"Peace is an accident; war is natural. Old men start it, young men fight it, everybody in the middle dies, and nobody tells the truth." -John J. Rambo

Unfortunately, I find myself with three essays and multiple tests this final week as well as your project due and will be unable to write an R.A. on "First Blood". I would, however, like to take the opportunity this blog presents me with to write out my thoughts on the film albeit with a slightly less formalized structure than would be mandatory for a satisfactory rhetorical analysis. It is also true that there are so many aspects of this film to discuss that I would hop around too much in a standard R.A. to present a good, consistent argument on any one topic. For that matter, I will now proceed to discuss the film in a slightly chronological manner.

Rambo is a man of little hope. Everything he had was in Vietnam - who he had been made into and his comrades (family) - and it was all left behind. He journeyed the nation for seven years trying to track down his former members of Baker Team only to find them all dead. The film begins as he tries to locate the one remaining member who may be alive, Delmar Barry. He approaches the house with a smile, full of the dream that he will finally reconnect with his dear friend. When Delmar's mother says that agent orange gave her son cancer and he died shortly after returning from Vietnam, Rambo breaks down. He discards the picture of his team and along with that picture passes all the hope Rambo once held for a better tomorrow and the dream of somehow reclaiming his past.

He proceeds to the local town of Hope. The town's very name suggests great situational irony considering all the trouble he will come to face there. After being arrested for vagrancy and wanting a meal in Hope, he is jailed. The police officers treat him quite poorly. One of them even resorts to beating Rambo with a nightstick and shooting him with a fire hose. These events remind him of previous tortures he experienced as a P.O.W. in Vietnam. When they try to shave Rambo, he has the final breakdown and viciously escapes from their custody. It is apparent that he is a man suffering from deep psychological disturbances. He has many of the symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder as we discussed in Achilles in Vietnam.

I also found it very interesting in that after escaping, Rambo quickly returned to the jail to reclaim his hunting knife. I feel like this knife is somehow representative/symbolic of Rambo himself, and his return to retrieve it suggests (for myself at least) that perhaps he could not make it on his own without it. After loosing all his friends, respect, and dignity, this knife is the one thing he has left from his former life and the only thing which keeps him going. Maybe I am reading too much into it, but that is my perspective. One should also note Rambo's compassion. Even after his own maltreatment at the hands of the H.P.D., he tells the townspeople to "Get out of the way!" as he recklessly drives on a motorcycle across sidewalks and through streets to escape pursuit.

In many ways Rambo is the typical Hollywood action hero. He is the strong, attractive protagonist of a film designed with all the special effects and marketing attributed to Hollywood blockbusters. It was even criticized by many who accused it of having "comic book style dialogue and macho...mindless escapism" (Kipp 1). The way in which it significantly differs, however, is in all that Rambo embodies and represents.

Rambo, in the context of the film, is the man responsible for generating awareness for the wrongs committed against all the veterans upon their return to "The World." As he falls to his knees reciting a dramatic monologue just before collapsing into Colonel Trautman's arms and wailing like a small child, he is simultaneously releasing all the latent thoughts and ideas of the ill deeds committed against the veterans for all the world to see. The primary police officer, Will Teasle, once asked Trautman, "Who are you people?"; Rambo answers this through his actions and dialogue throughout the film which reveals them (and all troubled veterans for that matter) to be men so bonded through tragedy and suffering that they are closer even than family.

I hope you liked some of these ideas. Sorry I could not express them in an R.A. Please provide me with a little feedback, and let me know what you thought of it.

The Man who Used to be the Next President of the United States:

He used that same joke in the actual presentation I saw a few years after the film. I will comment on what rhetorical choices I remember from that evening since I have not actually seen the movie.

1. logos - if we continue to damage the planet, then our children will be the ones to pay the price for our actions and try to live in an "unlivable" world.
--This makes me want to help the planet for the sake of my offspring.
2. ethos - a mature, respectable man delivers straight facts on the effects we are have on the environment and what steps we can take as a world to avoid them.
-- I found him extremely believable, and his facts seemed to back the claims.
3. pathos - why would we want our children to suffer for our actions?
-- I don't want them to, but it'll be hard to give up the "American" lifestyle just for their benefit.
4. humor - he keeps you interested in an extremely disturbing topic.
-- I payed attention.
5. affirmation - he provided expert opinions that agreed, backed-up, or even seemed to form many of his claims.
-- He was much more credible to me for having done this, although I am sure there are two sides to any issue.
6. visual juxtaposition - he shows the world as it was, is, and will become if we do not drastically change our actions.
-- I love the earth. I would hate to lose the glaciers. (just kidding, I do like them but realize the issue is much more serious than that)
7. beauty - he shows many beautiful images of the earth and even uses a computer display to show how it could be if there were no pollution.
-- I wish we lived in a world that really looked like that. The images from space make me want to be an astronaut.
8. decay - as the earth heats and pollution levels increase, erosion across the globe will increase, and we will lose many mountains and natural landmarks.
-- This is pretty bad as well when you think about the pyramids and other ancient wonders that have stood for eons.
9. appeals to our sensibility - we know the facts, now what will we do about it to ensure that our world becomes a better place?
-- I would like to help but really cannot until society or laws make it realistic for us all to.
10. audience questions - draws us into the experience.
-- I am sure this applies only to the experience of witnessing him in person, but I really enjoyed at the end when he opened the floor to us to ask any questions on our minds (I was just too far back to do so).

