An Interpretation of the Symbolic Features of the GI Joe Action Figure Twelve years ago the generation of today's young adults were enthralled with the endless hours of fun they got from their GI Joe action figures. Wild scenes, battles, and situations they created ran their day and formed their thoughts of the ideal man. GI Joe's physical build was looked upon as the perfect male body, with a muscular, suave look and a brave and violent temperament. This stereotypical property is a downside to the figure since it molds the views of young children in this negative way. The GI Joe was a very important piece in many young boys' lives. It was an outlet for a child's creativity and imagination, which is one of the most important factors that mold a child into a grown adult. GI Joes's symbolized the general census of the public that men should be physically strong and brave in physical encounters. Young boys saw the muscular build of the action figures and related that to the optimal shape that a man's body should be. GI Joe's are similar to Barbie dolls in many ways. Although GI Joe's did not come under as much criticism as the Barbie doll, the two important characteristics of the figures are the same. Both figures promote the stereotypical image of the male/female body and both figures characteristics promote the stereotypical actions of how one should act as a member of that gender. Each day of his life a young boy is learning and forming the ideals he will follow later in life. The appearance of a tall, perfectly proportional, and muscular figure molds a young boy's belief of what the perfect man should look like. The same characteristic is true about the actions that GI Joe's were expected to carry out. GI Joe's were fearless, brave men whose mission in life was violence. When young boys played with these figures, this was usually the common role their concocted scenes would fall under. Violence and death, sounds like a pretty bad principle to instill in the minds of young boys. If one thinks about the general stereotype of the census we see that men have always been forced into these enduring roles. Even today the two characteristics demonstrated by GI Joe are prevalent. As each day progresses these characteristics are being challenged. Now more than ever the age-old beliefs of what is expected of man and woman are being redefined for a new world.
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.
Tim O'Brien uses many interesting literary devices in his collection of short stories about his experiences in Vietnam. One of the most striking, yet understated, is his fleeting reference to M&M's. O'Brien allows them to be seen as something of a mystery, an enigma. O'Brien transforms M&M's into a symbol of America: mystical, powerful, and incredible. O'Brien also uses the simple image of a yo-yo to explain the necessity of American GI's to transform their mental attitudes to something different in order to survive the war. M&M's and yo-yo's are two very powerful symbols that O'Brien uses to explain the mentality of American soldiers in Vietnam.
The story “Hero” by Joe W. Haldeman raises a few significant questions concerning the impact of technological change and how it affects the ethical/moral nature of warfare. This story presents the reader with a specific setting, which fuels further thought into the technological implications regarding the change at a humanistic level. The nature of ethical questions raised are impactful to the story given how the mechanical suits change my point of view on how the soldiers are portrayed throughout their training. Furthermore, these suits blur the lines between the human and mechanical aspect of the warfare. The story offers a unique and distinct approach to present the characters’ humanistic ethical values while they deal with the technological
War has been a mainstay of human civilization since its inception thousands of years ago, and throughout this long and colorful history, warriors have almost exclusively been male. By repeatedly taking on the fundamentally aggressive and violent role of soldier, Man has slowly come to define Himself through these violent experiences. Although modern American society regulates the experiences associated with engaging in warfare to a select group of individuals, leaving the majority of the American public emotionally and personally distant from war, mainstream American masculinity still draws heavily upon the characteristically male experience of going to war. In modern American society, masculinity is still defined and expressed through analogy with the behavior and experiences of men at war; however, such a simplistic masculinity cannot account for the depth of human experience embraced by a modern man.
In his short story, “The Things They Carried,” Tim O’Brien demonstrates the depressing change of a soldier from imaginative boy to impersonal man, adolescent to adult, and lover to leader. The terrible burdens pile so high on the young men that “certainly they would never be at a loss for things to carry.” The harsh reality of the world tremendously affects Cross and forever changes him. Through this transition, O’Brien reveals the strict and dismal standards which culture upholds for men to be firm and unwavering.
As Garbarino recognizes, the effects of war and such violence is something that sticks with a child and remains constant in their everyday lives. The experiences that children face involving war in their communities and countries are traumatic and long lasting. It not only alters their childhood perspectives, but it also changes their reactions to violence over time. Sadly, children are beginning to play more of a major role in wars in both the United States and other countries.... ...
Go to Starbucks and order a caramel latte from a Navy seal. Training in the armed forces never prepared him for this challenge. He doesn’t have the right stuff to make a latte! In Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff, Wolfe addresses modern American heroes fabricated into idols for public consumption. So-called “Average Joes” idolize people dubbed as “heroes” because they serve a purpose deemed greater than the common man’s. Individuals base heroism on a level of almost godlike standards, and sometimes blatantly ignore the notion that their heroes have weaknesses. A hero possesses a manufactured set of abilities, and also a renowned prestige, whether or not they truly warrant the pedestal on which society places them above any other working class civilian.
It has been happened frequently in today’s society that parents and teachers try to keep children away from violent media. Children are taught that violent is not right and dangerous. In the article, “Violent Media Is Good for Kids”, Gerard Jones asserts that allowing children to violent media instead of banned it can bring great benefit to children during their growing stage. By watching violent media, children learn to overcome fear, control the rage and prove the real self from the superheroes in the story. Jones believes that violent entertainment can assistance children to fulfill emotional and development need. In my opinion, Jones develops a persuasive argument because of his strong emotions, considerable evidences and reasonable assumptions.
...port my beliefs about the changing social attitudes toward Vietnam veterans. As the writing process continues, I plan to gather more research materials such as new books and articles. The social attitudes towards Vietnam veterans has proven to be an extremely interesting subject to me and I hope that through my discussion of these views, my audience will gain a new understanding of some of the bravest and most heroic men of the century.
The time spend in the military service helps the narrator establish personal characteristics which enable him to understand the world around him and be more successful in life. Being in the military has given him th...
Support Thesis #1/Sub Claim #1: While WWII soldiers had similar physical capabilities, very few unique men who had the mental might like Louis Zamperini, had an advantage in fighting the horrors of imprisonment in Japanese POW camps.
Scott, Cord. “Comics and Conflict: War and Patriotically Themed Comics in American Cultural History from World War II through the Iraq War.” Dissertations. Loyola University, Chicago. 2011. Web. 3 December 2013.
Nevertheless, despite America's desire for goodness and virtue in her leadership, it appears that she does not always accept these with open arms. There is still the need to sacrifice inspiration to toughness, to sacrifice plain-speaking to intellectual agility which can expose the weaknesses of another, and to sacrifice gentleness in order to create a feeling of security based on power.
Throughout the emergence of the Vietnam war {and military draft}, many innocent people were inducted and taken from their homes to fight in alien territory. A few significant individuals, however, managed to take a stand and refuse the government’s orders. Two texts that exhibit this difficult time are Muhammad Ali’s “The Greatest: My Own Story” and an interview of John Strickland. Both Ali and Strickland experience criticism and reveal a determined state of mind as they oppose the war and induction. Each man faces the same conflict, and their perspectives prove to be similar.
Adolescence boys should be given tools such as critical thinking to understand how media depicts the ideal male body. Parents should lead the effort by not only encouraging their young boys becoming emotionally strong but also explaining to them the social and economic purpose behind the media push of unachievable lean muscularity. Thus enlightening boys that media maintain the drive to serve its business affiliates like fitness or beauty industries (John and Jeong 39). In addition, schools should teach adolescent boys to be actively engaged in conservation about their body image and how media portrays it. The discussion will allow boys to become more media-literate and will enhance their thoughtful recognition of the feigned male image presented in the