The Narrator’s Attitude in The Pugilist at Rest
Webster’s Dictionary defines it as a mental position or the
feeling one has for oneself. In life our attitudes help define who you are
or what you are like. Attitude helps create your personality and how you
would react under certain situations. In “The Pugilist at Rest” Thom Jones
tells us of one man’s attitude and how adversity and a disability changed
his attitude completely. The narrator’s attitude under goes changes from
boot camp, bludgeoning Hey Baby, recon Marine duty and finally obtaining
Dostoyevski’s epilepsy from a boxing match.
The narrator of the story undergoes changes in boot camp that will forever
change his attitude towards life and his fellow Marines. The story begins
by showing a young foolish narrator that only wanted to charge into battle.
The narrator wanted to be all he could be and strived to become the best
United States Marine Corp soldier the United States has to offer. Jones
describes the narrator’s determination and ambitions as, “Whenever danger
appears on the scene, truth and justice will be served as I slip into the
green U.S.M.C. utility uniform and become Earth’s greatest hero.” (485).
The narrator’s attitude would be altered drastically by a motivating speech
that his Sergeant delivered to the boot camp. Jones describes this speech
as, “You men are going off to war, and it’s not a pretty thing,’ etc. &
etc., ‘and if Luke the Gook knocks down one of your buddies, a fellow
Marine, you are going to risk your life and go in and get that Marine and
you are going to bring him out. Not because I said so. No! You are going
after that Marine because you are a Marine, a member of the most elite
fighting force in the world, and that man out thee who’s gone down is a
Marine, and he’s your buddy. He is you brother! Once you are a Marine, you
are always a Marine and you will never let another Marine down.’ Etc. & etc.
‘You can take a Marine out of the Corps but you can’t take the Corps out
of a Marine.’ Etc. & etc. At the time it seemed to me a very good speech,
military members who share harsh, traumatic, or even funny events obviously become closer through the bond of a mutual experience. This is particularly true for Marine infantry; many Marine are brought up in different areas of the US, with different values, ages, religious and political beliefs. However different we all might look on the outside, the fact that we’ve all been through good times and bad with each other makes us closer than any civilian could understand. After being a Marine, I find that I’m close to, and always will be, than my civilian friends who I’ve known for years. Along with this, Pressfield talks about how, under all the glory and allure of fighting for one’s country exists the real reason that warriors fight; for our brothers in arms. Political beliefs, government stances, and flags go out the window, only to be replaced by concern for the safety and well-being of the men to our left and right. All of these things are reasons why it is difficult for civilians to understand what it’s like to be a warrior. This is perhaps embodied best in our motto, Semper Fidelis; Always Faithful, to our brothers and those who depend on
...as they dread wound and death. They have nothing to look forward to but years of rage. They have experienced the horrors of war but have not experienced the enjoyments of life. They will be pushed aside and forgotten and the years will pass, and in the end they will fall into ruin.
When I joined the United States Marine Corps, I knew it would change my life, but I never realized how great those changes would be. I was trained in public affairs as a print and broadcast journalist, and immediately stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Drastic life changes can take a toll both physically and emotionally over time, and it is always important to have a great personal support system to thrive through those times. My senior advisor at the time, Master Gunnery Sgt. (Master Guns) Charles Albrecht, turned out to be one of the best supporters I could ever ask for.
...to his officer training school and completed as a second lieutenant. After he left the military he hit his baseball career with the Brooklyn Dodgers where his fight for breaking the color barrier began. Branch Rickey the general manager and Jackie Robinson had the same idea of allowing those with skill, no matter what color, into the MLB. After retiring from sports Robinson did not let his career in fighting for equality stop. He wrote letters to the incoming candidates for president and to leaders in offices to help the civil rights movement gain momentum. Robinson made sure that his opinion was well known. He also created the Jackie Robinson Foundation to help colored students who have disadvantages. Still, Robinson will always be remembered as the first African American man to play major league baseball and preserver despite the racism and disadvantages he faced.
and Drill Instructors see Boot Camp. Why did he pick the Marines as his topic? Attracted to the Corps perception and morale, Thomas E. Ricks expresses the Marines as the only service still upholding its honor and tradition. Due to society changing into a commercial society with a “me” attitude, civilians focus on how they can splendor themselves with material items—never looking at the big picture at all that we can accomplish as a team if we give our heart and soul to life. Team means everyone on earth, for we are the people that provide for one another with peace and prosperity.