Review:
I'm worried my project will not be what you would like or expect. I am going for more of a tactile and visual experience than can be expressed through a verbal presentation. I will do my best to show it to the class but really think it will be more of an individual spending time looking through it. It will affect each viewer in a different manner and on a personal basis. I guess that from Al Gore I can learn how to visually structure my work so that it has the greatest emotional impact - whether I am going for awe or disgust. I can also focus more on pathos in some manner, still debating how to do that exactly...

Anyway, I wanted to comment on something we discussed a few weeks back in reference to Achilles in Vietnam. Most of the class seemed to agree that we cannot relate to veterans fully because we are not capable of understanding where they are coming from unless we have been there ourselves - experiencing the loss of comrades and brutality of war. I, however, feel that I have experienced much of that loss and brutality. That same evening, I stopped on a corner of Guadalupe to readjust my bag. A man with a mo hawk down the street, fortunately I guess, yelled, "You!" I looked up and he pointed at me, "You! When I get to you I'm going to f**king kill you!" I was scared, thought about standing firm for a second and then decided against it, ran about a block and darted into a woman's dressing shop. I thought I'd be safe in a public place and even hid behind some dresses a little bit. I quickly prayed he would not see me and as he walked past I heard him ask of those around, "Where is that f**king piece of S**t?!?" One stupid woman after he walked past, just behind him, even turned to her husband/boyfriend and said, "Is he talking about the soldier that just ran in there?" and pointed my way. Good thing the mo hawk man was dim-witted! I guess I do know though what it's like to be hated by your own countrymen and feel the dread terror of the fact that they could physically harm you.

I'm not as honorable as people might think, however. I am beginning to realize and be sickened by the fact that I am doing this more as a convenience and personal benefit than to serve my country (I will get to that in a second). I know the pain of loosing a beloved friend as well. The story I told you earlier, even though she did not physically die everything she stood for died to me that day and for me, that can be just as painful. In that sense, I can definitely relate to veterans loosing their fellow soldiers in battle. The only difference is that she is still living and I see her often. You see, she is at this university and I even applied to the major I am because we had this crazy idea that if we had majors within the same college, we would see each other more often. I want to believe that she really did used to care for me. She introduced me to the idea of the Air Force. Her dad is a marine captain and leads the ROTC program at my old school, which I never took part in. My point is, she is in AFROTC with me right now. I honestly didn't know for sure that she would be when I signed on. I don't know what my initial reasons for doing it were really, but I know that now that I see her again (even though we don't talk) the pain is lessened to a certain extent and I think about her less frequently. Please don't think less of me, I am just expounding upon a story "of the truths in my own life" that I told you earlier. My point with these few things is, (except for my digression) that I don't think that the trouble lies in that the general public is incapable of understanding. I think that most people honestly do not want to know the terrible truths available in life and some just don't care. It is also hard for the veterans to express something so terrible as the losses they've faced. It is for me at least. I feel like it's more something that has to be understood and quietly acknowledged than something that can really be expressed through open discourse.

That's all I've got Mr. P. I'm not a bad person, I just don't really know what I am doing. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving, got to watch the movie if you had time, and enjoy it!!!

What's in a Name?

The most important aspect of Maya Lin's article about how she crafted the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial is the importance she believes a name conveys and the meanings that go along with it. Along with the visual representation of that name, will come all the memories and feelings associated with that individual in the mind of the person viewing it. She discusses the reasons and methodology behind her work and defends the apolitical nature of the monument because others try to find a hidden agenda within her design. She believes that the price of human life in war should be clearly remembered, and nowhere is that price more apparent than in viewing a massive memorial with all the names of the deceased and P.O.W.s on it. These names on a massive wall, however, appear no larger than half an inch. The sheer scale of the war and its effect on human life will doubtless have profound meaning on any individual that beholds it. In seeing the name of a loved one on the wall, they are forced into accepting that person's death and that is the first step in being able to overcome that loss.

Born in the U.S.A. presents such an opposite view of the American dream. The song masks itself under the guise of patriotism but contains a much darker meaning. The protagonist and narrator of the song was born in a poor town. He serves during Vietnam thinking that perhaps his patriotism will bring him a better lot in life. When he returns home from the war, grieving for the loss of his brother, he is unable to find a job in his own decrepit town. He casts his life onto the streets somewhere between the local factory and jail. This presents the life of an American as a tragedy where no one can really live up to the beliefs and ideals that we as a nation claim to represent.

Excuses...excuses:

Mr P.,
I just thought I would give you a little something that at the beginning of the semester you said you did not want. This goes against your wishes, however, I feel that in the case of walking into class nearly an hour late it is necessary. I considered not coming at all so as to not disturb anyone but felt like this was a really important day.

Anyway, I actually had to register for my spring semester classes this morning. That is just when my time slot fell. I also had PT this morning and had to wear my service dress in honor of this evening's P.O.W./M.I.A. ceremony. With all this going on, I feel slightly accomplished for making it to your class at all.

I apologize for the disruption however and will make every effort possible to not commit such an offense henceforth!

The Fog of War:

McNamara was portrayed as a caring, ethical,and deeply emotional man who loved his family, presidents, and nation. I find myself enjoying the material shown this week to be my favorites of the semester. I am glad I watched this film before the screening you will be having this evening because it provides background and insight into Johnson from a man who knew and cared for him personally, even if they often disagreed. Unlike the previous Hollywood films or other antiwar propaganda, this documentary portrays our leaders as men thrown into an unparalleled situation that had to make swift and decisive decisions or risk full scale war and destruction within our own nation.

