows to find Murdock when he returns to America.

This film was made to show how the soldiers were treated when they returned from the Vietnam War. Many soldiers came back with PTSD and were shaken up from war. Instead of being supportive and helping them, America treated them badly because they were against the war itself. They were not cheered and praised for the great job they did and returning alive. They were put down and not seen as brave or special in any way. The film shows how the military and government did not really care about the veterans and the soldier in Vietnam. The soldier had to confide in each other and help each other to get the proper treatment they needed.

Blog 11 JV

Rambo: First Blood Part II is a movie about a Vietnam War veteran who is sent back to Vietnam to go look for POW’s from the war. He is highly qualified for the mission but also he explains how he is “expendable” to the military. This meaning that they are not very concerned with his life.

The movie shows the point of view of a soldier who has a grudge with the war and to how the soldiers were treated after it. When Rambo is first approached about the mission he asks Colonel Trautman, “Sir, do we get to win this time?” This shows Rambo’s grudge with the war and how the American side was not a winner. When in Vietnam on the river boat with Co he tells her how after returning to America he was faced with another kind of war. He says he was in a “war against all the soldiers returning, it’s the kind of war don’t win.” Rambo feels mistreated as a veteran of the war after returning home. The idea of Rambo being an “expendable” soldier is also seen when the helicopter is ordered to abort the rescue. The movie is showing how the soldiers were mistreated by corrupt government officials.

Although the political aspect of soldiers versus the government is shown throughout the movie, the main motivation of the movie, like other Stallone movies, is just action based. Rambo performs almost impossible maneuvers in order to survive the movie with barely any harm done to him. This is all done while killing dozens of Vietnamese practically by himself. It is a movie that would entertain action loving people and without much more depth than a soldiers resentment. Rambo ends the movie by explaining that he just wants the country to love the soldiers as much they love it.

Blog 11 EP

Rambo 2 is a film about an american soldier who is sent over to Vietnam after the war in order to rescue stranded POWs. The point of viewof this movie is that the Americans who served in Vietnam were forgotten by their country. The operation that John Rambo is sent on is disguised as one to rescue POWs. It turns out that the mission is just a front so that the governemnet can say that there are no remaining POWs. This shows the utter lack of concern for the Americans who served from the point of view of the government. It seems that the only one who cares about the imprisoned soldiers is a fellow soldier, Rambo. Throughout the film Rambo makes comments about how the government never cared for the soldiers sent to serve, many of whomgreatly loved their country. Rambo's hope at the end of the film is that someday the american government will care for the soldiers as much as the soldiers care for it. At the time it was clearly not the case with the government's attempts to wash their hands of the POW situation and leave them there.
This film was primarily made for entertainment purposes. At its heart this movie is a pure action film with huge amounts of rediculous violence and killing. Along with the highly unfeasable plot line it is easy to view Rambo 2 as just a "bubble gum" film. Rambo 2 however does have a social message mixed in with all of the action. The maker of the film puts alot of focus on the government's abondonment of its soldiers. The film highlights the fact that the soldiers were not allowed to win the war because of government policies. The film also hopes that the government will continue to support the troops and not just focus everything about money. Money has been a driving factor of the government's treatment of the war and its soldiers. The film wants the government to take some social responsibility and take care of its people.

Blog 9

The Deer Hunter is a movie about the Vietnam War. The movie is separated into three parts. The parts are prewar, during the war, and postwar. This is considered a "coming home" film, because it shows the postwar issues in the third part of the war. This shows different affects of the war among the three friends that went into the Vietnam War.
The first part of the movie is focused on Steve's wedding and the group of friends going deer hunting. Steve has a Polish wedding and it shows how all the friends are really close to each other. They all work at a steel melting industry. I felt that they lived on the edge, because they were doing dangerous things such as working at their job and racing a truck. During the wedding there were a couple of foreshadowing. The first was the green beret that said "fuck it" when ever Mike asked a question this showed how the war had affected him. The second foreshadowing was when Angie dripped some of the wine that would have given them good luck. This later will come in play because she becomes mute. During the deer hunting I felt the killing of the deer was symbolic because this is similar to what Mike would have to do in the Vietnam War.
The first part ties in with the "coming home" topic because they had a place they really wanted to come back home to. Nick tells Mike that he really liked the place and wanted Mike to promise he would take him back no matter what. Pennsylvania was their home and all they knew about. This gave a more importance on when they did come home and everyone had to adjust to the changes.
The first part also gives a lot of foreshadowing that would affect later parts of the movie. The green beret foreshadowed how the friends would be like when they came back home. Steve left his home and stayed at a military hospital while Nick went AWOL and gambled at a Russian roulette gambling ring. The second part was when Angie spilled the wine and foreshadowed bad things to happen. This came true when she became mute after the shock of Steve leaving her and the changes he made. The pistol one of the friends had kind of foreshadowed the Russian roulette.
This movie is a anti war movie because it shows the brutality of war and what happens after the war. The first part shows a happy gang hanging out and enjoying themselves. Yet after the war everything falls apart. Linda misses Nick so she goes into the comfort of Mike. While Angie goes mute and is separated from Steve. Nick goes AWOL and decided to constantly gamble his life in Russian Roulette. Yet there is patriotism when they sing "America the Beautiful."

