A cross-dressing up to no good “rebel “of a solider know as Klinger off the TV show M*A*S*H brings to light the harsh reality of being an unwilling draft solider by trying constantly to be discharged. Klinger plays the portral of the archtype of the classic rebel. The Rebel archetype is a very American archetype and is in some ways a definitive behavior of the American individual and is inexorably linked to freedom. Klinger eximplifies this; his whole goal is freedom- more specifically to get out of the draft that he was sucked into. The show takes place in the 1950’s when America was drafting soldiers for the Korean and Vietnam Wars; Klinger wearing his insane “uniform” hoping to convince his superiors that he 's mentally unstable illustrates …show more content…
Qoute 8). Classic Klinger always trying to convience everyone he was unstable and needed to be discharged from the army this quote exmplifies how his character could make up the most absurd and outrages "ill" claim out of thin air. Klinger also made sure to wear outlandish outfits as much as possible in show. Klinger 's sole objective was to conestly push the envolpe making him a rebel. Klinger 's cry of the unwilling soilder being ripped from their civil life to serve is one commonly shared by men of this time period 1,751,820 of total forces serving in the Korean War were draftees. Being drafted means you did not have the option of not serving in the war. Men who were branned with the title, "draft doggers" were considered disunhorable and not loyal to their country. Klinger 's character brought to life on TV how some men were not okay with this draft culture. His character rebel like approach was not new making it able to be claimed as the archtype "rebel" but the fresh vision of soilders not wanting to fight in war or be drafted was something never before seen. This made it significant to our cultue to see this character be so daring and bold in such a strict war environment hit home that the draft may not be the best choice for future soilders. To expand upon that statement, the draft law expired in 1973 and was not renewed even though President Nixon asked for a two year …show more content…
Through his humorous anitics, frilly dresses, and miles of odd claims he broke the structure of the typical soilder to try to gain his American born freedom back. A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame marks the impact and impression on American TV he and more speicaifcally the role of Klinger has made. TVLand airs marthons of this series to this day that is a measure of its sucess on our culture and how it is still relevent today. The show had insightful commentary about the Vietnam War and Korean War at a time when it was not safe to comment about it directly. This still resonasts today in our modern day era. We face the threat of terriosm on our nation but shows on TV like Family Guy make a jokes about the terriosts and light of a serious threat. M*A*S*H also brought a sense of humor to the war. The time period was when those wars were unwanted and not suppourted by the American people much like today most Americans do not want another Invision of Iran or
serve, were arrested. The draft would lead to protests and riots due to its faults.2
My Review of Full Metal Jacket In Stanley Kubrick’s film Full Metal Jacket, the emphasis is spotlighted on the carnage of boot camp and the soldier’s life in Vietnam. The life of a soldier is not an easy one, as it requires great diligence and much sacrifice to ensure the safety and freedom to all those who are afraid and those who seek it. Stanley Kubrick makes sure that we see the harshness and ugliness of the Vietnam War as it was made to be seen. The movie starts with the life of boot camp, getting marines ready to be sent and fight over in Vietnam. The relationship between Private Joker and Private Pyle appears when the Drill Sergeant Hartman makes Private Joker the squad leader. Private Joker, is to make certain that Gomer Pyle cleans his act up and bring an end to the burdens that Pyle has put on the whole squad. Although Private Joker is trying his best to clean up the Private Pyle’s mess, he has met his match, and ultimately sees Pyle as a problem. During the scene where everyone in the squad prepares to beat Pyle with bars of soap wrapped in towels it shows that Private Joker is somewhat hesitant at first, but eventually hits Private Pyle multiple times with heavy blows. Analyzing the relationship between the two privates can be said that Private Joker was trying to help Private Pyle as much as he could, until Private Pyle suddenly breaks and it is made clear when Private Pyle is talking to himself while he is cleaning his rifle. Yes boot camp can be living hell for those who are psychologically unfit and not able to cope during times of great stress, and this can often make certain people “snap”. Stanley Kubrick does a fine job focusing on the stresses of boot camp, especially as this is a time of war and thousands of ...