McNamara contrasts radically with the man we saw struggling to answer Peter Davis' questions in Hearts and Minds. He presents himself as one knowledgeable in every aspect of not only the Vietnam Conflict but those of past wars as well. He reflects on the decisions he made. We see the poor man for what he really was, a good individual filled with guilt for participating in a war that killed so many but entrenched in sorrow for being so wrongly accused his entire life as the deepest proponent for the war. He also is seen to still deeply grieve over the death of Kennedy all these years later. This portrays him as a man of deep feeling and loyalty.

I enjoyed the structure of the film in that everything was, obviously, conveyed through flashback but the way it would transition from WWII into Vietnam and ultimately into a peace summit in 1995 allowed for a comparison and contrast between the various periods that would not have otherwise been possible. The rousing musical score is incessant and kept me on edge throughout the film. It was nerve racking music, but I believe the intent was for you to be anything but comfortable while viewing this film. In essence, it conveyed McNamara's own edginess on the topic, even though he was open to discussing it the difficulty in doing so was evident on his face throughout. I also enjoyed learning about the devastation we brought upon Japan during WWII. I never had any idea that we brought such chaos to such a little country. The fact that they did not surrender, even after so many dead, until after the atomic bombings demonstrates the absolute hatred the people or just their leaders must have shared for us. In all, I feel Japan is ignored far to often in WWII discussions and Germans are perceived by many young to have been the sole adversary. This was a welcome addition to my mind in a topic I was unfamiliar with.

We forget the mindset of these people. We have become desensitized as to the destruction a nuclear weapon may bring about. In that time, however, the world was in panic. They understood with the press of a button society could end for good. Most of America would have supported war in an instant if it could have prevented atomic holocaust.

Overall, I never knew McNamara had been so influential in our history. He trained the best men at Harvard for WWII, saved the Ford Motor Company, and was chiefly responsible for many of the military decisions carried out during Vietnam. What a remarkable and courageous individual!

Midterm Feedback

"I have made better grades on my R.A.s progressively, but I still wonder if my writing has actually improved. In some cases, I have just provided better arguements or evidence to back up my statements and this seemed to do the trick." And this isn't getting better as a writer? Puh-lease. The art of writing, like Vietnam, is complex, which is what makes it an art rather than a skill. It therefore has all sorts of moving parts; to think that writing is all about style or all about argument or all about grammar would only be capturing a partial truth. Getting better at focusing on the argument is an integral part of becoming a better writer--the style will follow the more you write and the more you get comfortable with your own voice.

With regard to your class participation, you are indeed King Severin and class would poorer if you weren't there. This is high praise. Your blogs are also to be praised because you respond to all sorts of varied impulses and texts, like the NYTimes video on the consequences of napalm generations later, and your engagement with Tim O'Brien using your own truths. You have adventure in your blood and a curious intellect that will only get sharper. I like everything I see, young man.

Final project: with regard to the childhood angle, maybe the memoir Falling Through the Earth might be of interest.

Another casualty of the Vietnam War, Danielle Trussoni has told her story in Falling Through the Earth with bravado, pride, sadness, and candor. Her father, Daniel, served as a tunnel rat, one of the incredibly brave men who went into the webs of tunnels and rooms searching for Vietnamese guerillas hiding out underground. The heat and stench, the courage combined with fear, the claustrophobic confinement, and the incessant tension are recounted with an immediacy that only one who has been there, or knows someone who has, could tell. In fact, Danielle Trussoni went to Vietnam and was guided through the tunnels, trying to follow, literally, in her father's footsteps.
The Trussoni family of Onalaska, Wisconsin, is famous for bar fights and not much else. Daniel is a thug like his brothers, all of whom pride themselves on being tough guys who might just be mobbed up, although there is no proof of that.

Trussoni Thanksgivings were like boxing matches. There was sure to be a rumble on the front lawn of my grandparents' house and a rematch at the tavern down the street... A little blood before dinner was what aperitifs were to other families.
In this atmosphere, Danielle, her sister Kelly, and her brother Matt are trying to raise themselves, or just stay out of the way. After getting a job and some sense of self, Mom takes on a boyfriend and asks Dad to leave. According to Danielle, Dad is pretty broken up about the departure, so she goes to live with him and is treated to a steady round of women callers. The other two children stay with their Mom. Most evenings, Daniel takes Danielle to Roscoe's, the neighborhood tavern, where she sits and watches him get drunk and tell his Vietnam stories. Over and over again. Every so often, he forgets her and she has to make her own way home.

Danielle is endlessly forgiving of this case-hardened vet who is relentlessly mean, paranoid and petty. He is a prototype of the guy who came home and didn't know why he was a survivor. Trussoni has captured the essence of being in bloody battle one day and home the next, and then trying to make sense of it all.

Alternating chapters tell of her father's time in Vietnam, her own journey there, and their messy lives--starting with the divorce and continuing until her adulthood. Family secrets are revealed; Danielle realizes that her mother was not the only person at fault in the breakup of the marriage and that her defense of her father was not always appropriate.

Request:

I am not sure if you got the email so just to be sure I thought I would mention it on here as well. Could you bring that form back tomorrow? I will bring an extra envelope just in case you do not have any at your apartment, but I am pretty sure it needs to be sealed in one and signed on top of the seal. Did I write my name and ut eid on top of the form? I cannot remember and if I did not we can just fold it over tommorrow and I will get that done. Thanks again for taking the time to do this for me!

Good Form:

It's time to be blunt.

I'm nineteen years old, true, and I'm not really sure where my life is headed, and not so long ago I had a friend whom I loved very much.

Almost everything I am today is invented.

