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The anti-war movement and the Vietnam War
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The effect of television on the public
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Like many other wars, the Vietnam War left a devastating impact on the soldiers and civilians alike. The Vietnam War created conflict as most of the American citizens were opposed to US military involvement. Many men were drafted and forced to join the military against their will, those who refused had to flee to other nations or face imprisonment. The attitude toward the war was overwhelmingly negative from the beginning and only worsened as horrifying video coverage was broadcasted in the living room of America. The war became all too real for the public; they could not imagine the atrocities that were being committed by all involved in the war. Tim O’Brien is an American writer who has written many stories regarding the attitude toward and difficulties associated with the Vietnam War. O’Brien was drafted for the military despite his anti-war beliefs; he served two years as an infantryman in Vietnam, where he received the Bronze Star for valor and the Purple Heart. He may have not agreed with the situation he was subject to, …show more content…
Lavender is shot while walking back to the other men after using the restroom (O’Brien 586). The other men realize that they are never safe, even while using the restroom they are not relived of immediate danger. This experience makes war a reality to them, they are now aware of their actions and the consequences that may result if they are not focusing on survival. The idea of uncertainty is supported in the article “The Undying Uncertainty of the Narrator in Tim O 'Brien 's The Things They Carried,” by Steven Kaplan; he explains that the only certainty in the war is overwhelming ambiguity (47). He is supporting the fact that the only predictable event in war is that anything can happen at any time. There is no time schedule or predictability for tragedies in war. The men have to learn to expect the
Tim O'Brien is confused about the Vietnam War. He is getting drafted into it, but is also protesting it. He gets to boot camp and finds it very difficult to know that he is going off to a country far away from home and fighting a war that he didn't believe was morally right. Before O'Brien gets to Vietnam he visits a military Chaplin about his problem with the war. "O'Brien I am really surprised to hear this. You're a good kid but you are betraying you country when you say these things"(60). This says a lot about O'Brien's views on the Vietnam War. In the reading of the book, If I Die in a Combat Zone, Tim O'Brien explains his struggles in boot camp and when he is a foot soldier in Vietnam.
The Vietnam War was the most publicized war during its era; moreover, this was the most unpopular war to hit the United States. All over the country riots began to rise, anti-war movement spread all over the states begging to stop the war and chaos overseas. This truly was a failure on the political side of things. For the public, all they saw was a failed attempt in a far away country. Events such as the Tet Offensive where the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong established an all out attack on key locations around Vietnam, and although the Viet Cong was virtually wiped out, this still had a large affect psychologically on the troops as well as the populist back in the United States.
Schroeder, Eric James. "Tim O'Brien: Maybe So." Vietnam, We've All Been There: Interviews with American Writers. Ed. Eric James Schroeder. Westport, Conn: Praeger, 1992. 125-43.
Tim O’Brien begins his journey as a young “politically naive” man and has recently graduated out of Macalester College in the United States of America. O’Brien’s plan for the future is steady, but this quickly changes as a call to an adventure ruins his expected path in life. In June of 1968, he receives a draft notice, sharing details about his eventual service in the Vietnam War. He is not against war, but this certain war seemed immoral and insignificant to Tim O’Brien. The “very facts were shrouded in uncertainty”, which indicates that the basis of the war isn’t well known and perceived
Tim O’Brien served in the Vietnam War, and his short story “The Things They Carried” presents the effects of the war on its young soldiers. The treatment of veterans after their return also affects them. The Vietnam War was different from other wars, because too many in the U.S. the soldiers did not return as heroes but as cruel, wicked, and drug addicted men. The public directs its distaste towards the war at the soldiers, as if they are to blame. The also Veterans had little support from the government who pulled them away from their families to fight through the draft. Some men were not able to receive the help they needed because the symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) did not show until a year
Most of this story revolves around experiences that Tim O’Brien has had. And he certainly has changed from the beginning of the story (speaking chronologically) where he was no more than a scared civilian, who would do anything to escape such a fate as the draft. He would eventually become the war-hardened slightly cocky veteran that he is now. But it is only through his experiences that he would become who he is today. Through all the things he has witnessed. Whether it be watching curt lemon be almost literally "blown to heaven" to having killed a man and making assumptions about who he truly was. He made not have been most affected by the war, but it was he who was described in the most detail, due to the fact that he was describing in first person
Raymond, Michael W. "Imagined Responses to Vietnam: Tim O'Brien's Going After Cacciato. Critique 24 (Winter 1983).
The Vietnam conflict has been known for being the most unpopular war in the history of the United States. The war of 1812, the Mexican war and the Korean conflict of the early 1950's were also opposed by large groups of the American people, but none of them generated the emotional anxiety and utter hatred that spawned Vietnam. The Vietnam war caused people to ask the question of sending our young people to die in places where they were particular wanted and for people who did not seem especial grateful.
Tim O’Brien is doing the best he can to stay true to the story for his fellow soldiers. Tim O’Brien believed that by writing the story of soldiers in war as he saw it brings some type of justice to soldiers in a war situation.
Author Tim O 'Brien has received many honors and much recognition for his book, The Things They Carried, which is based on his personal involvement in Vietnam. He was drafted in 1968 and served in the 23rd Infantry Division, which is otherwise called the American Division. A unit from this group had been charged with the slaughter at My Lai about a year prior to O 'Brien 's entry. Originally from Minnesota, O’Brien was born in 1946 making him about twenty-two years old when he was drafted (PBS 2013).
In Tim O’Brien’s novel, “The Things They Carried,” imaginations can be both beneficial and corrosive. This novel consists of story, truth and real truth. Throughout the novel, imagination plays a big role. Tim O’Brien wrote his book about the war, mainly based on his memory of the war. He did not remember every detail of the war, thus he made up some false details to the stories to make it seem more interesting.
Engaging in the war in Vietnam brought a whole different set of "American Views" to the topic of war. This time the country did not support the war like we've seen in the past. Mostly by young people, the war effort was criticized and Americans staged massive protests. The Vietnam War's controversy spurred a great many sources of protest, against our government's use of power, how far we could stretch the rights of free expression, and primarily against the violence of the war itself.
There was nothing that affected America in 20th century like the vietnam war,It tore the nation apart .It was a costly war which took three million lives . The main reason it has so much impact on america was that some people were for the war but so many were against it .The younger nation ,especially the young men who were drafted ,did not...
The Vietnam War has had its effects on America, both good and bad. We can ridicule it, we can deny it, we can say it was for the best, we can say we shouldn't have even gotten involved, but the one thing we can't do is ignore it. Because it's become an unforgettable part of history, and we all need to remember Vietnam.
The war fueled some rebellions to aspects of American society that resulted in positive accomplishments; such as Civil Rights, the Student Movement, and the Women's Movement. All of those movements all dealt with Vietnam as one of their issues (some more than others). However, another impact that was made was that American society had been very divided. An example is the separation that was created between two sets of families illustrated in a video clip we saw in class. These two families had been very close friends until the war started and they took different views of the war. This disagreement was enough to end their friendship. The final effect on American society, was that America had lost a war for the first time in history. This was a true wake-up call for most Americans that should probably be viewed as an important lesson. We are not immortal.