Blog 10 S.S

In the Novel “In Country” by Bobby Ann Mason, she tells a coming of age story about a young girl Sam. Sam’s father died in the Vietnam War and she is on a journey to discover who her father was and how he died. Sam’s maternal uncle Emmett is a Vietnam War veteran who is trying to forget the past and move on.

This novel begins with Sam, Emmett and Mamaw, on a trip to Washington D.C. to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. For Sam this trip is significant because she will pay respects to her late father learn more about the war and. In trying to find out who her father is, Sam is also trying to discover herself as a person. Sam tries to learn more about the Vietnam War by talking to the veterans and talking to Emmett. Emmett is a Vietnam veteran, who became extremely unstable after returning from the war. Sam and Emmett start becoming close and start watching episodes of the TV sitcom MASH. It is not until the end of the novel Sam realizes that the war has had huge toll on Emmett’s life. These two characters discover their identities through their journeys. Sam learns about herself while trying to discover her father’s story. The story of Sam and Emmett are similar because they both feel lost. Sam is trying to discover her past while Emmett cannot move on from past as he suffers from PTSD.
Popular culture was significant in the novel. There are several instances of popular culture because it was a medium that anti-war messages were relayed. There are several instances made in the book about Bruce Springsteen’s song Born in the USA. Although this song came out in 1984 it became a popular anti government song during the 80’s. The timing is important because it came out a few years after the Vietnam Memorial opened up.

Blog 10 CT

In the novel In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason we see, once again, the story about the Vietnam War, but it truly contains more. We see the search for Sam’s identity through her childhood after growing up without a father, due to the Vietnam War. The time that this novel was written falls right in line with many kids who were growing up without fathers because of the war, right around the early eighties.

Sam has experienced childhood much differently than most teenagers growing up, not only without a father, but she also grows up without her mother too. Sam wanted to find out more about her father so she decides that it would be best if she lives with her uncle Emmett. She doesn’t learn much just through Emmett besides the fact that war has a taken a toll on Emmett. He uses marijuana to get away and wonders if he will ever find a wife to be happy with.

Sam spends much of her teenage years wondering about her father, until she gets a hold of her father’s diary and finds out many things that disappoint her. Through her father's racism and drug use Sam begins to feel very disappointed of her father and grows a strong hatred toward him. Positive things come out of these findings though. Sam finds an identity of her own through this and no longer tries to relive what he did, to try to find out what he was like. The final part shows Sam going to the wall and I think the most important part of this is when she sees herself in the wall. She not only sees someone with the same name but she sees her own reflection while looking at this man’s name. When looking at the other Sam written on the wall she doesn’t think of a veteran who died fighting for his country, but she thinks of herself and how she wants to live her life.

Blog 10 JKK

In Bobbie Ann Mason’s, In Country, the main character Samantha sees the effects of the Vietnam War from living with her Uncle and Grandma. The story is not told from the battle fields of the Vietnam War, but from the home of a veteran who is suffering from PTSD. Throughout the book Samantha struggles to find herself and live a normal life because of all the emotions left over from the war that surrounds her. The war affected her family and her everyday life very much. The story focuses on the emotional destruction the war left behind and how it continued to do so for so long.

Samantha’s father died in the war, leaving her mother widowed and Samantha personally affected by the war. Her mother remarried and left Samantha to live with her Uncle and Grandma, which shows just how powerful the affects of war are. Samantha’s family was torn apart because of the Vietnam War and the lasting affects it has.

The story takes place in 1984, 10 years after the Vietnam War. This shows that the PTSD Samantha’s uncle experiences is very serious and shows the horrible hold the war had on him. The time also shows that the emotions and memories from the Vietnam War stayed with her uncle so much that they affected her 10 years after the war as well. The people in her family still struggle to live a normal life even after being away from war for so long.

