“Three Kings” (“Es ist schoen Koenig zu sein”) is a 1999 war film written and directed by David O. Russell. It tells the story of four American soldiers in the immediate aftermath of “Operation Desert Storm” in Kuwait and Iraq, as they scheme to find a secret trove of stolen Iraqi gold. While the film contains unique filmmaking and narrative techniques, it has clear signs marking it as a traditional American three-act film. In the first act (Set-up in Syd Field’s “Paradigm”), we see the exposition of the film.
In 1980, a "coming-of-age" young man, Scott Meehan, enlisted into the U.S. Army Special Forces as a Medic. Known as one of the last "street-babies," he was able to enter the elite program immediately following Basic Training, AIT, and Airborne school. Twenty-five years later, married with two "Army Brats" traveling the world, Meehan was all he could be before retiring as a Major. Discover a soldier 's career through insightful vignettes describing his early special forces training, assignment to Berlin during the Cold War, encounters with the KGB, ROTC training, Desert Storm, and his three tours to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) where he was awarded the Bronze Star. A thrilling story that reads like a novel of an American hero whose parents were
A Texas family put World War II veteran Robert McMinn to rest after he lost his fight with Parkinson's disease, but two months later they received a disturbing call about his body. ABC7 reports the man that served his country by taking part in over 30 bombing missions above Germany was now dripping out of his casket. The family chose the cemetery because they sold themselves using the word 'dignity' on their brochures. Doug said: "It's unthinkable to me that a man, like my father, would go through that."
It is almost universally understood that the winners of war often write history. With this concept comes the acceptance that history can and is construed in a way that benefits the winner and can hide the truth. In George Robert Elford’s book, Devil’s Guard, Elford accounts for the perspective of a former Waffen SS officer who joined the French Foreign Legion upon the conclusion of World War 2. Throughout this story, many obstacles, adventures, and morals are explored that communicate various perceptions on what war (particularly the war in Vietnam during the French occupation) was like. The book conveys various arguments such as the exploration of unconventional warfare and the struggle of decisive action when the chain of command has
Clearly, there is more to the conflict and situations that influence the actions of our American heroes. (Part two: pages
John Marsden’s tomorrow when the war began (1994) is a narrative of an Australian teenager named Ellie Linton and her friends who became guerrilla fighters after the invasion of her homeland by an unknown military force. A key passage in page 75-76 explains how the group transforms into effective leaders while making tough decisions. Marsden’s message in the passage is to be a good leader in a time of crisis, unpopular decisions must be made in order to save the group. Marsden’s passage begins when protagonist Homer forced to make unpopular suggestions in a time of crisis. The author begins the passage by Homer suggesting that the group should split up rather than stay together.
The guy wasn’t Heidi- he has a weapon, right?” (126) However, by giving insight on the man’s life, the reader learns that similarly to O’Brien, the man he killed originally had no intention of fighting. He wanted to be a scholar. The collections of short stories in “The Things They Carried” come together to show how complex war can be.
Chris Hedges, a former war correspondent, has a memory overflowing with the horrors of many battlefields and the helplessness of those trapped within them. He applies this memory to write War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, where he tutors us in the misery of war. To accomplish this goal, Hedges uses impactful imagery, appeals to other dissidents of war and classic writers, and powerful exemplification. Throughout his book, Hedges batters the readers with painful and grotesque, often first-hand, imagery from wars around the globe. He begins the book with his experience in Sarajevo, 1995.
In a desperate attempt for peace, as ironic as it may be, we create chaos, resulting in the death of millions at a time. Firearms burn bright in the dim sun, exposing the vibrancy of blood-stained suits. As the bullets penetrate skin, the life of another innocent individual has already been lost. Families never to hear a last, “I love you” before their loved one tragically passes in a loud, chaotic mess. They run towards the danger, knowing exactly what result the soldiers might have gotten in the gamble of life or death.
In the book Fallen Angels Walter Dean Myers tells the story of soldiers who struggles with a problem involving what is right and wrong in war. Fallen Angels set in Vietnam during the Vietnam war, the story introduces the main character Perry, who faces obstacles, including death and killing. The author’s use of literary devices, specifically imagery, irony, and metaphors convey the theme warfare often forces soldiers to reconsider their traditional notions of right and wrong. The author employs imagery to express the theme that warfare often forces soldiers to reconsider their traditional notions of right and wrong.
In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, the author retells the chilling, and oftentimes gruesome, experiences of the Vietnam war. He utilizes many anecdotes and other rhetorical devices in his stories to paint the image of what war is really like to people who have never experienced it. In the short stories “Spin,” “The Man I Killed,” and “ ,” O’Brien gives reader the perfect understanding of the Vietnam by placing them directly into the war itself. In “Spin,” O’Brien expresses the general theme of war being boring and unpredictable, as well as the soldiers being young and unpredictable.
The novel ‘Heroes’ by Robert Cormier features a young war veteran, Francis Cassavant, who returns to his childhood home of Frenchtown from serving in the Second World War and has suffered severe deformities from a fall “on a grenade” which has led the readers to sympathise him and to believe that he is a “poor boy”. Francis has returned to Frenchtown with a specific purpose of killing Larry LaSalle, who is first portrayed as the glamorous and perfect man with a “smile that revealed dazzling movie-star teeth” and “a touch of Fred Astaire in his walk”. Through Larry’s character, Cormier is able to explore the various themes of the novel: masks, power, heroism, and guilt. Although Larry LaSalle is presented as a “hero” and a “champion”, there is an air of ambiguity about him that suggests that he is wearing a mask, exploring the theme of masks, as it contrasts with his “dazzling movie star” good looks and his “big hero” persona.
It was not Tim’s sense of nationalist loyalties that caved him; rather, it was helplessness and his reputation that was at risk. Tim O’Brien longed to be that “secret hero” or “Lone Ranger” in order to impress those around him. However, he ends up learning that courage does not come in finite quantities. He finds himself resenting authority, “If you support a war, if you think it’s worth the price, that’s fine, but you have to put your own precious fluids on the line”. No matter how much he may find the law cruel and inhuman, he has is too prideful and decides to comply with the rules.
Over all, this story allows us to observe changes within the mentalities of army officers. First, the trauma of living in a war zone can add a significant amount of intangible weight into someone’s life. In “The Things They Carried,” we discover that Cross’s men “carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die (443).” Given that the majority of humans have experienced some form of trauma, we can understand how some men were driven to suicide and others into
The Wars is a symbolic masterpiece that illustrates the great impact war brings on the microcosm of society and how individuals juxtaposed to the war are affected. The novel itself requires active reading; because without it, the novel would seem very simplistic; however, after further examination, readers can evidently recognize the complexity of Robert’s character with the aid of many heteroglossic components, techniques, devices, and the reworking of literary conventions. Robert’s physical, mental and emotional journey he endeavours, followed by the constant re-evaluations of his truths and becoming a more proficient soldier, can be seen through a formalist perspective with the use of foreshadowing to signify Robert’s transition from a sane to insane soldier; the utilization of animal imagery highlighting Robert’s development through the horrific experiences of war; and the several themes in the text to illustrate Robert’s evolution as a soldier through his inner
