Eager Pyle represents the premise of involvement. Pyle teaches Fowler that “it’s not a matter of reason or justice. We all get involved in a moment of emotion and then we cannot get out. War and Love—they have always been compared’.” (Greene, 1955, p.144). Love for Pyle is about commitment and being proactive in the pursuit of love. Unfortunately, Pyle does not take into consideration Fowler 's desire to maintain his relationship with Phuong. For Pyle, “the keyword was marriage. Pyle believed in being involved” (Greene, 1955, p.21) and being in a loving, committed relationship. “He was absorbed already in the dilemmas of Democracy and the responsibilities of the West; he was determined –I learnt that very soon- to do good, not to any individual …show more content…
Fowler’s description of Vietnam depicts different examples of his view of the country. He describes the beauty of “The gold of the rice-fields under the flat late sun ... the gold and the young green and the bright dresses of the south,” along with the darkness of the war: “in the north the deep browns and the black clothes and the circle of enemy mountains and the drone of planes.”(Greene, 1955, p.17). Fowler sees both the positive and the negative in the country of Vietnam and presents his knowledge of both. Fowler’s view of the beauty and positive aspects of Vietnam relate to Phuong and her outward appearance, although Fowler knows of her struggles and adversities in her past and present. In Fowler 's opinion, "She is the most beautiful girl in Saigon." (Greene, 1955, p.34). Once Phuong brought the letter from Fowler’s wife to her sister, the truth was revealed. Phuong’s sister, Miss Hei, translated the letter exposing the lie Fowler had told; the divorce was refused by his wife. Phuong did not say much the night before and Fowler was aware of that. “I noticed you were quiet. What a fury you might have been, but you’re Phuong – you’re no fury.” (Greene, 1950, p.123). Phuong’s silence symbolizes her country, Vietnam, because of their powerless behavior and actions along with their careless choices. Phuong is silent and relates to her country in that she lets others make important decisions for her. He does not recognize individual lives and instead he is only focused of instigating certain principles to the country’s civilization as a whole. The Vietnamese people only see their need of food and shelter rather than this political concept of democracy which Pyle is striving to put into practice. Pyle does not see Phuong as a person, but as a possession to change and protect; "a delicate
Firstly, in the poems, “Saigon is Gone”, and “Last Respects”, Lai says, “...he [Southern Vietnam pilot] adds what no one wants to hear: It’s over; Saigon is gone… One woman tries to throw herself overboard, screaming that without a country she cannot live. As they wrestle her down, a man stabs his heart with a toothbrush” (Lai, 69; 85). This shows that while all the refugees who heard the Southern Vietnamese pilot were deeply upset by the news that they’d lost everything they’d left behind, including Hà, others couldn’t handle the sorrow they felt by knowing this, trying to end their pain by killing themselves. Hà’s situation is not exclusive to just her, but to most refugees in general.
In A Viet Cong Memoir, we receive excellent first hands accounts of events that unfolded in Vietnam during the Vietnam War from the author of this autobiography: Truong Nhu Tang. Truong was Vietnamese at heart, growing up in Saigon, but he studied in Paris for a time where he met and learned from the future leader Ho Chi Minh. Truong was able to learn from Ho Chi Minh’s revolutionary ideas and gain a great political perspective of the conflicts arising in Vietnam during the war. His autobiography shows the readers the perspective of the average Vietnamese citizen (especially those involved with the NLF) and the attitudes towards war with the United States. In the book, Truong exclaims that although many people may say the Americans never lost on the battlefield in Vietnam — it is irrelevant.
Readers, especially those reading historical fiction, always crave to find believable stories and realistic characters. Tim O’Brien gives them this in “The Things They Carried.” Like war, people and their stories are often complex. This novel is a collection stories that include these complex characters and their in depth stories, both of which are essential when telling stories of the Vietnam War. Using techniques common to postmodern writers, literary techniques, and a collection of emotional truths, O’Brien helps readers understand a wide perspective from the war, which ultimately makes the fictional stories he tells more believable.
Suddenly, Sergeant Bowen thought he was back in Vietnam- “crouched and rigid, eyes on fire, palms flat, fingers as stiff as he could make them” (620) -and it wasn’t his son jumping out at him, but an enemy soldier, and it was imperative he defend himself. After this incident, Johnny understood “noise alerted [my father] to my presence and prevented his being surprised and reacting on instinct” (621). Johnny has adjusted to the fact that his father is easily startled, yet another symptom of
They were so pretty. Why she might have been one of them I wanted to protect her” (Greene 49). So I guess this characterizes Pyle as caring and shows that he is very respectful towards women. Also, Phuong who he's trying to protect represents the U.S. and trying to stop the conflict between the two countries. Therefore Pyle is really generous and caring but also has lots of flaws and ruins a lot of things and causes many problems.