Pop culture plays a role in this story because Samantha is part of a generation that thrives on it. The generation of her uncle and father had a pop culture that was all about the war and nothing else. Samantha tries to understand their popular culture by watching MASH and trying to live in their shoes. Bruce Springsteen’s song “Born in the USA” play a large role in the story to show the divide in the generations. The title of the song and the repetitive lyrics show the influence of Samantha’s generation because they focus on “Born in the USA”. Some of the lyrics in the song are “I had a buddy in Khe Sahn fighting off the Viet Cong They’re still there, he’s all gone…” This portion of the song shows how Samantha’s uncle felt about the war and how the generations were radically split.

Blog 10 AO

"In Country" is looked at more of a coming home novel than a war novel. The book takes place in a little town in Hopewell, Kentucky in the 1980's. The novel shows both the physical and emotional effects on veterans after the war has been over for some time. Also the post war effects on those lives that were close to veterans, such as Sam growing up with Emmett.
The setting of the novel was also very significant in the little town of Hopewell, that was a symbol of the effects on war on an individual. There was little hope or opportunity within the town, which was also true for the individual veterans like Emmett and Tom. Also the effects on Sam's life she could not move out of the town for higher opportunities because her life was revolving around the the people who close to her in Hopewell. For example when Sam states, "Her whole life centered on two men at the mercy of the V.A" (p. 129). This shows the great effects on those people who needed to give constant care to those effected by the war, since no one else like the V.A was taking any responsibility.
Also popular culture was a reoccurring theme in the book, this shows the importance of both music and media that was important for the post war time. Such as artists like John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen were brought up frequently. Music was very popular for a coping mechanism, that was highly influenced by the Vietnam War. For example when Sam turns on the radio, and shes hoping to listen to the Bruce Springsteen song, she states, "Somehow there was a secret knowledge in his songs, as though he knew exactly what she was feeling" (p. 138). This is a clear example of why many people turned to this culture of music in order to help cope and understand the effects of the war.

Blog 10 CA

"In Country" by Bobbie Ann Mason has a very different and new approach to the Vietnam War. The reader, gradually finds out about the Vietnam War, through Sam Hughes and her interaction with her Uncle Emmet Smith and his veteran friends. However the reader, not only gets a picture of Vietnam, but also a picture of a teenagers curiosity and mental growth. The book has many contributing factors to the main story of Vietnam. A love story, the story of struggling veterans and a lonely, small, town. It also analyzes the popular culture which, in the sense of timing, has an important role in the novel.
The story and context of the novel could simply be described by a quote by Emmet Smith: " Sam's got Nam on the Brain.". Throughout the book we follow Sam investigate the Vietnam War which has left visible inprints on her uncle and has caused the death of her father. Other than her deep interest in the war, and its effects, the reader also whitnesses her love life and can follow the teenagers life at a turning point, where she has to grow up and make crucial decisions like her higher education. The book also portrays her relationships with her mother and uncle.
Emmet and his veteran friends are very common examples of war veterans. Confusion, unsocial behaviour and emptiness is a major part of their lives. His lack of communicating and establisihing healthy relationships, financial and psychological problems that haunt him portray the effect of the war and its never ending agony.
The effect of capitalism and pop culture on the American Lifestyle is represented throughout the novel. We can see such symbols as Pepsi and McDonalds are constantly seen in the novel and represent the cultural changes in the United States especially in the 1980s and the increased consumption and its effects on Hopewell and its society. One of the examples that could be given is the daily breakfasts at McDonalds.
The novel "In Country" by Bobbie Ann Mason is a novel which analyzes the life of a teenager that is affected by war, relationships and pop cultural changes and shows the decisions she takes as a result of these factors.

Blog 10 BJR

Besides being just another war novel, In Country, by Bobbie Ann Mason can be seen as a book about growing up in the post Vietnam era, the effects of the war on veterans, a love story, and in general about a post war America.
The book takes place in Hopewell, Kentucky during the early 1980’s. The war has been over for over five years, and the people who were not affected by the war directly are starting to get over it, or at the very least are getting back to the way things were. That is why there is so much miscommunication between the characters, and overall people just not understanding each other, the veterans especially. The place in which they live is similar to most places where soldiers came from. A majority of the soldiers came from these rural, small town America, type places, and the characters in this book are no different. I believe that Mason chose this setting because it can be any Vietnam veteran that she is talking about, and not just one or two specifically.
Over and over again we see references to pop culture in the book. I think that the author includes these because the story is about a young girl growing up in America, and the pop culture is a heavy influence on her, whether it is from watching M*A*S*H, or listening to Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. Most of these popular culture references tie into the war in some manner. People were very vocal in this period of time, and that contributed to how Sam grows up.
When they all finally make I tot the Vietnam Memorable, I think that Sam is finally really able to connect with the veterans, especially Emmet and her father. Overall, I think that this is just the story of a young American girl trying to find some answers all while growing up and trying to live a normal lifestyle.

