Flags of Our Fathers is a book written by James Bradley about the five United States Marines and one Navy Corpsman who are photographed raising the flag at the battle of Iwo Jima. This battle is significant because it was one of, if not the most costly and gruesome battle fought in the Pacific during World War II. John Bradly, the author's father, Rene Gagnon, Ira Hayes, Mike Strank, Harlon Block, and Franklin Sousley are the men in the renowned photograph pictured on the cover. The last 3 men mentioned died later during the battle. Three men were Privates, Strank was a Seargeant, and Block was a Corporal who reported to Strank. John Bradley was a Navy Corpsman who was tasked with providing first aid to the…
It has been argued that Colin Kaepernick kneeling while the National Anthem is playing, is absolutely ridiculous, is not showing support for love of this country, and not showing support to the veterans. In “The Perilous Fight,” Jim Brown, a NFL Hall of Famer and a civil rights activist. Told Time, “I would not do anything that has to do with respecting the flag or the national anthem. I don’t think it’s appropriate.” In other words Jim Brown would challenge the normal of standing for the Anthem, no matter the severity of the situation. For this reason opponents argue that Colin Kaepernick kneeling down is not right for him to be testing the flag; but it’s not also right for the police of America to be able to go on a killing spree and have…
Patrick Henry gave a speech in 1775 to the Virginia Convention that convinced them to take action and fight back against Great Britain for their freedom because their methods of hope and petition failed to work. First, he used concession to opposition in the beginning of his speech to acknowledge the arguments and thoughts of the preceding speakers so that he could speak freely while he suggested treason. Secondly, he pointed out how despite the obvious facts of the start of a war, the convention continued to hope even without response from Britain. Henry stated, “Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with these war-like preparations which cover our waters and darken our land" (Henry). In addition, Henry contradicted…
Flags of Our Fathers is a biography of John “Doc” Bradley, also called Jack, and the five other flag raisers in battle on the island of Iwo Jima during World War II. It is written by his son, James Bradley, who knew very little about his father’s experience and heroism in the battle of Iwo Jima. This novel takes the reader into the lives of these six men and provides a glimpse of the United States as it was before, during and after what is perceived as the worst battle of World War II. The men in this biography were considered heroes for their actions; however none of them thought this to be completely true. When asked about being such a hero John as well as the other flag raisers agreed that “The heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who didn’t come back,” (pg.343). This biography is a wonderful representation of the humility and greatness that the soldiers showed during the time of war. The author portrays his message to the reader through his use of a personal recollection of the battle, and the events in the lives of each of the six men who came to be known as the flag raisers.…
In the book Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley is a novel about the brave men in the past wars. "From a guy who is proud he's a Marine and in his country's service" (Ira Hayes, 77). Is a quote showing how proud the soldiers and marines are for serving our country. John Bradley kept to himself regarding his memories of Iwo Jima, the flag raising and what followed. As a result, in order to write this book, his son, James, set out to research the lives of his own father, from Appleton, Wisconsin; Rene Ragnon, from Manchester, New Hampshire; Harlon Block, from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas; Franklin Sousley, from Hilltop, Kentucky; Mike Strank, a Czech immigrant raised in Franklin Borough, Pennsylvania; and Ira Hayes,…
Heroes are able to recover from a defeat where a normal man would stop trying and give in to his dark feelings. One example of this is, Tristan Segers he was a normal military soldier until his vehicle was blown up along with one of his legs. “After nearly two years of surgeries and rehabilitation in Texas, Segers, a handsome 28-year-old, moved back to Snohomish County last week.”(SB, Pg. 58). This shows Tristan Segers ability to recover as well as his tenacity. He took all that pain and he…