But it's not a game. It's a form. Right here, now, as I invent myself, I'm thinking of all I want to tell you about why I loved her the way I did. For instance, I want to tell you this: she was everything I wanted to have in life and everything I hoped to become. There is nothing I would not have done for her. I needed her like she needed God. When we were together, I felt complete and cared for as I have at no other time in my life. She was never really mine, but I still felt that she was obligated to me through some unspoken degree of providence and that fate would drive us together. Destiny pulled a trick on me however in a situation I could have never foreseen and drove us apart. But I will not let him win! I tried and will forever continue to attempt to conquer fate. Her leaving me was partially my fault, you see, and for that I will never forgive myself. I remember the things I said after what I viewed as her betrayal, terrible things to tell anyone let alone the one you claim to love, and these things are guilt enough for me to be filled with sorrow at my own disloyalty. I remember that I loved her; I just don't remember exactly why. I blamed her. And wrongly so, because I myself was capable of even greater betrayal.

But listen. Even that story is made up.

I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why feeling-truth is truer sometimes than happening truth.

Here is the happening-truth. I once had a friend. She dated and had sex with a boy two weeks after meeting him. There were many points she would not reveal to me, but I never quit trying to understand. It was a simple, factual occurrence which honestly, even if she had revealed all to me, I never would have understood because I did not believe myself capable of understanding and honestly did not want to. And now, more than eight months later, I still cannot move forward and I'm left with hate for the one person I once loved the most and filled with despair at having lost her completely.

Here is the feeling-truth. She was a perfect, innocent angel whom I loved with all my heart and never would have thought capable of any wrongdoing. After two years of being together (in spirit) as I saw it, I decided to on Valentine's evening reveal to her all that had been penned inside me so very long. How little could I have imagined that that very evening my world and entire reality would be flipped upside down. Instead of the perfect night I'd envisioned, it was awkward. She had been acting different for a while and I knew it but all I could think was that she was distant this evening because she knew how I felt and would never care for me as I did for her. Again I could not have been more wrong. I was never even a thought on her mind. That same night that was to have been the start of the rest of our lives together (a fairy-tale romance with a Disney happily ever after ending), she told me about a series of events she had just been through. No, not even that, just one surprising horror that stabbed me through the heart and broke any groundings I had on reality. My angel had secretly dated a Mexican behind my back, as I perceived it, and after only two weeks of being together, she let him fuck her. He'd wanted it for a while. Even that night, she says she said no... but what could have been more simple than just leaving the bastard and going home? He went to the community college and didn't even live in our town. After the sex, they talked for about twenty minutes. I don't know what about. He then asked her to write an English paper for his class the next day. When she wouldn't but offered to help, I think he still insisted that she write it. At this point she left the house, crying in her Camaro to a friend via phone that clearly she cared for more than me. This friend lives in another town as well. She never realized that the one person who cared for her the most, the one person that would have always been there for her and seen her through any situation had she only sought his advice, was right beside her the entire time. Many of these events are puzzle pieces thrust into a collage which just does not fit. Like I said, she never fully opened up to me. My angel died to me that Valentine's day and along with her demise came a void in my heart which can never again be filled.

What happening truth can do, I guess, is make things simple.

I can look at things at face value. I can delve no deeper into fact and in doing so find happiness. Unfortunately, this is not how I have chosen to or am capable of living my life. I choose sorrow and grief over contentment. I lounge in the past and don't move forward. The feeling-truth is more real to me than life's tragic but factual events. I cannot believe the cruelty and horror of the world. I fill myself with activities just so that I might occupy time and move myself as rapidly toward death as possible. For I no longer find any real happiness with existence, no matter how much I feign well-being. She abandoned me and the truth is that which I cannot face. I long to find a way to see her as the same innocent and perfect creature that I did before, but this is a truth which neither she, myself, or God seem willing to give me. All my happiness, dreams, and goals for the future are gone. I had filled my mind with thoughts only of her and she was to be my sole purpose in life. With that purpose gone, I can now only hope that some unseen force will thrust itself into my life and give me a new one. For now, however, I am surrounded only by gloom. It would take more than a miracle to save us.

"Severin, tell the truth," people may say, "was your friend a hypocritical whore?" And I can say, honestly, "Of course!"

Or I can give the feeling-truth, which I so desire to have, and say, honestly, "No."

(Sorry this had nothing to do with Vietnam Mr. P., but I went through my own war, and much like the veterans have stilled not fully emerged from it)

Mid-term Exam:

1) Thus far, I have learned much more about the Vietnam War. I was never very knowledgable about this deeply troubling and extremely reflective war given our current situation in Iraq. I am able to understand the motives behind the various countries and individuals involved in making the Vietnam War possible, however varied those reasons may be. I am learning that not everything in life has a definite answer or fact that can be attributed to it but this is a truth I am not yet willing to accept. Some things I simply must know the answer to or find a truth which is satisfying to my own mind.

2) I feel quite well rounded in our learning experience. We seem to get a little bit of everything in this class. The film texts were getting a little monotonous, but Hearts and Minds was a welcome reprieve. I guess I would like to see more texts directly from the Vietnam or even Vietcong perspective. Maybe a war momento translated would be a nice addition.

3) As I said above, I am struggling with the fact that perhaps the Vietnam War can never be fully understood. I have an insatiable desire to know and understand all things. Vietnam presents me with an additional mental conflict that is not readily solvable.

I want to be a better writer as well. I am at an acceptable level as it is but am not entirely sure that I am progressing further. I have made better grades on my R.A.s progressively, but I still wonder if my writing has actually improved. In some cases, I have just provided better arguements or evidence to back up my statements and this seemed to do the trick.

4) The class could be improved by having an actual veteran come and speak to us. Hearts and Minds was incredible but having the physical man in our presence would be even more so. It would be even more amazing if we had two veterans speak to us at different times, one with an oppository viewpoint. Although not readily advisable, how about a veteran debate?

