Apocalypse Now Essay

1050 Words3 Pages

Public perception of the Vietnam War and World War II influenced the creation of Apocalypse Now and From the City, From the Plough. Apocalypse Now helps to reiterate the public perception that the Vietnam War was a directionless, pointless war. The movie reflected the overall feeling of confusion about the war. The fact that many people were drafted into the war did not help the public’s perception. Others also believed that this was simply another way for America to assert its growing power. This is in sharp contrast to the overall opinion of World War II. This war was described as “The People’s War” and was seen as a fight for the greater good. From the City, From the Plough focuses on a troop of soldiers in the Fifth Battalion during World War II. The novel begins by giving us an idea of what it is that the soldiers need to do, which is followed by the reader getting to know the characters. Overall, the book does a wonderful job humanizing the soldiers and society, especially since official records tended to leave numerous details out.
On the other hand, Apocalypse Now seems to reflect an overall insanity and chaos of the war in …show more content…

The first scene of the film is a horrifying one that portrays the damage done to Captain Willard during his time in the Vietnam War. The men we see in the Fifth Battalion seem to be, for the most part, well-adjusted young men. There is also a sense of camaraderie among them that Captain Willard does not have with ship crew, but is present among the crew themselves and Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore’s men. The Vietnam War and World War II were two different wars. While World War II has a clear timeline, the same cannot be said for the Vietnam War. Even the way the battles are portrayed is different. In one scene in the novel From the City, From the Plough, we are given the description of the aftermath of the

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