What is a Hero? Soldiers and police officers have had our praise for decades, but do they all deserve our adulation? In the compelling article, “You don’t protect my freedom: Our childish insistence on calling soldiers heroes deadens real democracy,” David Masciotra sends doubt into the reader’s system, prompting the question: what is a hero? Masciotra persuades readers that not all of their leaders and fighters are heroic due to the flaws in the security, military, and democratic systems of America. Rhetorically, Masciotra expresses his opinion with logic to justify and validate his claim.…
Contrary to popular culture, heroism is not all about gaining glory as sometimes portrayed in the…
we have learned that the definition of a hero can mean many things but one common thing amongst the different interpretations is that a hero must have courage , bravery , and a cause to fight for. Whether it be…
Flags of our Fathers, written by James Bradley, is a World War II novel portraying the true story behind the six courageous soldiers who raised the American flag on Mount Suribachi, Japan. James Bradley wrote this story on behalf of his father, John Bradley who was a Marine stationed at Iwo Jima and also one of the flag raisers. In order to complete this book, James Bradley had to search for information about the lives of the other five flag raisers who were Rene Gagnon, Harlon Block, Franklin Sousley, Ira Hayes, and Mike Strank. Rene Gagnon grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire, Harlon Block was from the Grande Valley of Texas, Franklin Sousley grew up on a farm in Hilltop, Kentucky, Ira Hayes was a Pima Indian from Phoenix, Arizona and Mike Strank was born in Czechoslovakia.…
Within the book The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien said, “A true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior, nor restrain men from doing the things men have always done. If a story seems moral, do not believe it.” O’Brien is a Vietnam veteran who does not consider himself a hero. This is interesting because while growing up in the United States of America, people have learned that all veterans are heroes. Americans were raised on hearing war stories that were uplifting and encouraging, but when O’Brien wrote the book, The Things They Carried, he wrote it in the sense that not all war stories are true. That is why he called the book “a work of fiction”;…
A man named Jason Metiva once told me, “A hero is an ordinary person with extraordinary qualities.” It was the summer of 2011, my best friend and I were in the backseat of her mom’s Honda Ridgeline dancing to the Top 100 Country Songs of the Year. My best friend, Lauren had invited me on a day trip up to Jerome. The drive was going to be a long three or four hours, so we drove to McDonald’s for breakfast and headed North at about 6 A.M.…
Americans, more than any country, tend to be very prideful of our young, yet extensive, war repertoire. Although there is nothing coherently wrong with this feeling of pride, we often forget the sacrifices made in the form of lives, in order for those iconic images to be taken. In James Bradley’s Flags of Our Fathers, he makes sure to emphasize the outer effects of war that reaches past that of what we can see in those instilled images. Specifically, the hundreds of thousands of soldiers that helped lead to victory and who were not credited, and also the families that were crippled by this sense of emptiness and fear while their sons sacrificed their lives for their country. He also made sure the mention the effect media had on those that were home and unaffiliated with the war, and how in turn it inspired boys to be thrown into situations beyond what they expected. As the book follows the individual lives that raised the flag in Iwo Jima, we get to see from a close perspective how the war really looked liked, instead of how it was often depicted. Although pictures are used to tell our story as a nation, it fails to exemplify the degree of suffering that all those men had to go through.…
The meaning behind the Confederate Flag or as some would call it the “The Rebel Flag” varies for different people. Some groups of people when they see or think about the rebel flag they see how it symbolizes that the whites were fighting to protect the honor, pride and cultural heritage of the South. To some other groups of people when think or see the Confederate flag they are only reminded about how south was fighting to keep slavery, to build an empire on slavery, and the flag promotes racism. So which meaning behind the Confederate flag is right? Whether people believe the Confederate flag represents slavery and racism or believe that it represents the culture and heritage, the fact remains that the flag historically represents the southern…
It pretty much depends on what side you are. I would not blame them if they were the freedom fighters and fought and stand for freedom of their country, or they were protecting their right, which somewhat they were. Theoretically, they were both terrorists and patriots, but a British citizen would more likely emphasize at the terrorist side of it.…