5) The least useful text was Full Metal Jack simply because it depicted horrific events in a thoroughly humorous manner. Because of this, I was unable (and I predict others as well) to take the material seriously enough to give it any credence.

The most useful text was The Things They Carried because it provided an insider's glimpse into the war and brought into our minds the most provocative questions during discussion section.

6) My favorite text was Full Metal Jacket just because of my sheer enjoyment. Some of the gruesome moments were quite shocking, but I leave the film in my mind with a generally pleasant memory. I wouldn't take a girlfriend to any of the other films.

My Peformance:
1) I have blogged consistently. My blogs usually do reflect topics we have been discussing and are as insightful as possible. On the community blog, I try to relate them to other's posts and include questions of my own which others may or may not respond to.

2) I always participate in discussions. I try not to say things unless they are of importance or would lead to a response by others. I have never been shy so talking in class just comes pretty naturally to me.

3) My R.A.s are alright. I have gotten better at developing arguements but still need to work on style and approach. I fall into the case where rather than really thinking too much beforehand, I begin typing away and at the end see what has magicly manifested itself onto the page.

4) B+... I make sure to do everything that is required of me. There is still plenty of room for improvement however. I want to make blog posts of greater meaning, rather than just doing them to fulfill that weeks agenda. My R.A.s are decent enough, but need more thought.

5) My project is coming along nicely. I have begun aquiring and printing certain documents and images which will prove pertinent to my project. As it stands, I will be putting together items into a portfolio/album/journal. These objects will not truly tie together in any way but will be categorized into sections and certainly all pertain to the Vietnam War in one way or another. This album will reflect the disjointed nature of the war itself. I will label most if not all of the objects with a specific tone word that I feel best reflects the nature of the text/image. This will allow the viewer to pick up on the meaning of what he sees even if only glimpsed quickly. The text/image will relate to a concept and he will lock that somewhere in his mind. I would also like to include a certain element of childhood. I do not know how that will be done yet. I am thinking of having a girl look through the project as if it were her deceased father's scrapbook and reflecting her sad thoughts onto that book as she goes along.

Of Note:

I will not be posting an official personal blog before class this Tuesday. I plan to write a brief story type thing styled after O'Brien's chapter on his view of truth in relation to my own life. I will simply write two posts prior to Thursday's class.
Truthfully,
S.W.

Basic Response:

Do you agree that in writing The Things They Carried Obrien's intent was noble? I believe you would. O'Brien was promoting veteran awareness and encouraging people to consider the atrocities veterans may have gone through during their tour of duty, and yet he openly acknowledged that everything he wrote about was made up, fictionalized, and a lie! I use this as an example for why a person's motivations can be noble, even if they are mistaken in what they say, or in O'Brien's case lie deliberately. While I do not promote it and would not resort to such measure myself, I can with an open mind see how such a circumstance is possible and under certain conditions a viable option over telling the truth.

Does this accurately defend and back-up my initial statement?

In regards to the project, I was thinking on a central theme to tie everything together. I thought maybe it could be from the perspective of a child looking back through his father's things or things pertaining to Vietnam in general and how he might react. I was thinking of possibly categorizing everything under unique tone words to reflect the diverse reactions to Vietnam. Do you like either of these ideas? Do you think this can be done and I am leading it in the right direction? If I could finish in the next several weeks or at least right after Thanksgiving, would you mind giving it a look over before I were to officially turn it in? Thanks and I did not mean to sound defensive earlier, just looking for a way to defend my claims.

If the person speaking's motivation is noble, could they still possibly be mistaken in what they say?

Depends on your definition of "noble" now doesn't it? Think about this one.

Conflict vs. War:

I looked up the official definitions of the two and yet am still having trouble coming to any clear distinction between them. They both seem to involve a prolonged period of violence between two or more parties. I always considered a conflict to be the less severe, but under the guidelines of sheer definitions this does not seem to be the case and certainly not within the context of Vietnam.

I think the fault does not lie upon the person giving the "facts," so long as that is what the person truly believes. The fault lies in those who accept the words of the individual within a position of power and do not look beyond the face value. If the person speaking's motivation is noble, could they still possibly be mistaken in what they say? What are the exact motives behind what that person is telling us and could they have anything to gain by concealing the actual truth?

I was willing to address the issue with Major Catazaro because I was curious what her exact beliefs on the matter were. After having had the discussion, I do not view her as being at fault. I did what I could for my own benefit of knowledge, but was afraid to raise the issue until class was over. I did not want to upset or embarrass my professor.

Those who rule us, in any context, tend to rule with a certain element of fear. If we oppose the government, will we be labeled as anarchists? Communists? What sort of reprisals might we face if we question anything we are told? Because of this fear, society as a whole tends to bow down to the ideology of those in power and not contradict important or viable issues that clearly need addressing. Until we learn to overcome this domination by fear, all mankind will be the worse for it and lay down in submission.