Blog 10 - AV

The book In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason provided me with a whole difference and new perspective of the Vietnam War and the people it affected. Aside from being considered a war book, this book can also considered a love story, a story about PTSD, about the effects of war on families, and a coming of age story.

The story focuses mostly on Sam’s life and her relationships. Sam is trying to figure out her own life; trying to figure out she is. She keeps asking her family and other vets about the war and especially her father. Her family has told her so many good things about her father, so she looks up to him. Even though she has learned a lot about her father, she won’t stop. She keeps on looking for more. When she finally learns the truth about her father, through a diary, she sees why her family was trying to shelter her and keep her from the truth. She finds out her father was an alcoholic and had killed a lot of people. When she figures out the truth, she is disappointed but at the same time, glad. This person she had been look up to her whole life turns out to be an alcoholic. This helped her shape up her own life because she had no one to look up to. She was in charge of creating her own life from scratch and be as successful as she wanted.

Mason has decided to include a lot of popular culture references in this book. The main reason why authors reference popular culture in their books is to make it more relatable to younger generations. In this book, however, the music, for example, is put in to show how songs like Bruce Springstein’s Born in the USA, meat a lot to soldiers because it was the only way they were able to feel close to home. Hearing American music gave them feeling of being back home and listening to the radio.

The setting of this book is also very important because it takes place in a town called Hopewell, KY. This is a small town, but the irony is that Sam has these big plans for her life, to get out of this small town. The name of the town is also symbolic because it shows that people living there are all trying to get a better life than they have.

Overall, this was a good book. It wasn’t your typical war novel, but at the same time provided a good deal of information about the war. One thing that most books don’t show, and this did, was how the war effected family members of those soldiers fighting in the war.

Blog 10 LW

In Country besides being a war novel is most importantly a coming of age story. The protagonist, Sam, is on a constant search to find herself by desperately seeking answers to her questions about the war. She delves deep into her past by constantly asking Irene, Emmett, and other vets about what the war was like and about her father. As she learns more and more about these subjects, she finally begins to understand why her family sheltered her from the truth. However, her journey is frustrating, as she spends most of the novel blaming her father and Emmett for the way they acted, when she had no idea what they had been through.

The time and setting of In Country is all too important in conveying its message. It takes place in a small town called Hopewell in Kentucky, in the 1980’s when the Vietnam War Memorial was constructed and completed. The name of the town is ironic because the small town represents a place of little opportunity. Sam toys with the idea of leaving town like her mother had because she refuses to be stuck there. She constantly thinks about her friend Dawn and how her life will go nowhere being married with a baby. She loses all interest in Lonnie and becomes obsessed with getting a car so she can escape one day. Hopewell is also a symbol for Emmett’s lack of hope. In this small town, everyone knows Emmett and cannot understand his lack of drive and his life that seems to be frozen in time.

This novel takes place when the Vietnam War Memorial was completed. The most pivotal event in the book was at the end when Sam, Emmett, and Mamaw take a road trip to see the Wall. This seems to mark the end of Sam’s journey because she, like the rest of the country, finally realizes that the men who fought in this war deserved to be remembered and honored. She finally has a connection with her father, and Emmett seems to be relieved from the pain he has suffered for fourteen years.

Mason litters the novel with hundreds of references to popular culture, from television programs to song lyrics to Pepsi Cola. Especially with regards to music, in Vietnam one of the only signs of home for the soldiers was American music playing on the radio. Mason references Bruce Springstein’s Born in the U.S.A a lot. This is a song that resonated with a lot of veterans as it was a shot at the U.S. government and the war itself. Emmett and Sam’s fascination with the Korean War television show, M*A*S*H, is what inspires Sam’s curiosity about the war in Vietnam. She and Emmett bond over watching hours upon hours of the show. In Country is much deeper than a war novel; it is a story of love, hardship, and growing up.

Blog 10 EP

In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason is the story of a teenage girl who lives with her Vietnam veteran uncle. This novel could be seen in many ways. In Country could be seen as a love story, a story about post traumatic stress and the effects of the war on veterans, a story about family and a story about America in the 1980's. The novel focuses alot on the bond between family members and comrades. Within Sam's family there is obviously alot of love present between herand her uncle Emmett. Also the reader sees a lot of comraderie among veterans. All of these men share an experience that no one else can fathom. They also share their stuggles with the effects of the war. They all experience complications from the war and have an unspoken knowledge of what eachother suffers through. The novel takes place at a time when the plight of the vietnam veteran had taken a backseat in the collective conscious of America. They were left to fend for themsleves. Veterans had either grabbed the opportunity and made a successful career or left by themsleves to deal with their problems. Even the governement had left these men behind. The government refused to recognize the effects of agent orange on its soldiers.
The novel also portrays the situation in america during the 1980's. Times were changing and this was evident in the popular culture and music present throughout the novel. The music was full of memories of the effects of the vietnam war on the entire culture. Later music had that same anger within that grew from the turmoil of the era. Bruce springsteen and the image of America present in his music is often noted. His music is full of lyrics that speak to Sam and her attempts to find the truth about where she came from. Though it can be said that In Country is a war novel it is really much more. In Country is a love story, and a story about the physical and psycological toll of the war and also the current state of America in the 1980's.

