1. The story that meant the most to me was the story of poppa-san. I liked
this story the most because it gave a different perspective of Viet Nam and its
people. In most stories the people you are fighting are all your enemies. For
example in world war two every German was a Nazi. So it was nice that this
story told about Vietnamese people helping the Americans because most people
don't realize that not every Vietnamese person in Viet Nam was trying to kill
the Americans. I also like how it shows that they began to trust him and even
missed him when they had to leave him. This is seen by the way that cross hugged
him and sanders and strunk gave him their food. I also like how it puts a more
positive and upbeat spin on the real danger that the platoon faced every day.
2. The character that I connect most with so far would be curt lemon. The
reason I connect with him the most is that he is always doing things that are a
little bit crazy and seems to make the other soldiers laugh. That is something
that I try to do a lot in my personal life. I always try to make situations
less stressful by making jokes about things. The trait he has is a more laid
back attitude, this can be seen when they talk about him and rat Kelly playing
with a grenade right before he dies. It shows how he just tries to have fun and
that is a trait I relate to.
3. The convention that stands out most to me is in the first chapter where
he talks about the things that they carried. Some of the things where assigned
to them like the different weapons or explosives to the navigation tools for
cross and Kelly’s medical supplies, and even the personal things like the tomahawk
and the stockings. It is also interesting how he talks about the exact weight
of everything because it would have been very important to the soldiers who
carried them. I also like how he talks about the figurative weight the items
carried. For example Dobbins Carried his girlfriend’s stockings as a good luck
charm to keep him safe. That was the most interesting thing because it talked
about the Physical weight, or the weight we can see and measure, and the
figurative weight, or the weight things carry like luck and protection, that we
can only feel.
4. The passage that struck me the most was on page seven of my book where
they talk about the weapons and the explosives the different men carried. This
passage is impactful because it ends with "They carried all they could bear,
and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they
carried". I think this is impactful because in the beginning of the
paragraph it takes a very logical approach to the weapons they carried, but at
the end it reminds us that the also had to deal with the purpose of the weapons
and how they would impact someone’s life. It was impactful because it was a
very real reminder of what war is.
What i liked most about your exploration was the connection you drew with Curt Lemon. I kinda feel lemon is a bit off the deep end and that's what makes him so memorable. I also always try and lighten up situations with a bit of humor.
ReplyDeleteI like the passage that you chose talking about the power of the things they carried. It is easy to forget that these are just kids carrying the ability to kill and destroy. It is a responsibility that I think most grown men would struggle with. I also like how you talked about the things they carried other than weapons and gear. It is these intangible things like luck and protection that can add or subtract from the weight of life.
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ReplyDeleteI really like your last point where you talk about the things they carry. I completely agree with your statement because of how the weapons not only have an impact on someone else's life, but as well as their own. Good points :)
I like how you focus on not only the abundance of material goods the soldiers had to carry but also the huge load of emotional distress they must have also been faced with.
ReplyDeleteI really like your last point of how it was very logistical and factual of what they had to carry then he also describes what they mentally have to go through and how powerful he made that paragraph with that quote you stated.
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