The Horror:

I was not that impressed with "Apocalypse Now". This may be, in retrospect, because I do not feel that I liked it. It just did not draw me in as the other films have, and I felt like the whole film was plodding along. It definitely had suspense in that I was eagerly awaiting Sheen's arrival into the world of Kurtz. It just did not deliver. I was not impressed with Kurtz in any way. He seemed like a sick, old, twisted man that did not deserve the position of power he had acquired. I saw nothing appealing in him. There were so many unexplored avenues that could have been taken with this film that simply were not. We need to see Kurtz as a intelligent radical worthy of our attention and compassion. Instead, to me at least, he was portrayed as a man deserving of death. I had no qualms over Sheen killing him the way he did and felt that the Army was more than justified in ordering his execution. I wanted a better grasp of the motives behind Kurtz's actions - what drove him to the point of insanity and why does he do what he does now? None of this was delivered. Perhaps it was to be left up to the audience to determine these things, but I just think that too little was revealed. Sheen, I think, understood Kurtz from the beginning. The only difference between the two men was that Kurtz succumbed to his insanity while Sheen faced his own head on and kept moving forward. The last words spoken by Kurtz (and what are probably supposed to be the most memorable), "the horror," represent the horror of life and the evil of which mankind is capable. Kurtz personified this evil by fully surrendering to his own "dark side" and releasing it upon the world.

The Vietnam Conflict:

I just finished speaking to Major Catazaro. I made sure to be really careful in how I addressed the issue with her. She first of all agreed that I was repeating the question correctly because I wanted to make sure not to misquote her. She said that other countries use a modified version of the salute by either using their left hand or tilting the right fully upwards in a manner much different than ourselves (both of which she demonstrated). I then carefully brought up the issue of the Vietnam War, telling her that I was fairly well-versed on the subject, am in your class, and generally understand that we lost the war and how that would conform to her theory as to why we salute. She said that the trouble with that lied in a misunderstanding. First of all, the proper terminology for it is the Vietnam Conflict. This special categorization negates it from being a war and therefore would not apply to the saluting rule under that specific terminology. Secondly, we did not loose the war. We pulled out. I understood this to be much like a retreat, but I believe her point was this was another means of validating her statement. Lastly, she informed me that Austin is an extremely liberal town and as such I will not always receive the truth, even from my professors. She said that only military officials (such as herself I assume) would be fully capable of understanding what occured in Vietnam and that most civilians could not know the "truth" even if they tried. I thanked her for her clarification and ended it at that.

One thing I could not help but noticing was a bit of confusion on her part. It really did feel like she had been trained to believe these things. I had to gently pull to get further information from her and even then it seemed like she had a bit of a struggle within herself to come up with answers.

Now, I would like to tell you some end-of-semester project ideas that have popped into my head. I liked your idea of an album. However, I think I would rather sing a really long one rather than six individuals, something similar to that one we began to hear in class. The only trouble is that I have no prior experience recording (could I do it for you on a tape recorder alone?), and also, if it need be done on a computer I have neither the background nor technology for doing so. Maybe that overrides that option then. My other idea was to put together some sort of Vietnam scrapbook. Not necessarily from the perspective of one having gone throught the war or containing memorabilia from my time there. I was thinking more all inclusive. Perhaps it could feature songs, letters home, photgraphs, movie posters, any number of things. Just let me know which of these two endeavors you believe I should focus my efforts on. Maybe I could even do a combination of the two.

Peace out, Mr. P.

Symbolism in "Platoon"

Like I began to say last night, there are so many different layers to this movie. Stone was a perfect director for this film, having been through the war himself, and effectively captured the subtle nuances of war that I think American audiences would be most responsive to. I just wanted to point out a few things I noticed while watching this film. Let me know if any of them strike you.

I found the Elias/Barnes dynamic to be the most compelling aspect of the film. Is the term for that "foils"? Anyway, they were complete polar opposites. While Barnes represented rash decisions and sheer, mindless brutality, Elias stood for calm and rational moral decisions despite the hell of war surrounding him. Despite his known distrust of Barnes, Elias greeted him with a smile when alone in the forest just moments before he was shot and betrayed. The camera zooms into Elias' mouth and we see it close into a hardened almost grimace as he realizes that his comrade has not come to his aid, but rather to bring about his demise. I found it most telling when Barnes' says to Elias' remaining followers, "I am the truth." This was a very dramatic line which I think captures the essence of many soldier's philosophies. For Barnes', the only way he could go on being the type of man and go on living, was to believe in his own reality and disregard the truth that may be found in any other individual. The Barnes/Elias relationship symbolizes the duplicity of man. While Taylor originally found himself drawn to Barnes (the darker side of man's nature), he soon realized that he would rather take the higher road in life by subscribing to the kindness and moral awareness present within Elias. What does this say for mankind? Are we to believe, through Stone's depiction at least, that we are all initially drawn to corrupt souls rather than the goodness in life?

Barnes had been shot seven times. The only remaining wounds we see inflicted upon him are a leg injury and then the final three shots which kill him. One could argue that the 9th shot by Charlie Sheen would have been enough to finish him off and thereby brings forth the interesting reference to the nine lives of a cat. I do not know if this was in fact intentional on any level by Stone, but when you add the seven to the leg and then killing blow, I found this an interesting comparison. I was hoping you could clear something up for me. I understand that Barnes was a disturbed and cruel man, but why was he killing his own men at the end of the large VC battle. i understood his angst against Elias as rational for that brutal attack, but what reason did he have for turning on his own men at that point? Or was it just that by that point he was so consumed by the insanity of was and his own rage that he no longer had a grip on what he was doing exactly?

Now for my final comparison. Elias is the Aramaic form of the Biblical Elijah. He was the chief prophet and messenger of God in the Jewish faith. This is of note due to the ideals he represented. Unlike Elijah, however, he was not successful in his goals. His goodness, while encouraging followers, was not rewarded in this life, even though retribution for his death was eventually achieved. i think that the greater parallel may lie in him being a Christ-like figure. Much like Jesus, he too was betrayed by a comrade. The greatest visual evidence for this lies in his own death. As Elias falls and throws his arms upward and out toward Heaven, a blatant parallel is made between himself and the crucifixion of Jesus.

