O’Brien illustrates the physical and emotional barrier Vietnam creates between men and women. The letters soldiers write to their girlfriends in the United States demonstrate the physical barrier between the two genders. O’Brien describes a soldier’s relationship with a girl in America: “First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey” (O’Brien 1). Vietnam physically separates men from…
Arms and the Enlisted Woman is a secondary source that was published by the Temple University Press in 1989 and was written by Judith Stiehm. The content of this source is valuable because Stiehm provides a collection of personal narratives from the women who enlisted and their roles during the Vietnam War. In terms of purpose, this source is recognizes the forgotten heroes and analyze the American, South and North Vietnam war efforts which affected women from 1955 to 1980. This is valuable for it gives personal narratives from participants of the war.…
Women had a huge role in helping the army’s soldiers. The women that helped the souldiers could have made their clothing, so that they had uniforms, or they could have been nurses that helped the sick or wounded soldiers. The women could have also made their food, and collected water for the troops. The women also could have washed the soldiers clothing. The women were also courteous and helped by fighting in the war like Molly Pitcher.…
The Vietnamese war and the policies of the government during the 1970’s were chaotic enough, yet against the protests of left wing radicalists, such as Nick and Lucy in COSI, protagonists of the Vietnamese war, society had descended into anarchy, the madness of society comparable to that of a mental institution. War is mad enough yet after the development of nuclear technologies and policies of Mutually Assured Destruction, war, the Vietnamese war was pure inconceivable madness. It was no wonder that protests for the war to cease began, seen in COSI as Nick leads the moratorium against the government” 1,2,3,4 we don’t want your fuckin’ war. Radicalise the nation”, his readiness to implore violence utter lunacy, “barricades and bombs, why not?” The…
Bibliography: Dudley, William. The Vietnam War: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998. Gardner, Lloyd C. , and Ted Gittinger. Vietnam: The Early Decisions. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1997. Karnow, Stanley. Vietnam: The War Nobody Won. New York: The Viking Press, 1983. Kimball, Jeffery. To Reason Why. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1990. Lomperis, Timothy. The War Everybody Lost and Won. 2nd ed. revised. Washington: D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc., 1993. McNamera, Robert. In Retrospect , The Tragedy in Vietnam. New York: Dell Publishing Group, 1996. Olson, James S. The Vietnam War. London: Greenwood Press, 1993. Rowe, John, and Rick Berg. The Vietnam War and American Culture. New York: Columbia University Press, 1991. Rust, William J. Kennedy in Vietnam. New York: U.S. News & World Report, Inc., 1985. Schwab, Orrin. Defending the Free World: John F. Kennedy and the Vietnam War. London: Praeger Publishers, 1998.…
Vietnam is a remote land with a vast array of forests and wetlands, which are rich in wildlife and natural resources. For this reason, many more advanced nations attempted to overtake Vietnam in conquest. Vietnamese history is scattered with war, slavery, and triumph. Outside influences attempted to help the struggling country re-build and repair a torn culture (Hai Venu, 2009). To better understand a culture there needs to be an understanding of the people that made up the history. In this paper, a better understanding will be gained to why the Vietnamese people are so passionate and have fought so hard for their freedom (Vietnam & 20th Century Experience, Lesson 1).…
Since the beginning of time the topic of human gender its differences has been a controversial subject that always attracts attention. After the Spanish-American War, many men were seen as heroes, some even put into important positions in our nations’ government. Men like McKinley and Roosevelt, for example, used such praise and recognition to reinforce their positions of President and, later on, Vice President, respectively. “One of the men who benefited from this line of thought was President McKinley, who no doubt was delighted to find that being a commander in chief during a war restored his image as a capable leader” (110). Roosevelt was a man with power, being the assistant secretary of the navy, but he gave it up to join 1st United Stated Volunteer Cavalry, more commonly known as the Rough Riders. He received nationwide praise and everyone knew him as a hero. “Two years later, Roosevelt’s military record helped him win the vice presidential slot on the Republican ticket” (112). Women held many important roles during this war, such as nurses. While women were vital to the war effort, many people did little to spread the news. “In magazines and newspapers of the time, stories glorifying soldiers and sailors are hard to miss. In contrast, stories covering women’s wartime contributions are difficult to find” (128). How does considering gender change our views of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American wars? This is the argument that Kristin Hoganson makes in Fighting for American Manhood.…
“Young Man in Vietnam” by Charles Coe goes against the 1980 patriotic views of Vietnam veterans, as he positions readers to be sympathetic towards veterans. Through the use of characterisation and symbolism Coe has positioned readers to be sympathetic towards the young man in Vietnam.…
“Do they not plainly inform us, that, because we are females, we ought therefore to be deprived of what is perhaps the most effectual means of acquiring a just, natural and graceful delivery? No one will pretend to deny, that we should be taught to read in the best manner. And if to read, why not to speak?” (Doc J). However, later in history women will be known as the backbone of several prominent wars. During WWI (1914-1918), large numbers of women were recruited into jobs vacated by men who had gone to fight in the war. The women were the ones producing war supplies and materials to help the war effort. Without the women taking over the roles of the men, it is safe to say that America would have suffered greatly during WWI. The wars fought on the battlefield are what most Americans recall in history, but it is what occurred behind the scenes that helped shape this nation into the powerful nation it is…