a Vietnamese man in a hut he was supposed to check out, and from this point on he does a lot of thinking about why he is fighting in the war. From experiences like this Perry changes both
When people think of the military, they often think about the time they spend over in another country, hoping they make it back alive. No one has ever considered the possibility that they may have died inside. Soldiers are reborn through war, often seeing through the eyes of someone else. In “Soldier’s home” by Ernest Hemingway, the author illustrates how a person who has been through war can change dramatically if enough time has passed. This story tells of a man named Harold (nick name: Krebs) who joined the marines and has finally come back after two years. Krebs is a lost man who feels it’s too complicated to adjust to the normal way of living and is pressured by his parents.
The show M*A*S*H shed light on a subject that most people were uneducated on, and did so in a very humorous way. The way they saw veterans of the war, the casualties and the wounded, all changed for the people who watched the show. Year after Year, Rerun after rerun the show affects generations with memorable characters, humor, and a different point of
Many people in the 1960s and early 1970s did not understand why the United States was involved in the Vietnam War. Therefore, they had no desire to be a part of it. The Selective Service System, which was used to conduct the draft, had aspirations of directing people into areas where they were most needed during wartime. However, people took advantage of the draft system’s deferment policies to avoid going to war. Others refused induction or simply did not register. There were also people who left the country to escape the draft. The Vietnam War proved to be an event that many Americans did not agree with, and as a result, citizens took action to elude the draft entirely or to beat the draft system.
One of the few main targets of Heller’s satire is the bureaucracy and unfairness of this system within the establishment of the military. Because the book is set in a military base during the war, Heller uses characters and situations to manifest his ridicule upon the higher ranked men who are responsible for this. Colonel Cathcart, the commanding officer in Yossarian’s regiment, is obsessed throughout the book with becoming a general and that is what his character desires to achieve throughout the story. He is also joined by his lieutenant colonel, Colonel Korn, who is obsessed with being a full colonel. But in the novel, these obsessions become relentless and higher ranking officers such as Korn and Cathcart yield power to their advantage for their own ambitions, thus stripping away democratic freedoms of the lower ranking officers such as Yossarian and creating a relentless bureaucracy. Instead of flying the extra missions Colonel Cathcart continuously assigns for his country, Yossarian realizes that it really has nothing to do with the war effort and begs the question, "am I supposed to get my ass shot off just because the colonel wants to ...
Over forty years has passed since the United States inducted the last draftee through the Selective Service System. The Selective Service System is an independent agency of the United States, which gives the President the right or power to conscript men for military service. There have been different Acts passed by congress since 1917 that require men of various ages to register for service. Although, the name of each Act and the age requirements of the registries changed, the Acts were all similar in nature. They all gave the President the right to call men to war when he deemed necessary. In January 1973, Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird announced the creation of the all-volunteer service, retracting the need for the draft (GAO.gov). Under current law, all men between the ages of 18-25 must register within 30 days of their 18th birthday, however this information is used mostly for recruitment purposes and in case of any future crisis. There has been much controversy over this matter since the Vietnam War, when people started to realize the draft was unfair due to loopholes and draft exemptions making the draft unfair for working men. At one point in time the military draft may have been necessary, but today’s all-volunteer military has eliminated the need for a draft.
