A Reader Response to Starship Troopers
In Starship Troopers, Robert Heinlein’s novel presents the future of mankind; a future riddled with racism, fascism, and militarism. This future also contains bravery, loyalty, and patriotism among its people, and it can be seen as a utopian society by some. This new version of humanity is presented through the rose tinted glasses of Juan Rico as he remembers his time in the mobile infantry, an elite branch of the army that makes up the horns of this new-age military.
This military is built upon a foundation of loyalty and trust, as one man must be able to trust his fellow soldiers with his life. Bravery is another key component in this military, any man is willing to risk his own life to save the lives of his comrades. The way these values
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are enforced are seen as highly immoral by many. Physical punishment and public floggings are the ways that this militaristic society enforces discipline among its populace even going as far as to beat young children who commit serious crimes. This society teaches its young and impressionable students that these displays of punishment are necessary to maintain a prosperous society, even going as far as to say that their forefathers from the twentieth were naive and weak for not conduct such cruel and unusual punishments such as these. This type of punishment does have some good effects attached to it.
Crime rates are extremely low though the colonies of man and murders are almost unheard of. Patriotism and unity
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are two key ideas that are reinforced throughout the novel. Patriotism is shown through the encouragement and respect to those who wish to serve man. Serving in the military is a great honor and it grants veterans special
privileges over normal citizens. The entire human race has become united as one as they all pursue a common goal, the preservation of man. However, this galaxy-wide unity and pride lead to problems as these inhabitants of the stars encounter other space- faring people. “The universe will let us know later whether or not Man has any ‘right’ to expand through it. In the meantime the M.I. will be there on the bounce on the side of our own race”(Heinlein 186) This result of all this is a sort of Arianism where humans believe that they are superior to any and all other creatures, only referring to other species through slurs such as “Skinnies” and “Bugs”. The Humans in this future also believe that they are destined to colonize the universe as represented in the quote
above. The biased point of view of this cruel society presented by Rico adds to the reader's enjoyment of the book. The reader can choose to follow along with Ricos view of this ‘utopian’ society, seeing bravery patriotism and honor in this society as Rico presents it, or they can see between the lines of this idealistic and militaristic society by criticizing the moral questions that humanity has ignored in order to maintain an orderly and prosperous society. Starship Troopers is a thought provoking and a brilliantly well-written book that has me see both the drawbacks and the benefits of this militaristic society, these factors have me recommending Starship Troopers to any science fiction fans or anyone who enjoys a fantastic military adventure.
In 1960, at the age of twenty-four, Philip Caputo enlists in the United Sates Marine Corps in hopes of escaping his relaxed lifestyle in the quaint town of Westchester, Illinois. Caputo is interested in proving himself a man and earning respect in response to President John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address to the nation. “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” are the famous words that pushed many young men into the patriotic world of enlistment, in order to defend American ideals. Caputo’s expectations of the war in Vietnam are to achieve heroic acts, finish his missions quickly and efficiently, get out in one piece, and return home to a supportive country interested in his heroic adventures.
An appeal to patriotism is one in which emotions are used to show loyalty towards something. To engage patriotism in the audience, one should point out to the audience the opponent’s success. This helps the audience to feel like they are a part of something important. Patriotism should not be tied to idealism. Ideas are not a part of emotional appeal, rather a part of logical appeal. Patriotism is associated with pathos as idealism is associated with logos.
The United States Army, in its current state, is a profession of arms. In order to be considered a profession, the organization must have an ethical code rooted in values, strong trust with its clients, and be comprised of experts within the trade. These experts are constantly developing the trade for the present and the future and hold the same shared view of their trade culture. The Army currently has an ethical code embodied in the Army Values, which provides guidance to the individual and the organization. These values are universal across the Army, regardless of an individual’s personal background or religious morals.
World War II provides the novel's historical backdrop, a time when young men anticipated the enforced conformity and danger of war service. Fifteen million American men joined the military during World War II, with universal service accepting virtually
In this paper I intend to explore the attitudes toward the value of individual life vs. the value of a community as a whole expressed in A Canticle for Leibowitz and Starship Troopers: the Movie by analyzing their treatment of information control, euthanasia, and the idea of obtaining happiness through a sense of purpose.