As our forefathers before us stated, ‘‘No one is more professional than I. I am a Noncommissioned Officer, a leader of soldiers. As a Noncommissioned Officer, I realize that I am a member of a time honored corps, which is known as “The Backbone of the Army (“The NCO Creed written by SFC Earle Brigham and Jimmie Jakes Sr”). These words to the Noncommissioned Officer should inspire us to the fullest with pride, honor, and integrity. The NCO creed should mean much more than just words whenever we attend an NCO’s school.
Helen Keller was born Helen Adams Keller on June 27, 1980 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Her parents’ names were Arthur H. Keller and Katherine Adams Keller; she was the first of two daughters that the couple had. Helen’s family wasn’t from the wealthy class, but earned most of their profits from their cotton plantation that they owned. Helen was born a healthy baby at first being able to see, hear, and even speak by the time she was six months old. Later on in 1882, she got sick which left her blind, death, and mute (biography.com). Her family doctor said it was “brain fever” which caused her to have a high temperature, but it was unclear what type of illness she had. It was possible she had a case of scarlet fever or meningitis that left her permanently
Former president of the United States of America, John F. Kennedy said something that describes the true terrors of the war; “Man must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.” War is a dangerous and scary thing that many people are apart of. Usually, it is not portrayed to the public in an appropriate manner. Many times, war is showed as something that you may want to be apart of, but in reality it is a horrific event that can get you killed and scar you for life. Writing about war is usually supposed to make the readers feel the true, and indescribable horrors of the war. Regardless of the situation, when writing about war, the most effective strategy is to put the reader in the shoes of the characters to make them feel like they are there and experiencing the event. The author does this by using imagery.
Helen Keller was born on 27 June 1880 in Tuscumbia, a small town in Alabama, USA. Her father was a retired Confederate army captain and editor of the local newspaper; and her mother was an educated young woman from Memphis. When Helen Keller was 19 months old, she was afflicted by an unknown illness, which was possibly scarlet fever or meningitis which made her blind. Helen Keller was a symbol of courage and hope for all people, with the help of her teachers Anne Sullivan and Polly Thompson she showed people a way to see the light even in darkness.
On June 27, 1880, Kate Adams Keller and Captain Arthur Keller welcomed their first born Helen Keller into the world. The happy parents and their newborn daughter lived in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Helen was a contented baby and everything went well on the family 's farm called Ivy Green. As a baby, Helen enjoyed the animals including the horses, dogs, and chickens. When Helen was 19 months old, she became ill with a very high fever and a horrible headache. When Helen became better, her parents suddenly became aware that Helen had lost both her hearing and her sight.
These are the words that have ended all of my counseling sheets with since I began writing them as a Corporal and will continue to do as long as I counsel Marines.
... to be the backbone of the Army unless I am willing and able, to do what is right at all times. I must be the standard-bearer. I must be beyond reproach. I must, at all times, conduct myself so as to bring credit upon the corps, the military service, and my country, regardless of the situation in which I find myself. I have recited a creed daily that embodies what makes an NCO. I have lived by that creed and always placed the needs of my soldiers above my own. I have sacrificed in times when I should not have. I have made sure those around me are better off than myself whenever I was able. What I mean with these hollow words, what I hope rings true from the message I am trying to convey, is that I have LIVED with integrity. I have EMBODIED integrity, even when it meant it would harm me; because no one is more professional than I.
She was born perfectly normal, but at 19 months she contracted a disease that was described as an acute congestion of the stomach that left her both deaf and blind(en.wikipedia.com).This illness produced high body temperature. It is still a mystery but experts believe it might have been scarlet fever. With her not being able to hear or see she would torment her teachers and inflict raging tantrums on her parents. Many of her relatives felt like she should be institutionalized(Biography.com). On March 3,1887 Anne Sullivan came to teach Helen(perkins.org).At first she would kick and hit her because she did not trust her enough to let her teach her. But one day Helen made a huge breakthrough when her teacher Anne held her hand under the water pump while singing W-A-T-E-R into her palm. Just then her whole world had came to life. She then learned 30 new words that day. After that day she learned words, sentences, then soon after that
Now most people don’t think that I have as many modifications as I do. If you look at my ears, they are actually pierced eight times, and counting my navel ring and eyebrow ring, that makes ten. I also have two tattoos. One tattoo is on my lower back. The tattoo is a small penguin. He is about two inches tall. The other takes up almost all of the side of my right foot. My best friend designed this one for me; it is an orange flower with tribal designs and vines coming from both sides of it. I am very proud of my tattoos, because they mean something to me and represent something about myself. Because I am a fairly shy person, my tattoos (or navel piercing) are not revealed unless someone asks to see them. When I got all of my modifications done, I never considered my religion. I believe that if I am a good person who loves God, my tattoos will not matter. Now that I have a visible tattoo on my foot, I wondered if all of my dress shoes will...