Thousands of things must slip my mind as I write this. I am sure many more would become apparent upon repeat viewings. As for what was not shown, I regret to inform you that I cannot place that at this time. All I can think is that a complete lack of true happiness or human decency (other than that of Elias) is not present in this film and limited to few other characters we have seen in the others. Another definite aspect that we have not seen in a film thus far (although most definitely not what you would desire to be pointed out) is the response to the war on the home front, nor any glimpses of American civilian life at this time at all, although the reaction of Taylor's going to war by his parents is evidence by the fact that he only speaks to his grandmother in letters home.

Sounds like your Major has been watching Patton too much. Though wars are messy and unquantifiable, it is understood by everyone around the world that the United States lost the Vietnam War. So not only were hunderds of thousands of people killed, but saluting privileges were lost as well? The horror!

Broken Bridges:

We salute with our right hands because medieval knights wore their sheaths on the left side and drew their swords up to the right as a sign of respect to other warriors. Today in class, Major Catazaro asked us, "Does anyone know why we are the only country in the world to salute with our right hand?" This took me offguard because I already knew of the old tale going back to the knights and certainly did not realize we are the only country that does so. Because of this I hesitated to answer. It turned out I was not the only person with some level of confusion. Nobody replied and she supplied the answer, "because we are the only country in the world that has never lost a war." I did not quite understand the concept, but because it was stated as such an obvious and direct fact, I did not feel like raising the issue or asking for further explanation. Am I to assume that every other country that has lost some battle in the distant past salutes with their left arm to reflect their shame. That is the only way I understood how to take it since our books explain the salute as a position of honor. I was also curious as to how this relates to the concept of Vietnam. Through our studies thus far, that is a war we lost as far as I understand, so should we not lose this right-handed saluting privelage as well? Or is this overlooked due to some pulling out clause or treaty? This is certainly a topic that I plan to research further though. Also of interest, my science teacher explained that when marching across bridges, military personal do not step on cadence because they would match the bridges natural frequency or vibrations (I forget exactly how he phrased it), and this would cause the bridge to collapse. Now I will be one step ahead of the game when we cover marching across bridges in drill!!! :)

I'm thoroughly enjoying your posts and contributions in class, Severin. Your presence is particularly intriguing because you are in training to be a military man yourself, and thus can offer us an inside perspective. Most impressive, however, is how open minded you've been. Foster that and you will be rewarded.

With regard to Patton, I can't help but feeling that the rhetoric of the opening speech is one of arrogance. That, as you rightly pointed out, no man is larger than life. That statements like "America will never lose a war" are symbolic of the kind of imperialistic arrogance that led to the great tragedy of Vietnam, and now, Iraq.

You also qualify your thought that "Bush is a bad man." I'm not sure that statement needs to be qualified.

One more thing: a sign of a great mind is one that makes connections between disparate subjects and fields of inquiry. If things are beginning to appear cohesive, well, then, maybe you've got a great mind on your shoulders?

Writing About the Movies and One Other Thing:

There really is not all that much new on my mind. I went through a day-long orientation for my new job as an usher at the Frank Erwin Center this past Saturday. It was so tiring. I am beginning to wonder how I will stay as busy as I am and still do well in school. I signed up for four events already. This coming Saturday I get to watch the Rice game and get paid $10.50 an hour for doing so. It is a pretty good job then I guess, it will just take up a lot of time when I do it. On the plus side though, it is an entirely flexible schedule, so I only work or sign up for events when I want to.

A funny thing happened last Thursday after I had your class. My AFROTC group met up outside for drill instruction. My flight commander, essentially a bossy, fifth-year senior drill instructor, had to yell at one of the girls in the group. She was chewing gum. He exclaimed, "SWEET JESUS!!! Are you chewing gum in MY uniform?" I had to practically bite my tongue to keep from laughing or getting any kind of smirk on my face. At that point, he reminded me so much of the man in Full Metal Jacket that it was nearly impossible to keep from cracking up.

That is about all I have got. I find the reading on films to be very informative, and its examples will prove useful as we write our own critiques on movie rhetoric. I have my first physics exam this coming Thursday, so for the next several days, that will be the dominant thought on my mind.

Too Many Things... Too Little Time!

I am really beginning to enjoy all of my classes. With the exception of physics, there seems to be a remarkable cohesiveness in how all the discussions and readings throughout my classes seem inextricably tied together. That is not to say that they all cover the same topics, just to say that I notice certain things within each class that may pertain to another and hopefully I can use at some point within another class or even during my future life. I know it sounds silly, but that realization gives me a sense of joy and just makes me happy somehow. I love feeling well-rounded and have never felt so much so as now that I am at U.T. It can be exhausting at times, but I am loving it.

There are so many things I could discuss, but to be honest I need to get on with my paper and physics homework. I have P.T. right before your class both days, so if I ever appear a little groggy or incoherent (hopefully not that extreme), please forgive me. Anyway, in response to the opening scene of Patton, I found it a very nice and moving war speech. It proved to be slightly humorous, due to its being taken out of context, but still I found it to be a believable war speech and can understand how somebody high-ranking in the military could have those particular views and the freedom to address a crowd in that manner. The acting seems like it will be incredibly strong, and I cannot wait to view the entire film as soon as I have the time. In the opening, one gets to see all of Patton's regalia - from war medals, to his four stars, all the way to his flashy rings. In this manner he is portrayed as a larger than life figure and yet as the camera shifted more to a distanced perspective, the American flag dwarfed him from every angle. I believe this may be done to show that even the most powerful men have a small place in history. It also goes to show that America and what we stand for, has taken many such men as Patton to form us into the free republic we are today. The U.S.A., therefore, is a collective of many different viewpoints and cultures, and in having "America" drape over Patton as she does, he is shown to have an extremely narrow and limited viewpoint, that despite all his power, really is of very little importance. Do you agree with any of this Mr. P.?

