Tuesday, October 1, 2013

The Brutality of War

War is inhumane, inevitably resulting in pain and suffering. The Vietnam War was one such war, while the need for waging the war can be argued; the suffering is stark and unarguable. Throughout How to Tell a True War Story, O’Brien provides a multitude of evidence to emphasize the types of brutality in war.

        O’Brien shows how psychological brutality is one of the major downsides of being a soldier. The author describes a scene where “A six-man patrol goes up into the mountains on a basic listening-post operation... You hear stuff nobody should ever hear.... this soft, kind a wacked out music... like a crazyass gook concert.... the guys can’t cope. They lose it. They get on the radio and report enemy movement” (O’Brien 68). Clearly in this situation, the troops are feeling the pressure and are losing their nerve due to the inexplicable noises that surround them, and thus call in massive amounts of firepower. They are suffering from psychological brutality because the situation that the soldiers have been put in is playing with their minds and is laying the foundation for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A situation like this eventually causes hyperarousal symptoms of PTSD as well, such as having difficulty sleeping, being easily startled, and feeling tense or on the edge. Thus, war is cruel and emotionally taxing due to the fact that it creates fear and unnecessary stress on soldiers.

        Not only is war a psychological bane, but it is also a physical bane. An example of the physical viciousness of war is when Curt Lemon, the daredevil, is killed by a booby trap. “Then [Lemon] took a peculiar half-step, moving from shade into bright sunlight, and the booby trapped 105 round blew him into a tree. The parts were just hanging there. I remember the white bone of an arm. I remember pieces of skin, and something wet and horrible that must have been his intestines” (79). This section not only highlights the physical brutality of the war, but results in the horrifically grotesque death that many soldiers suffered during the Vietnam War. It is not only physically taxing on the soldiers, but is capable of brutally hurting, or in the case of Lemon, killing. War is a very sneaky, presumptuous, and clandestine demon; it easily claims the lives of honorable soldiers in a macabre way.

In addition to the physical and psychological damage war causes soldiers, it also ultimately destroys their moral judgement. An example of how war destroys moral fabric is when Rat Kiley meticulously kills a baby water buffalo. “He stepped back and shot it through the right front knee…. Rat took careful aim and shot of an ear… Rat shot it in the nose. He bent forward and whispered something, as if talking to a pet, then he shot it in the throat” (75). This completely cruel and inhumane action highlights how war is the “Garden of Evil,” where “every sin’s real fresh and original (76). No moral person would randomly shoot a buffalo’s body parts without a valid reason; War provides a reason; war is the reason that Rat Kiley lost one of his best friends, Curt Lemon, thus clouding his moral judgement, and throwing him into a fit of rage. The Vietnam War brings out the worst in Kiley and causes him to take the life of another innocent creature. Thus, one can conclude that war is not only inhumane, but unleashes the cruelty in others, ultimately resulting in more death, pain, and suffering.
        War, though thought of as honorable, brings about far too much violence and inhumanity. It covets death and is antithetical to humanity. Not only does it treat its participants harshly, but collaterally damages the emotional state of many others. It is a very anomalous demon, causing every type of pain. The truth of the matter is that war is unforgiving and wicked and is only for the audacious, who are willing to brave its trickery.

Read More about PTSD

Works Cited:
  • N.d. Photograph. NEHTA. Web.
  • NIMH. "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" NIMH. NIH., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. 




12 comments:

  1. I liked how you talked about the emotional side of war because often people talk about the physical side of war and the killing, but rarely do people really talk about the mental side of war and its effects, and I liked how you addressed that. Also I liked how you addressed how it messes with one's moral compass.

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  2. The comparison between the physical and emotional aspects of war was very interesting. This was a compelling way to approach this topic. The ideas you portrayed seem absolutely true based on the examples form Tim O'Brien. I like how you mentioned that was is seen as brave yet there are so many bad things that happen is really only for the daring. This is a great point! Also, great use of vocal. Good Job!

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  3. I liked how you pointed out the effects of Lemon's death as a double edged sword. Not only does the story of his death exemplify the cruelty and physical toll of war, but also the unraveling of morals, a sort of psychological effect. Further, this mental burden is placed not only on Rat Kiley, the best friend of Lemon but on the unit as a whole.

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  4. I really liked the way you set up your post. I like how you used three different instances to prove your point, each relating back to your topic. Each point was obviously proven in detail and I really liked your post as a whole.

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  5. I think it was really cool how you compared the glorified ideal of going to war with the repercussions that come with it. I thought it was cool that you not only talked about the usual physical pains people talk about associated with war, but also the psychological effects that go unnoticed.

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  6. I liked how you talked about and compared the different kinds of war brutalities. I thought your paragraph on the phycological part of the war was especially interesting, and sometimes almost worse than the physical brutality of it. When I was reading this chapter, and got to the part about the baby buffalo, I also thought about how the war changes people's morals, and I agree with you. I think your blog post is very interesting! Good job!

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  7. This shows good research, great use of vocabulary, and some really good textual examples and embedded quotes to prove your points. Great work

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  8. You stated your ideas and used helpful quotes from the book to support them. I like how you talked about three different effects of war because often people only think about one. Nice vocabulary usage, Tarun!

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  9. I really enjoyed your last paragraph and how you incorporated our vocabulary words. The quotes are perfectly blended into your analysis. Good job, I enjoyed reading it!

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  10. Great use of voacab! The quotes and examples were really effective. good job Tarun!

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  11. You really went all out on this and I really like it. I really liked reading the whole blog

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  12. Your organization in this blog was superb. I like how you backed up your ideas with quotes in the text.

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