Blog 9 JKK

The Deer Hunter is a “coming home” film. The movie shows the main characters at home before they go to war, at war, and when they return from Vietnam. The three main characters, Nick, Michael, and Steven are seen in these 3 stages and their transformations are extreme.
In the first hour of the film the main characters have a very close relationship and love to drink and goof around with each other. They are all very excited to go to war and are proud to be serving their country. The friends attend Stephens wedding and have a great time dancing and drinking together. It is very clear to the audience that these men are all very close and love each other, their families, and their girlfriends. The wedding shows just how much these men will be leaving behind and how much it means to them. The men see a Green Beret sitting at the bar and ask him what the war was like. He is a very quiet man who creepily stares and walks around the party. It is obvious that he does not fit in with the normalcy that is going on at the party and that he struggles to adapt. The Green Beret responds to the men by saying “Fuck it.” And the characters just laugh and walk away. The audience can clearly see the brotherhood between these men and the close ties they share before they leave for war.
The next portion of the film shows the men in Vietnam in combat. They are captured and are seen playing Russian roulette with the Vietnamese against their will. It is clear that they all fear for their lives being at war. They are all afraid and upon their escape one of the characters says “I want to go home”. When they return from Vietnam, they are all significantly altered by the events that took place. Nick did not even come home with the other men and stayed in Vietnam gambling and playing Russian roulette. Stephen lost both of his legs and feels inadequate and feels embarrassed and ashamed of his condition. Michael was so shaken up by the war he could not bear to go to his own coming home party and avoided everyone he loved before going to war. The men no longer joke around with each other and have carefree fun. They are very serious and the drastic change can be seen by everyone around them.
The Deer Hunter is definitely and anti-war film by showing how awful the combat is and the after affects. The film showed the audience the whole story of these men and really captured the before and after of their lives. The men were broken down and can no longer show the emotions of love and caring the way they once did. This movie shows all of the negative aspects of the war and the transformations a soldier would undergo during and after the war.

Blog 9 AO

The film "The Deer Hunter", was a "coming home" film that showed the lives of three working class young men before leaving for the war, and after returning from the war. The film mostly focuses on the mental impacts from the war on both the young soldiers and ones who were close to them back home. Through expressing all these damaging effects of the war the film proves to be an anti-war film.
The first part of the movie shows what life was like for the young soldiers in a small working class town in Pennsylvania, which represented a large porportion of American soldiers in the Vietnam War. These soldiers seemed to live care free without having any knowledge of the potential factors of volunteering for the war. The hard working class town showed to be very patriotic and supportive of their soldiers going into the war. This represented the type of uneducated soldiers that were fighting the war.
The rest of the film was split up into mainly two more sections, one of the three soldiers in Vietnam War territory, and then the mental side effects on the soldiers which changed what was home for them. Each soldier was negatively affected from the war. For example Nick never returned home, because he lost himself to the gaming world in Vietnam due to not recovery mentally from the russian roulette incident. While Steve after losing both of his legs found he was most comfortable living in a veteran hospital, where he was not able to communicate with his fiance and friends at home. For Mike, there was higher sings of hope, but he still could not overcome the distance between himself and his true hoem. Overall the film represented a story of the effects from a war story that happened to many soldiers in the Vietnam War. In doing so the film was clearly made to be an anti-war film showing the effects of the young soldiers lives that were taken advantage of.