...ainting symbolize the need for patriotism and unity in a country during war on and off the battlefront. These two prominent texts support each other’s points of fighting for human’s unalienable rights and liberties through writing and visualization. The connection between the to conclude that war may not be just but it is the act of physical force or even any action that can bring together a country and achieve the liberties they deserve. This is a message that can apply to any human today, when someone infringes on another’s liberties then they need to stand up and fight back in order to stop the other from doing it again.
Patriotism and the American spirit rings true to this day in the hearts of United States citizens. The notion of freedom and liberty will always be a part of this, and both of these ideals are two that will continue to be fought for with this patriotic spirit. A very patriotic writer himself, Tom Clancy has written many novels and other works. Clancy’s militaristic interests, the 1980s era, and his works have influenced many.
In this essay we will be looking at one of the comments that one of
Many characteristics are instilled into active members of any military branch to promote resilience and respect. For the children in a military family are nurtured and grown on those traits to develop quality citizens of the future. The respect and honor that is adopted by the children will carry on with them forever. Small aspects such as manners are commonly seen due to the military stress on respect. Prideful nationalism is also developed for military children being around many active duty military families.
We can identify three major cultural dimensions that help us to understand what leaders must focus on as they guide the transition of the Army. First, professional Identity, which is guided by Soldiers at all levels who are striving for excellence in their functional specialty, i.e., HR Sergeants. Soldiers who have goals and ideals of the Army to ethically put service and duty first. HR Sergeants are trained and well educated in their field. They are taught to put Soldiers first and have great customer support skills. Second, community, the sense in which Soldiers stop thinking about “I” and start thinking “we”. The bond among units who not only believe in cohesion with Soldiers, but their families too. The HR Sergeants are there to take care of Soldiers when financial issues arise with them or their families and don’t back down until the situation is solved. Last, hierarchy, which leads to order and control and provides Soldiers with moral reference and a sense of direction. The HR Sergeant has the mentality of mission first, knowing who to contact at the next level for assistance helps get the mission
In Robert’s A. Heinlein’s Starship Troopers the story takes place during an interstellar war between the Terran Federation of Earth and the Arachnids of Klendathu. The main character, Johnnie Rico signs up to join the military with his friend Carl and ends up joining the Mobile Infantry. He makes it through a tough boot camp and barely makes it through training where some of his trainees die on missions. Once he finishes training he begins in the war against “The Bugs”. The war begins with a raid from the bugs on Buenos Aires that kills a lot of people including Johnnie’s mother. In retaliation the Mobile Infantry raids the bug’s homeland, Klendathu, which turns out to be unsuccessful. Johnnie then joins the platoon “Rasczak’s Roughnecks”
The core values are Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. The Army’s definition respect is, “Treat people as they should be treated. In the Soldier’s Code, we pledge to “treat others with dignity and respect while expecting others to do the same.” Respect is what allows us to appreciate the best in other people. Respect is trusting that all people have done their jobs and fulfilled their duty. And self-respect is a vital ingredient with the Army value of respect, which results from knowing you have put forth your best effort. The Army is one team and each of us has something to
Being a good soldiers also required you to, follow the rules, follow orders, obey the code of conducts, look out for your fellow comrades, fulfill your duty requirement, being honest and fight for your country. In other words, a soldier must be committed. Committed to their work, the nation, the mission, their fellow servicemen and their unit. With these characteristics, a soldier can become successful.
The second characteristic of professionalism is responsibility. General responsibility creates the moral responsibility of marines and helps us understand the set of values which guide us. In addition, however, marines must also possess the values of other human beings and question service to a society which does not respect these values. These values include justice, common courtesy, human dignity and humbleness. A government which does not respect these values is illegitimate and cannot be said to serve the society it directs. In the case of United States marines, the values of the United States must be examined in the context of the military profession. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution provide clear statements of these values and Ethics. Ethics are standards by which one should act based on values. Values are core beliefs such as honor, courage, and commitment that motivate attitudes and actions. Not all values...
that sets Soldiers apart from anyone else in the world, country and military. The standards and