Paper 4 Draft

Many people say that the United States has only lost one war in her history; and that war was Vietnam. It comes as no surprise that the US presence in Vietnam is considered wrong by modern day Americans. We call it a failure, an unwarranted plethora of death, or even make the claim that the US attempted to act as the world police in a war we had no stake in. But anyone can tell you that this is because hindsight is 20-20. We can write off Vietnam as a mistake in US history but the truth remains that many people felt that our involvement in the war was not only just but necessary. Tim O’Brien’s memoir If I Die in a Combat Zone offers a new perspective on the war, as it was perceived by combat soldiers on the ground. The book makes a clear statement from the outset that an American presence in Vietnam was not only unjust but also immoral by portraying those against the war as intelligent and caring individuals and those for the war as callous, immature and uneducated.
As the novel begins O’Brien makes it clear that the speaker is wholeheartedly against the war and in a constant battle between the desire to be brave and the desire to be just. **Deciding whether or not to flea the country** ch5
Those against the war are capable of intelligent discussion as to their reasons **discussion with chaplain p55-60 and discussion with leuitenant p 61-67
Those for the war are incapable of intelligent discussion about the war and cannot offer a reasonable explanation for the war
To show how bad the war was for the soldiers O’Brien makes the point that they are treated as “cattle” and
• Simmilar environment to school children earn things like schoolchildren “gook” “motherfucker” “dink” and “tit” like going to school
These school children are then thrown into the battle fields where they are scared “out of their minds” ** few paragraphs showing the gunfire and crazy suff that the foot soldier has to go through ** specifically Ch 9 “Ambush”
Link to “EMPIRE”