Blog 9 BJR

The Deer Hunter movie is a story of three friends who go to Vietnam to fight, and how they deal with their lives after the war. Before the war, Mike, Nick, and Steve are all close friends who work together in a steel mill, and spend most of their time together. The first hour of the movie revolves around Steve’s wedding, and the group’s final hunting trip. At the wedding, which is also the going away party for the men, everyone is dinking and in a merry mood, yet when a Green Beret comes to the bar, the mood of Mike, Nick, and Steve change. They see what has become of someone who has served in the war, and how things might not turn out as they predict. On the final hunting trip, Mike is able to kill a buck with his “one shot”. This idea of a one shot will come back to haunt him later on in the movie.
While they are separated in Vietnam, they are reunited, yet promptly are captured, where they are forced to play Russian roulette against each other. This form of torture plays mind games on the men, and slowly makes them mentally deteriorate. During the escape, Nick is separated, and is not heard of for some time. Later on in the move we find that the lure of Russian roulette draws both Nick and Mike back to the Saigon underground, where they see each other, yet are unable to talk.
After the war, all three have separate issues that prevent them from returning to their prewar lives. Mike simply does not feel that be belongs and often feels the need to get out and to go away for a break. On the second hunting trip, he is able to get a clear shot at a buck, yet he deliberately misses the shot to allow the buck to live, possibly feeling that he has already taken enough lives. Steve, who has lost both of his legs, want to remain in the veterans hospital, because they treat him well, and he does not believe that he will be able to go about life in a normal manner. He has also not been able to see anyone who was not in the war until Mike takes him out. Nick has the most problems when it comes to dealing with his life. He went AWOL and remained in Saigon for the years after his release. He has been playing Russian roulette and been sending the money back to the states. Perhaps it is the feeling that rushes trough him that keeps him there, but we will never know. When Mike returns to try and retrieve Nick, Nick has no recollection of Mike, until they are playing each other at the game they know so well. The one shot that killed the first buck, also took Nick’s life. One shot can change and will change everything. These men are living one shot at a time, much like the game they play.
In the end I think that this movie is more pro- soldiers than anything else. It shows the commitment that they have to each other, and the chances they are willing to take for each other. Before they left, Nick told Mike that he did not want to be left in Vietnam, and even though he did not died as anticipated, Mike still brought this body home. In the end they all help each other, as they try to get back to what they were, although that may never be possible.

Blog 9 JV

The Deer Hunter is a movie that portrays the life of three soldiers on their days before entering the war, during, and after the war. The start of the movie shows the relationship of the men and how tight of a group they are before the war. Although they will soon be going off to Vietnam they are preoccupied by their friend Steven’s marriage. Even though they are celebrating the war is in the back of all of their minds.

In one of the opening scenes you see the men in Mike’s Cadillac and Nick challenges Mike to pass a big truck on the inside. This foreshadows Nick’s need for risk and gamble. It also shows Mike’s fearlessness as he does it without thinking twice. Nicks continued need to wager is shown at the bar where he bets on the billiard game and also on the football game.

Back at Michael and Nick’s trailer the topic of “one shot” is introduced and how Mike strongly believes in the philosophy. “You have to think about one shot. One shot is what it's all about. The deer has to be taken with one shot. I try to tell people that, they don't listen.” Mike believes that this the humane and less cruel way of killing a deer. Later in the movie during the second hunting trip Mike is unable to take his “one shot” on a deer due to his inability to take another life. The term “one shot” is also the last Nick utters before pulling his last trigger. This shows how devastating only one shot can be.

Throughout the film there is a great change for all three men caused by the effects of the war. Nick seems to be most affected as he continues to heavy gamble, even with his own life. Nick battles the need to find an adrenaline rush like that of the war. This need leads to his eventual death in a deadly game of Russian roulette.

I believe the film is neither pro or anti war. The film allows the viewer an insight on the tragedies of what happens. It shows the emotions and damages that the war brought and gives the viewer a lasting impression far after the movie is over. The movie makes the viewer take a deeper look to what the soldiers went through.

Blog 9 - AV

The Deer Hunter by Michael Cimino was by far one of my favorite movies of this course so far. This movie portrays the life of three good friends on their time before the war, during, and after the war. The beginning of the movie is all about the lives of these three good friends, and all of their friends, before the war. Prior to the war, they all attend their friend Steven’s wedding. All are drinking and dancing, no one shows that they are thinking about the war. A little into the movie we see the guys in Mike’s car, and Nick challenges Mike to pass a big truck. This shows that these are young men that like to take risks, and go on adventures. Mike takes Nick on without thinking about the risks involved. It shows that he’s fearless and doesn’t think about what could happen to him at all. Throughout the first few scenes we see Nick’s need to gamble and bet on football games, billiard games, etc. We see later in the movie what this urge to gamble leads him to.

Later in the movie, the men decide to go on a hunting trip for one last time before they’re shipped to Vietnam. In Mike’s trailer, the idea of “one shot” comes up. Mike believes that you have to kill the animal you’re hunting in one shot because that’s the only humane way of doing it. This idea of one shot is brought up again later into the movie, when Mike returns from the war and goes hunting again with his friends. However, this time, he wasn’t able to take his “one shot” even though he had an open shot. This showed that the war had affected Mike, even though he was very good at hiding it. I think he saw the deer as an innocent helpless person, like those in the war, and wasn’t able to kill it. “One shot” is also the last thing that Nick says when he pulls the trigger and kills himself. This shows how just one shot can be very devastating.