I will discuss FMJ in greater detail during my weekly writing assignment. I will choose my own topic, although I am as yet unsure what that will be exactly. I would like to comment however that I wish we had learned what the female Vietcong sniper had said before she died. I want to know the exact meaning of her prayer, be it Christian hymn or traditional Vietnamese. In response to your question, I would say that despite the numerous benefits of communism in its ideal form, no form of government may ever succeed if it is brought about through military means, enforced by armed forced, and adds oppression to the populous. No matter how great and pure a concept socialism may have been at the time of its initial conception, it was brought about in every place through brutal means and featured little to no consent within many of those under its dominion. We naturally opposed communism, because it represented everything we feared America could become, a country of militant dominion over the people within their own country rather than as a means of defense. Does that mean we had a right to go into other countries to reshape their own governments? I really do not know. Nobody does. The more we study Vietnam, the more it seems like an only slightly less absurd occurrence than the War in Iraq. I am not saying that President Bush is a bad man. I just mean that while the Vietnam Conflict built up and intensified over many years, Iraq just seemed to have popped up over night at one man's fancy. I don't understand why he had and continues to have so much power. In regards to communism, I believe it was due to failure from the beginning because no regime that does not have the peaceful support of those under its dominion can ever hope to be successful in the long run. I know I got off on a bit of a tangent, but I hope that answered your questioned. Have a great night, and I will see you in the morning. Hopefully tomorrow we will not find ourselves in the Amazon once again.

Noble Questions

Severin,

Yours are noble and insightful questions. I had planned on covering communism in some depth in class, with a fairly broad Wikipedia handout to start with--you'll get it Tuesday. Since this isn't a political science class, however, it won't be necessary for our purposes to get into the intricate workings of communisim and socialism, but it sure would do us well to know about them in general terms. To that end, here's a helpful bit I found:

In very broad strokes, socialism is an economic system in which "the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy." In modern societies, socialism often attempts to eradicate class divisions. While the word "socialism" is sometimes used interchangeably with "communism," the two aren't the same -- communism is a more extreme form of socialism.

Communism advocates the "collective ownership of property and the organization of labor for the common advantage of all members." While communism is first and foremost an economic system, it's also a political ideology that rejects religion. And just as communism is a form of socialism, Marxism, Maoism, and Leninism are branches of communism.

The more important consideration, for us, is why the Big Scuffle over what appears as a benevolent theory? Do you have any thoughts on this?

To answer your second concern about the negative portrayal of war and the army: this class, as I envision it, is not a history course either, but, as the name implies, the rhetoric of the vietnam war. Which is to say, in layman's terms, how do people talk about and make sense of the Vietnam War? What kind of "arguments" do they put forth? I certainly don't have an agenda, but I looked for the texts that seemed most rich in meaning and complexity. And given how complex this era was, we're in for some pretty heady and emotional subjects. Your question is exactly the right one to be asking. With regard to FMJ, for example, we can ask what Kubrick's point was, how did he argue it, and why or why not is it successful. I promise there will be many opportunities to hear from different sides of the story. But it will be up to you to raise the challenging questions, either here or in class, when you deem things are being one sided. I look forward very much to having you in this class, Severin. Welcome.

A Couple Questions:

Mr. P.,
I just got done watching some of Full Metal Jacket and could not help but notice how it portrays war and field training in such a negative light. I was just wondering, is everything we watch and study this semester going to display the armed forces as nothing but causing death and destruction? I realize that we are studying the Vietnam War, which naturally has an overall negative connotation associated with it, but many people do join the military for noble purposes, by choice, and war, I believe, can sometimes be a glorious thing. I was also curious about one other thing. Could you help explain the difference between communism and socialism to me? I was just a little confused on the topics and before going further, had hoped I would have a little better basic understanding of the variances between the two.

About Me:

I grew up in the small town of Brenham, TX. We have a population of just slightly over 10,000 people so coming to a school where my freshman class is larger than my entire town is a little overwhelming. About the only claim to fame we have is that we are the home of Blue Bell ice cream. My sister is actually best friends with the CEO's daughter. But in a town that small, I got a little sick of being just about the only boy in town whose parents did not work for the factory. In both high school and the years prior, I was very involved with various organizations and activities. From first through sixth grade I was actually the top fund-raising collector in my county for the American Heart Association. In high school, I held positions in student government, was vice-president for the Spanish club, participated in the National Honors Society, and played soccer for all four years. My senior year, I got to be king of my town's Maifest. It is an old German celebration that is a little stupid but actually is the largest event of its kind in our nation. If you have facebook, you can look me up and I have pictures of me in full regal attire that you might enjoy seeing. My dad and all of his five brothers went to this university. It is the only place I applied and where I have always wanted to go. I actually live off campus with my grandmother, which makes it a little harder getting to know people, but I am still having a good time. Orientation 6 was my session and by the time I went to apply for my classes, most things were full. My SAT score had placed me out of RHE 306K and all I knew was that I needed 309. Upon registration, I saw that their were actually many different versions of this course, but only three were still open. Yours was the only one that interested me and the name Rambo drew me in from the start. I have always loved that movie. Right now, I am in Air Force ROTC. I signed up because I have always had an interest in flight and quite frankly, could use a scholarship. That is all I can think to say about myself for now. I am sorry it got so long. If there is ever anything else you would like to know about me, do not hesitate to ask. Have a great week-end, and I will see you on Tuesday.