Men went through so many tasks during the Vietnam War physically and mentally. The beginning chapters focus on training for war and being prepared for the worst. For example, when there is a sergeant in a room with the marines. The sergeant walks to the chalk board and writes “AMBUSHES ARE MURDER AND MURDER IS FUN” (36-37). The
“The Sacred Willow” portrays four generations of a Vietnamese family that stretches from the traditional mandarin culture of northern Vietnam, the French occupation, the Vietnamese war, to life in the US. A main portion of this book is centered around the narrator Mai’s father Duong Thieu Chi and his struggle of working in the government while raising a family during the time of French Occupation. Throughout Mai’s accounts, her father’s internal conflict between good and bad as well as modern and traditional are highlighted to symbolize the 20th century Vietnamese sentiments towards their country and their call for independence. The books begins by Mai retelling her great grandfather and grandfathers’ lives which are important because it gives reasoning to explain how the French occupation drastically changed her father, Duong Thieu Chi’s life, career, and decisions.
Regret is a powerful emotion that has the ability to scar someone for the rest of their life. Moments of regret can come from relationships, self-made decisions and life changing events. The idea of regret also applies to “A Marker on the Side of the Boat” by Bao Ninh and “On the Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien. Although these two literary pieces are very different in many ways, both authors describe the experience of the Vietnam War as a time of regretful decisions that negatively impacted people of both the American side and the Vietnamese side. Both authors tell a story about a character that recalls of flashbacks of the war, where they grieve over the past decisions that have affected them for the rest of their life.
In the chapter when he describes the man he kills, he talks about the state of the dead body by saying, “His jaw was in his throat, his upper lip and teeth were gone, his one eye was shut, his other eye was a star-shaped hole…the skin at his left cheek was peeled back in three ragged strips, his right cheek was smooth and hairless, there was a butterfly on his chin, his neck was open to the spinal cord and the blood there was thick and shiny and it was this wound that had killed him” (O’Brien Chapter 11). This brutal and horrifying imagery displays an irrefutable element of truth to O’Brien’s writing. Not only does this imagery highlight the truth to his writing, but it also sheds light on the brutal truth about the war in Vietnam. By using imagery as such a strong rhetorical device in his writing, he gives the average person a taste of just how barbaric and cruel Vietnam felt for the people who experience the war first hand on either side of the fighting. Tim O’Brien gives a very detailed and intense description of his time fighting in Vietnam during their war with America.
Use of Rhetorical Appeals in “Duty,Honor, Country” The effectiveness of rhetorical devices is no better illustrated than in the essay “Duty, Honor, Country” by General Douglas MacArthur. Throughout this piece the tone and opinion is made clear without being heavy handed making the piece infinitely more relatable. MacArthur’s use of the socratic appeals(Ethos,Pathos and Logos), not only makes the reader contemplate what he is saying but how it is being said. Establishing one's own credibility is a challenge often faced by both speakers and writers.
In his memoir, Where the Wind Leads, Vinh Chung demonstrates the theme that times of despair and hardship will eventually pass, but it is the motivation to succeed which will make that time fruitful. While relaying the story of his family’s past, Chung gives an overall theme of success and prosperity which accompanies the distress and conflict brought about by the encompassing Vietnam War. As Chung stated, “[W]hat I do know is that the same pressure that can crush coal into dust can also turn carbon into diamond . . . Tough times produce tough people” (14). Though this theme of success can be grounded in one’s desire to prosper, Chung shows a deeper desire from which this success stems.
“Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice” Nam Le’s “Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice” is categorized in “ethnic story” narrated his Vietnamese life in order to meet an upcoming deadline even though finally he can’t submit his story because his father burns his work. Throughout the story, Nam the narrator talks about “the past” which he experiences when he was young including the recent experience that he has got from his father reunion. Not only does the story tell us about the past which, but it also shows a connection of time between past, present, and future. Likewise, the story shows the relationship between son and father which is the main theme of this story; and shows how the past is important and affect to them differently. Also, the story of the past could lead to the end of the story that can be interpreted like a prediction of the direction of their relationship in the future.
I find Ho Chi Minh’s letter far more persuasive than Lyndon B. Johnson’s. Using ethos, pathos, and logos, he forms a solid argument that supports Vietnam’s stance on the war. He appeals to one’s emotions by expressing the injustices faced by his people, writing, “In South Viet-Nam a half-million American soldiers and soldiers from the satellite countries have resorted to the most barbarous methods of warfare, such as napalm, chemicals, and poison gases in order to massacre our fellow countrymen, destroy the crops, and wipe out villages.” Words such as “massacre” and “barbarous” highlight the severity of these crimes, and invoke feelings of guilt and remorse in the reader. Chi Minh uses ethos to support his logos, or logical, views on the
The soldiers in the Vietnams war were there for different reasons, some soldiers were forced against their will and some were there by choice. Because of that, each soldier has their own thoughts about the war, O’Brien has interpreted that “The twenty –six men were very quiet: some of them excited by the adventure, some of them afraid”. This clearly shows how the men
In the chapter “The Man I Killed” O’Brien struggles to understand the implications of his actions, as well as to cope with his guilt. Through the constant repetition and the vivid description O’Brien attempts to humanize the soldier, and assign meaning and purpose to the life of the man who suffered such an idle death. O’Brien writes a meaningful chapter