A 21-year-old man by the name of Tom O’Brien was drafted into the American War in Vietnam merely one month after graduating from college. Tom speaks of his journey of living with the shame of events that took place the summer of 1968. War to Tom is sickening and revolting; there was no unity or purpose. The 1960’s were a period of social disturbance with both the feminist and the civil rights movements occurring. In addition, the United States’ was divided by those who agreed and those who did not agree with the US’s involvement in the Vietnam war. When he received his inauguration, Tom was trapped and felt hopeless. “All around me the options seemed to be narrowing, as if I were hurtling down a huge black funnel, the whole world squeezing in tight. There was no…
Before World War II no one believed women had a place in the military, yet women overcame this and helped the United States reach victory. Women felt they needed and wanted to get involved in the war instead of sitting at home, taking care of the children, cooking dinner, and cleaning the house. Women joined military support organizations like the WACs, the WAVES and the WASPs. These kinds of organizations contributed immensely toward the United States war effort. Women felt that if men could serve in the war, they could, too. Women relieved men of certain jobs so the men could go fight in the war. Women worked hard and took the men’s places, but they could not fight or get close to battle. Women’s roles in the war changed society, and lasted long after the United States declared victory.…
All things truly wicked start from innocence. A moral truth that finds its place among today’s society. Innocence is such a frail, yet valuable quality. The loss of innocence can lead to such disastrous consequences. The theme of the loss of innocence is a prevalent one found throughout the novel The Wars by Timothy Findley. It is noted particularly in regards to the protagonist, Robert Ross. Early on in the novel, he encounters such miserable situations that dramatically mature his character emotionally and mentally in such a short period of time. Such events include the sudden loss of a loved one, sexual encounters, and the murder of the innocent.…
While many occupied more traditional roles such as nurses or Daughters of the Regiment, others served as spies, while others actually went into battle alongside their male counterparts. The fact of the matter is, woman who went into battle were forced to conceal themselves, and ultimately pose as men, spending the entire war in disguise. The grit and ingenuity of some of the women discussed in this paper, demonstrate the powerful presence of women during the American Civil War. Women motivated to reunite with their family members at war performed incredible feats in order to find their loved ones while at the same time surviving the gruesome realities of war. Other women single handedly braved danger and death to help their respective sides of war, crossing enemy lines, and gathering or imparting information, and in Thompson’s case, leading to the death of a Confederate General. In the end, the women who served in the Civil War will remain within the pages of history just as valiant, and heroic, if not more so than the men they fought alongside…
Karen Van Der Zee “A Secret Sorrow uses, Characterization, Tone and Irony to show that love is powerful and will heal any hurt. Anyone can say that what you hope for always doesn’t come to past, and then you may lose hope of it ever happening. It is possible to give up and live in despair or even defeat. This is very similar to Karen Van Der Zee, the writer of “A Secret Sorrow portrays in her story. Karen uses the characterization, tone, and irony to show how love is more than a feeling.…
Women In Combat “From Kelly Flinn to G.I. Jane, controversy has raged in recent months over whether women are fit for military service” (Brown 326). In the articles “Women Unfit for Combat? Au Contraire!” and “Women are not a Warrior Class,” both authors convey their thoughts on women in combat. Both authors give many reasons why or why not women should be allowed to fight in combat. Timothy Brown, the author of “Women Unfit for Combat? Au Contraire!” gives many more strong examples to argue his case than the author of “Women are not a Warrior Class” and, consequently, has a more persuasive essay. In an effort to discourage women from considering combat rolls in the military, Paul Hackett, one of the authors of “Women are not a Warrior Class,” made this bold statement in his argument, “Can women master the skills and strategies of combat as well as men? Yes. Can women mentally endure the rigors of combat as well as men? Yes. Can women meet the physical rigors of combat at the level required by the U.S. forces and in particular the U.S. Marine Corps? Absolutely not!” Is it fair to assume that women are incapable of having the stability to fight in combat? Brown uses the women commandos of Nicaragua who fought for their country to argue his point that if given the opportunity and encouragement, American women could effectively perform well in combat. Since the beginning of time, women have been viewed as the weaker sex. Through the years, the stature of women in society has grown, leading a way for women to become not the male’s possession but his equal. This is not true all the time, especially when dealing with women in combat. James Collins another author of “Women Unfit for Combat” argues that when women are put in life threatening conditions, many of them would rise to the challenge, but he doesn’t believe that women should be allowed to be on the front line in combat. As Brown explains, anyone who wants to fight on the front line for his/her country should be…