The Tragedy of the Vietnam War

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how the Vietnam War was devastating to many people for many reasons and how many individuals have expressed the torment that the victims of the Vietnam War experienced through writing, photography, and motion pictures. It examines some of these works, such as Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried", and the movie, "Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam", and shows how these personal experiences help us relate to the weight of the war, as well as understand the scope of the war's reach.

From the Paper:

"The image "What They Carried" also makes a powerful statement about the war. The first thing we notice is that the soldier is missing one leg and it appears that both of his arms have been broken. The image is black and white, which adds to the dramatic mood of the image. The man looks confused and tired as he stands in a metropolis (New York perhaps) under a cloudy sky. What is striking about the image is that it focuses on one soldier out of hundreds of thousands who fought in Vietnam. We can see how the soldier feels isolated and abandoned by his country. We cannot help but think of each individual life that was effected by the war and how displaced those who returned must have felt--especially those who were wounded."

More papers on The Tragedy of the Vietnam War:

• Term Paper # 115576 : "The Trauma of the Vietnam War"
• Book Review # 27446 : "One Morning in the War: The Tragedy at Son My"
• Book Review # 142157 : "The Vietnam War On Trial": Book Review"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: