The Vietnam War

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the basic theme of the five Vietnam War books and films: Human beings become more primitive as they seek only to survive and to eliminate anything or anyone that stands between them and survival. The paper continues that these works all show human beings in crisis and reacting to that crisis. The author learns, from these works, those participating in war find that their humanity is tested and they need objects, memories or ideas to cling to so they will not fade away into nothingness.

From the Paper:

"The long-term bitterness of war is evident in Butler's story, where the old man and narrator speak to his dead friend and hear how the dead sees things differently, for the old idea of countries has fallen away. Those still living may have difficulty holding onto their humanity in their civilian life as they would have in war. Thank and Loi knew the killers of a man who wrote something the killers did not like. Thank and Loi believed that murder is now a political statement, a way of protecting the fact the war was fought at all. As if, allowing criticism means that they were wrong to fight and that ceding the point now would make their lives meaningless."

More papers on The Vietnam War:

• Book Review # 142157 : "The Vietnam War On Trial": Book Review"
• Comparison Essay # 42331 : "The Vietnam War"
• Cause and Effect Essay # 112589 : "Student Unrest and the Vietnam War"
• Book Review # 57859 : "Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War"

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