The environment in which Kiley was first deployed to lacked rules since authorities were not present to enforce them, the highest ranking NCO’s favorite pastimes ran from “dope to Darvon...there was no such thing as military discipline...You could let your hair grow...didn’t have to polish your boots or snap off salutes, or put up with the usual rear-end nonsense” (91). Thus along with the medical unit, Kiley’s exposure in a medical detachment far away from the tropical warzone gave him a deceptive impression of the Vietnam war. His ingenuous attitude shows that as a young soldier, Kiley had entered the war with a simplistic worldview, unsuspecting of the severity the war brought on to everybody within its sphere of influence. In one of the early chapters, “How To Tell A True War Story”, O’Brien recalled the time Lemon and Kiley went off by themselves after the platoon marched for two days, “A nature hike, [Rat Kiley and Curt Lemon] thought…giggling and calling each other yellow mother and playing a silly game they invented” (69). Kiley is momentarily portrayed as a kid, who is untouched by the harsh realities of the Vietnam War. But the juxtaposition of placing an unsuspecting child in a hostile war zone sets an ominous tone for Rat Kiley. Like most soldiers who had been drafted into the war, Kiley initially did not have the emotional
He followed his sister and was trailed by his brother to America. “After that, the Statue of Liberty came into view and I had a sense that I was personally secure. I had done what the Nazis wanted me to do, namely, leave Germany.” Kurt explains this while telling his story in America and the Holocaust. Unfortunately, the fear did not stop there. The German’s did everything they could to keep all the Jews in their territory by making other countries deny Jews. The Kline parents were still in Europe and would never make it overseas to safety. “I 'll never forget November of 1942. It was the time when I was drafted into the American Army, which gave me a measure of pride to be serving the country that was fighting this evil. It was also good to know that I was finally doing something concrete - however small that might be - that would help in that effort.” This is the start of change for Kurt. He was given the opportunity to be able to fight back at this situation no one knew how to fix. Joining the army gave him pride in himself, and America for fighting
This idea and the drafted make decide to run away from his responsibility and from his society. However, the feeling of shame embarrassed and bring crowed in the eyes of his family and friends make him go to war.
He displayed his distaste in McCarthyism in “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street”. The Characters of the show, the people who reside on Maple Street, are quick to go to blaming one another. Their quick ability to persecute others is similar to McCarthyism. People during post World War II were quick to prosecute others, because of McCarthyism. These actions are abundant in “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” for instance when the power goes off in the neighborhood, people turn on each other to figure out who caused the blackout. This insane paranoia led to these once peaceful neighbors and friends to begin suspecting each other of being the monsters who shut off all the power. Every little thing such as a working car, a light turning on, and even making a joke about being a monster caused the neighbors to all place suspicion on each other. And just as soon as one person thought someone was a monster, the rest of the neighborhood quickly agreed. This symbolizes McCarthyism in that people were just as frantic to accuse each other of being communists over minor
The draft can put a male in a position in which they are not prepared to be in. The military requires a person to be prepared for the hardships he has to endure while fighting. Not only the person that is being drafted is not prepared, their family is not prepared also. Most families are not prepared to make changes at the last minute. For instant, not being able to hear or see their love one or ones on a daily basis anymore. Families that do not know if their love one would survive or not, can become stressful. If the
In Kurtz' camp, a site of primitive evil, they are greeted by a crazed, hyperactive, fast-talking, spaced-out free lance photo-journalist played by Dennis Hoper. The babbling combat photographer, garlanded by his camera equipment, hopes for their sake, that they haven't come to take away Colonel Kurtz. He describes the great awe all the natives have for their jungle lord: "Out here, we're all his children." The photojournalist appears to be a fanatical follower of Kurtz, worshipping the enigmatic, genius "poet-warrior" Kurtz as a personal god and expounding Kurtz's cause: "You don't talk to the Colonel, you listen to him. The man's enlarged my mind. He's a poet-warrior in the classic sense...I'm a little man. He's a great man. I should have been a pair of ragged claws, scuttling across floors of silent seas, I mean...He can be terrible. He can be mean. And he can be right. He's fighting a war. He's a great man." He offers first-hand advice from his own experience: "Play it cool, laid back...You don't judge the Colonel." Willard is impressed by Kurtz's power over the people.
The Counterculture movement began in 1964, when North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked two U.S. destroyers. President Johnson ordered the retaliatory bombing of military targets in North Vietnam (Vietnam War Protests). A few months later, people began to question the rationale of fighting the war. People questioned joining the war in Vietnam due to our position in the Cold War. Both America and the Soviets had nuclear weapons, but neither country could afford an all out war. By starting another war with Vietnam that would mean placing more stress on the military forces. With two wars going on, that would require more man power. This problem introduced the draft. Many people of the counterculture movement opposed this, because they didn’t believe in fighting in a war that they didn’t support. Young men tore up their draft cards, or signed up as conscientious objectors. A conscientious objector is someone who doesn...