During the movie, we see how all these guys were affected by the war. Even though Mike seemed to not have been affecting that much, I believe he has but is good at hiding it. We see that Nick is probably the only one affected the most, emotionally. His urge to gamble, from the beginning of the movie, got him mixed up with Vietnamese playing Russian roulette, and risking his own life. I think that Nick needed something risky and exciting to do, and the “one shot” game fulfilled his urge of gambling as well as his need for excitement.

In my opinion this film is neither pro nor anti-war. It shows both the negative effects that the war had on people but at the same time it shows that Americans wanted to go and fight willingly. The three men all signed up to go war they weren’t drafted. This movie game viewers a deeper look into what soldiers went through emotionally, and not so much fighting and killing in the war.

Blog 9 LW

“The Deer Hunter” can be considered a “coming home” film because it shows the lives of three soldiers before the war, during it, and how their lives were forever changed after coming home. The first hour of the film shows Mike, Nick, and Steven’s pre-war life at home with their friends. There is a great deal of foreshadowing in this part as the men go deer hunting and Mike stresses his “one shot” strategy. Of course, this comes back into play when the men are at war and must survive the deadly round of Russian roulette. It only takes one shot to end a man’s life, as seen in Nick’s death in the final minutes of the film.

At Steven’s wedding, the friends are all merrily dancing and very drunk, and everyone in attendance is proud of the men going to war to serve their country. The men discover a Green Beret that has seen the war. This part foreshadows the life that the friends are in store for. Their lives will be forever changed as the Green Beret’s had. Steven’s new wife Angela also spills the drink on her dress, a sign of bad luck. Angela becomes very sick and Steven loses his legs while in Vietnam.

The rest of the movie pushes the men to their mental brink. Their near-death experience playing Russian roulette changes them in a way that they cannot recover from. Upon returning home, Mike cannot stand to be in his own home anymore, tortured over not knowing where his friends are. He cannot return to his “one shot” hunting style, unable to shoot the deer again. Steven wishes not to return home to his life because he is ashamed of his amputation. Nick stays in Vietnam, addicted to drugs and risking his life night by night to play Russian roulette.

In no way is the film suggesting any pro-war sentiments. The contrast in the friends that left together for war and the broken men they return as shows that no aspect of the war was for good. The one thing that did remain, with the exception of Nick, was that the men cared deeply for each other, especially Mike who tries to keep the group together.

Blog 8 LW

In “Madagascar Plum” the reader first trusts the narrator as a reliable source because so many soldiers have terrible stories from war that they wish to tell. However, we later learn that the narrator is a serious alcoholic as a result of PTSD, and has been this way since the story he is telling occurred. It is quite possible that the story he tells has some truth to it, but it is most likely that many of the details he provides are exaggerations. The combination of his alcoholism and unstable mental state make him a less reliable source.

The narrator’s reasons for ultimately killing the little girl seem to be lacking. He tries to say that he was led to believe that the girl was aiding the enemy army. It seems unlikely that such a small girl would be capable of helping the enemy. The amount of food that she was stealing by night was too insignificant to suggest she was aiding the enemy. He also believes that the girl killed Nam and Phong, a seemingly impossible thing for a tiny girl to do. His guilt over killing the child for unjustified reasons seems to cloud his memory of the story. He cannot even stand the sight of the plum because it reminds him of the girl, showing that he is deeply affected by her death.

The combination of alcohol, PTSD, and guilt make the narrator an unreliable storyteller. It seems plausible that this story actually happened due to the affect it seems to have on him, but his foggy details make it seem like parts are exaggerated. If the narrator were in a clearer state of mind I would be able to sympathize with his traumatic experience a lot more. However, my interpretation of his story is that he is a crazed alcoholic who is not to be trusted.

Blog 9 S.S

The film, Deer Hunter portrays the lives of a group of friends from a small town in Pennsylvania. The first hour in the film shows the three protagonists, Steve, Nick and Mike, in their hometown. The first hour of the film is primarily about Steve’s wedding to his fiancée Angela. There is an assumption that if wine spills from the newlyweds’ cup, then the marriage will likely fail. The wine splashes on Angela’s dress, which serves as a symbol suggesting that their marriage will fail. As we learn later in the film, the war does break apart their marriage.

The first hour of the film shows the boys before they depart for the Vietnam War. The boys engage in risky and adventurous behavior while being at home. The game of Russian roulette that the boys engage in is foreshadowing of the risk they will be involved in. Luck is the only thing that could keep them alive. This is similar to what they experienced in Vietnam. The first hour of the film relates to the rest of the story because it shows the comparison of their lives before and after the war. Before the war, Mike kills a deer while hunting with his friends. This is similar to his experience in the war because he kills the Vietnamese as if they were animals. Steven returns from Vietnam War disabled, and he cannot deal with the post traumatic stress from the war. Steven’s wife Angela becomes depressed, this shows that not only the soldiers of the war were affected by the war, but the families and friends of the soldiers also suffered. Nick never returns to the United States and becomes consumed with the riskiness of the war. This is similar to some of texts that we have read. Individuals became so consumed with the risk that they could not let go of the rush.

