The Vietnam War Film

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War entails many different components, but what this essay will focus on is on the experience of the soldier and how this has changed through the course of history. I will use three war films that focus on three different wars settings : A Very Long Engagement (World War I), Saving Private Ryan (World War II) and Black Hawk Down (Somalia). I will argue how these films illustrate how the experience of the soldier has not changed overtime by focusing on the shared combination of fear and courage soldiers face. There are some weaknesses to the argument that will also be addressed. For example, some aspects of the soldier’s experience has changed like the types of enemies they fight but I will present why the argument of a soldier’s experience remaining constant is stronger.
The soldiers experience has not changed overtime as seen through the fear all …show more content…

In WWI, it is true that the men were fearful for their lives with some committing self mutilation, but the soldiers did some courageous acts. For example, when Kléber "Bastoche" Bouquet helps Manech after he finds Manech injured by the tree in “No man’s land”. Despite being in a vulnerable location, he risks his life to save Manech. Additionally, not only do soldiers in WWI exhibit such courage but even in recent warfare soldiers have also done the same. For example, in Black Hawk Down, after the second Black Hawk was shot down by the Somalian Militia, two soldiers decided to leave the security of their own helicopter to aid the soldiers in the fallen Black Hawk. Despite being against the odds of over 100 militiamen to 2 American soldiers, they decided to help their fallen comrade knowing that it would eventually lead to their death. This depicts the continuous courage soldiers face throughout modern warfare that was also seen back in

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