Summary Of Anybody's Son Will Do By Gwynne Dyer

Gwynne Dyer titled his article “Anybody’s Son Will Do” because he claims that almost anyone can become a marine. The best candidates for a marine are young males who are about eighteen years old. It is best if they are enthusiastic and naive, so that they can easily be motivated to kill and destroy enemies. Since it is easy for trainers to brainwash and manipulate young men, there is a high demand for young men in the marines. Although some may not be strong, that does not seem to matter much to the instructors because it is more important that young men are able to kill (Dyer 212-215). In addition, Dyer writes, “Drill instructors create the illusion that basic training is an extraordinary challenge, one that will set those who graduate apart from others, when in fact almost everyone can succeed” (Dyer 216). This means that the real challenge

A social institution can shape individual behaviors because it can get someone used to having their life controlled daily. If someone’s actions are controlled and limited daily, they will get used to it and will seek to continue being controlled. For example, if one is used to receiving orders they will continue following through with the orders because that is what they were trained to do. In the article, “Anybody’s Son Will Do”, Dyer describes ways total institutions shape individual behaviors by explaining the method marines use to recruit new soldiers for war. When joining the marines, the methods marines use to shape the behavior of civilians begins at Parris Island when the civilians are intentionally picked up late in the day to ensure that when they arrive at Parris Island, they are tired enough to receive shock treatment. After their arrival at Parris Island, the civilians are not allowed to step outside the controlled environment until they graduate