Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Ambush

In the chapter, Ambush, Tim O’Brien remembers what it was like to kill a man in the Vietnam War. Even though O’Brien knew he was in a situation where he would have to kill a man or he might be killed, he was not prepared for the negative psychological effects it would have on him. He describes clearly what the man was wearing and what was happening before he killed him. Before he even realized what he was doing, he pulled the pin out of the grenade and tossed it at the man. The man tries to outrun the grenade, but realizes he could not escape. Giving up all hope, he turns, covers his face, but realizes it is too late. The young Vietnamese soldier’s body is severely dismembered, which causes O’Brien to breakdown. He imagines who the person was that he just killed, and is disturbed about all the other people who would be upset by the loss of the man he just killed.

This chapter in The Things They Carried is similar to the two scenes in Saving Pvt. Ryan. The first being when the squad comes up on their first german bunker. Their medic gets shot multiple times by an MG 42 and there was only one german left alive. The German man begs for forgiveness, a chance to be a better person. The translator in the group fights to let this man live but all the others think he will just join up with the next squad of germans he finds. They let the man live and threaten to kill him if he is ever seen again. Later in the end of the movie the squad is holding a last stand on a bridge and everyone is being killed and blown up. The translator is the last man alive when air force blows up the tanks and the men start to flee. The translator comes out to see the same german man is out there with other German soldiers and he had shot the commanding officer and how he had made a terrible mistake. He pulls up his rifle and kills the man. Much like O’brian was hoping this man let the opposing soldier live he was going to do wrong again no matter what.

8 comments:

  1. Your comparison between Saving Private Ryan and The Things They Carried was really interesting. Although Saving Private Ryan is slightly different, the two stories corollate well. Another good thing about this blog post is that both stories are war stories which makes it even more understandable. Great job!

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  2. This was a really good connection between the two stories, and I can see how they are very similar. I thought it was interesting how you said that both characters were going to do wrong no matter what. Great job!

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  3. I really like the comparison to Saving Private Ryan. The correlation really fits due to war atmosphere and the feeling of remorse that is evident. However, I would suggest a little textual evidence to enhance details and support your claim. Overall, great job!

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  4. I liked how you addressed the truth of the matter which is that this is their job, this is what they have been trained to do, and this is what they're going to do. Good job connecting the two war stories.

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  5. Good job, Blake. You description of the movie and of the chapter are spot on and highly detailed. That said, I think more could be done in the way of analysis between the two works. Perhaps a part to part comparison would work well instead of a whole to whole to give the audience a better sense of the correspondences in these scenes. On the whole, I enjoyed your paragraphs and I love how you tied in Saving Private Ryan.

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  6. Great connection to the movie. I really liked your description, and yes, it is their job and they must fulfill their commitment.

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  7. Blake, I agree that the man on the opposite side was probably going to do wrong later if Tim had not killed him, but at the same time I believe that Tim was not ready to kill anyone. He got too personal after he killed the man, and this is not what is supposed to happen in war. War is a time where people aren’t supposed to care about killing, so it is odd to see that Tim got so upset after one death. Nice post, Blake!

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  8. Great Job, this post really makes me want to watch this moving to see the comparison as well. I think I am going to watch is this weekend. haha. The detail and description made me picture everything in my head already.

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