AGENDA:
Work on "Nature" essays.
Morning Reflection:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N-EwdXEepQ
HMWK: Read to pg. 38 for Tuesday "The Things They Carried"
"What they carried was partly a function of rank, partly of field
specialty. As a machine gunner, Henry Dobbins carried the M-60, which
weighed 23 pounds unloaded, but which was almost always loaded. He also
carried between 10 and 15 pounds of ammunition draped in belts across
his chest and shoulders."
"The things they carried were largely determined by necessity. Among
them were P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog
tags, mosquito repellant, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets,
packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment
Certificates, and two or three canteens of water."
"They carried the land itself--Vietnam, the place, the
soil-powdery-orange-red dust that covered their boots and fatiques and
faces. They carried the sky. The whole atmosphere, they carried it, the
humidity, the monsoons, the stink of fungus and decay, all of it, they
carried gravity."
"They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief,
terror, love, longing--these were intanigbles, but the intangibles had
their own mass and specifc gravity, they had tangible weight. They
carried shameful memories. They carried the common secret of cowardice
barely restrained, the instinct to run or freeze or hide...They carried
their reputations. They carried the soldier's greatest fear, which was
the fear of blushing."
* Briefly discuss the differences between "literal" things that the
soldiers carried and "figurative" things. What are some "literal" and
"figurative" things that the students carry with them every day to
school?
The thing about the Vietnam War is something I can never forget, because if I do it is a shame to a family and my culture. Especially my family, since both sides from my mother and father were involved in the war. The Vietnam War was something America never wanted, but we still received it.
ReplyDeleteThe Vietnam War era affected many lives, from regular citizens to the soldiers we saw during the video. They weren't used to the terrain of Vietnam, and because of the forced draft they didn't have enough training to do so. It's a tragic event, from the suffering of soldiers reluctant to fight to the citizens waiting for them at home, sometimes never getting anything back.
The Vietnam War is one of the most controversial wars in American history. Nearly the entire country was against the war, but the American government defended it as a fight against communism. Despite not officially declaring war on Vietnam, 58,000 Americans lost their lives in Vietnam, and that is not including those who were missing in action and could not be identified. This video highlighted the reasons why the Vietnam War was widely opposed: the brutality experienced by both sides over a fight that was not theirs.
ReplyDeleteThis video displays the horrors of the Vietnam War, ranging from pictures of dead men on the street to one of a morning soldier at the Vietnam War Memorial. It conveys the mental toll it took on O'Brien, using quotes explaining that the things he saw while at war will never fade from his memory as they always exist somewhere. The combination of the solemn music, terrifying pictures, and powerful quotes from Time O'Brien solidify the impact that the Vietnam War had on the United States, and specifically, soldiers and their families. It was effective in conveying the hardships that soldiers went through and continue to go through as a result of the war.
ReplyDeleteI had already started reading the book prior to this but to see it in that kind of way in the video was interesting. It tied the fiction of O'Brien's story to pictures of the reality of the war that actually happened. The Vietnam War affected many lives and while we usually think of the causalities (in any war), we forget to remember those who did survive, soldiers and civilians alike, and what they must be going through now.
ReplyDeleteThe video was very powerful. It made you empathize with both sides of the war, not just the American. It shows the amount of loss and grief that war leads to, and how those things aren't just easily forgotten once the war is over and the soldiers go home. It's something that haunts the people who lived through it, making them relive their memories over and over again. Most citizens of America right now don't know what it's like to see these images first hand, so this video brought a whole new, terribly sad, way of viewing the war, different from just seeing the newspapers that exclaim "Victory!" or "Defeat!" back home.
ReplyDeleteThe video about Tim O'Brien's novel depicts the terrible atrocities that were committed during the Vietnam War and do this in a fashion that brings the viewer deeply into the content of the book. These pictures are so heart wrenching, row of soldiers completely conforming as well as Vietnamese people being tortured, both display the realities of wartime. The structure of the video, a mix of pictures, music, and quotations concerning the subject matter all come together to create a clear picture of what these people endured and the raw emotion that is portrayed through this synthesis has a massive influence on the audience. Overall, this depiction effectively encompasses the harrowing realities that plagued that area of the world during this time by mixing different forms of expression to create a mutual understanding.
ReplyDeleteThe Vietnam war took the lives of many and affected many. Over 58,000 American deaths were taken from this war. We see from these pictures how hard the war really was on everyone even children. Pictures of starving children are shown and men fighting. People of both sides were deeply affected by this and we see this through the series of pictures. The set of photos gives us a peek into what the war was really like and we are able to see what they experienced rather than just read it in the history books.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures speak for themselves in the video for "The Things They Carried". They each depict a different aspect of the atrocities that took place as a result of the Vietnam war, and show the audience, through moments of loss, sadness, death, and grief, how deep these cuts really are. Quotes from the book are placed in between these moments and help to develop a story line within the pictures. As a whole, the video is thought provoking and easily conveys the detriments of the war.
ReplyDeleteThe video we just saw showed the physical side of the war. It showed the soldiers with weapons but you didn't see the emotions that the soldiers felt. The majority of the video showed pictures of Vietnamese children being emotional. This war caused more harm than it did good. The surviving soldiers were left scarred emotionally and physically. Both sides became broken down and unstable. I bet this story will successfully show the terror that the soldiers and the people of the places they invaded felt.
ReplyDeleteThe moral of the video is that you can't forget about the bad things that happened in your life. However, you can write about it and help someone understand your pain. Like how the soldiers in the Vietnam war was faced the challenge of killing kids because those kids were probably trained and brainwashed to give up their lives for the adults that were scared to give up their lives themselves. Then the people of Vietnam was faced with the struggle of being killed in crossfire between the U.S. and their country. They were being unintentionally being killed and being blamed for something they had no control over. They also had the struggle of leaving their homes and everything they knew and loved for safety or staying and risking your life for comfort and familiarity. All in all the Vietnam war was something that could have been avoided and thousands of people died and went missing for something so trivial in both countries. It would be something we will regret for a long time.
ReplyDeleteLiana Caez
ReplyDeleteThe Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien was a powerful message on the perspective on war and the imagery of being within battle or facing the conditions of being in battle, particularly as a U.S. soldier. It demanded the perspective of real experiences and the knowledge on a mature light of the Vietnam War and these occurring events. The picture showed the physicality’s of battle and not really the emotional side of it all. The images were touching and had shown the eye of someone who hasn’t gone through war, what it is like to be a part of something so important and life-threatening.
The video we saw depicted the war and what soldiers went through and experienced. It made the story that much more realistic and showed the terror of the war and what it was like to fight in one. It also depicted the effects he war had on civilians including small infants and children. The video better showed all aspects and made me realize that this isn't just a story. This really happened and its happened many times before and is happening currently and war will never end. Its really a horrible thing that people have to go through.
ReplyDeleteTthe video that was presented in class is a great way to connect the terrible events that occurred during the Vietnam war. Tim O'Brien message was very well relatable for the people who had to be in the struggle and face such horrible conditions and different depressing feelings.
ReplyDelete