This film represents an anti-war film. Returning home after the war, all of the men have trouble adjusting back to their life. The war turns three innocent boys into three torn apart individuals. These boys were destroyed both mentally, and physically. The war destroyed individuals in all aspects of life.

Blog 9 CT

Throughout the first part of The Deer Hunter by Michael Cimino there is little talk of the Vietnam War, just keep hearing them say “when we get back.” Nikki plans on getting married once he gets home and Michael wants to move into the mountains. They don’t seem to have feeling toward the Vietnam War other than worrying about going home. These men aren’t necessarily concerned about what is going on during the war, but they want to put in their time and return to their lives. The film mainly focuses on life in the U.S. rather than in Vietnam representing how they want to forget what happened.

Once Michael returns home everyone is mentioning just like old times, but Michael realizes he doesn’t see things the same anymore. For example, on the hunting trip, just like the one he took with Nikki and the boys before leaving, he realizes he doesn’t want kill anything more than he has already killed. The war has changed him and he no longer wants to take any lives. He can no longer live the life he once lived and has a different perspective. When his friends start playing with their gun we see him get very tense and it brings back memories of the game they use to play with the Vietnamese.

The soldiers expect to come back and live their original lives once they return from Vietnam, but as Michael realizes war changes everything. Not only has Michael lost his friends but he is always seeing the horror of the war. He finally tries to end his stress by finding Nikki, but this is when he sees the true damage war can have and that his life can never go back to the way it originally was. Now “coming home” for Michael means bringing back all the memories of his friends and how it use to be. They once looked forward to coming home, but it has changed them too much they no longer have the same perspective on life. The film overall is anti-war because this group of friends have seen their lives tear apart. Not only have a few of them suffered from PTSD, for example whenever Michael goes hunting the stress of killing another living thing overwhelms him. At the same time the patriotic song at the end could signify that they are proud that they served their country.

Blog 9 EP

The Deer Hunter is a coming home film. The movie chronicles one soldier and his return from the vietnam war and depicts the many differences between the man's two lives. The first hour of the movie shows the main character and his friends enjoying a wedding and shows how close group is. They are always joking together and drinking and generally having a good time. The group goes camping and the main character is by far the best hunter and easily bags his deer.
After the war this feeling of comraderie has deteriorated greatly. When the friends hangout they do not laugh and joke quite the same, the spend much more time having serious conversations about the effects of the war. It is clear that the war has forced these men to mature. The problem is fgurther complicated by the loss of two friends from the group. Steve is in a wheelchair and his loss deeply impacts the group. Nicky is AWOL in Vietnam and the emotional burden of his disapearance also weighs heavily on the group. Michael acts very strange after he returns. He has stopped drinking. When hunting he traps the deer then purposely shoots over it. This gave him the thrill of the hunt without killing the animal. The main point in michael's change in behavior is when he puts the gun to stan's head and pulls the trigger during a game of Russian Roullette. The move shows how desensitized he has become. His freinds are terrified of his actions as they are something they never would have expected out of the pre-war mike. The latter half of the movie is meant to show the damaging effect the experience in Vietnam had on soldiers who returned home from war.
I believe that this film is a pro war film. I actually believe it is more of a pro American soldier film than anything. I think it does a good job of depicting the ways that these soldiers dealt with the immense physical struggle in order to try and live normal lives. Steve is shown as perserveering through a great tradgedy and tries to live a normal life. Though both returning vets appear afraid and distant from the outside world the try their best to assimilate. The american civilians are shown in a positive light as well. They are very welcoming to Michael and make sure that he is doing ok. His friends are all more than happy to see him. The final, and major way that the film shines a positive light on the American slodier is in Mike's loyalty to Nicky. Before the war Nicky begs Michael not to leave him over there, that he wants to return to Pennsylvania if he should die. Michael travels back to Vietnam, during the fall of saigon, in order to persuade his friend to come back home. Though Nicky does not remember Mike, Mike succeeds. Mike brings Nicky's body back to be buried in his hometown. After the funeral service the group of friends is enjoying breakfats when they begin to sing "God Bless America". All of these individuals have given so much, especially steve and mike, yet they praise the country that protects them. They acknowledge that all that has been sacrificed in Vietnam is not for nothing and that it makes America stronger.