The Tragedy of the Vietnam War essays

The Tragedy of the Vietnam War essays The Vietnam War is considered by most to be a mistake for many reasons. Many victims emerged from the war and especially for the soldiers who participated in it, it was simply wrong. Many of the soldiers who fought in Vietnam entered Vietnam with unclear directives and returned from Vietnam transformed and displaced. Many individuals have chosen to express how the Vietnam War was a tragedy from many angles. Through books, images, and movies, the memories of Vietnam are filled with pain and regret. These expressions are beneficial because they create within us a sense of understanding for what is often termed indescribable. One of the most powerful tools for expression is writing. Tim O'Brien, author of the book, The Things They Carried, vividly recounts what Vietnam did to him and those with whom he served. His stories about the transformations he witnessed offer proof that the war was indeed a mistake. For example, he tells us about how Norman Bowker was a gentle person, but as a soldier, he carried with him the thumb of a dead Vietcong boy. Another example of how the war changed individuals is when Rat Kiley shot the baby buffalo. We are told that Kiley stroked the buffalo's nose and then shot at it repeatedly. He shot it in the knee, its back and legs; he shot off an ear. "It wasn't to kill; it was to hurt," O'Brien tells us. (O'Brien 78) Kiley was reacting to losing his best friend, Curt, who stepped on a land mine and died. In the unknown land of Vietnam, Kiley found no other way to express his feelings. We can understand the extreme pressure the soldier was under when O'Brien tells us that "Rat Kiley was crying. He tried to say something, but then cradled his rifle and went off by himself" (79). O'Brien is able capture moments of emotional collapse that result from extreme conditions. O'Brien writes of what he saw, "We had witnessed something essential, som...