At the United States Air Force Academy, the first experience of a new cadet is the loss of personal "stuff" and hence individual identity. All material possessions — those that signify individual identity, safety or relationship -- are taken from the cadet and replaced by "stuff" which indicate membership in the cadet wing. Clothing, jewelry, wallet, even hair, disappear as indexes of membership in an economic group. Pictures and address books vanish as symbols of connection with social groups in the broader world. Watches and calendars and money, reminders of being and safety, have no relevance as cadets move into the "other world" of the academy grounds.
Replacement "stuff" is utilitarian. Clothing is functional and suits its intended purpose to shelter and protect with a well-researched efficiency indicative of the military frame of mind. The clothing is easily cleaned and sanitized. It is even named in a military way — shirt, nonflying, blue; gloves, dress, white — indicating its function as well as obvious characteristics. It is most importantly uniform. The not so subtle message is that all people are identical, in purpose and value, except for a name.
The clothing is at first bare, like the personality-stripped human who wears it, but gradually it acquires ornamentation and indicates a new identity for the wearer. USAF Academy emblems appear first as cadets begin to see themselves as a real part of the academy system. Individual units identified by color, red, blue, yellow, etc, begin to work together. They build their bodies and their skills in these groups and as groups. They struggle, survive and triumph as a unit. Those who choose or are chosen to leave do so quietly without contact with the group as they depart...
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... This symbol of individual recognition, honor, and respect will continue with them throughout their careers.
It is probably not incidental that cadets, even in basic training, retain names rather than, say, numbers. As long as he has his name, the cadet remains an individual. This is essential to the military structure for "good name", honor, integrity can exist only when the individual exists. The military officer, despite this temporary subjugation to the group, is always personally responsible for his actions, and responsible to each individual under his command.
The symbolic structure of the uniform which unites, the insignia which are indexes of achievements and relationships, the name tag and salute which signify recognition of the individual are in combination symbolic of the tension between group and individual identity which is vital to the military.
At the start of the war, many people, including president Abraham Lincoln, thought that the few battles wouldn’t turn into much and that the fighting would be over soon. Clearly, they were wrong. As the fighting continued, uniforms became necessary in order to stop men from shooting others on their own sides. When uniforms were first created, they were very inconsistent in the way they were made. Styles of clothing depended on where they were made or who made them. Many s...
In the novel “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, there are a lot of characters that carry burdens which manifest later into themes of the novel. The novel is about the Vietnam war and the experience of drafted 18-24-year-old individuals serving in a platoon squad together. For instance, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross who is a vital member of the Alpha Company carries vital things that later translate into the theme. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carries compasses, maps, and responsibilities for the Alpha Company such as marching in a line and keeping guns clean. The character accompanied with all his objects is used as a metaphor for the war that has no structure. He is a leader in the eyes of the Alpha Company who see him as the oldest and wisest but
The things we carry may define the type of person we are in a broad but effective sense. For example, a construction worker might carry a hammer, a mailman some mail , and a police officer would carry those beautiful pieces of paper we call tickets. In carrying these items, each person may experience a different type of day in the framework of their lives. A mailman might get chased by a dog, while a cop may be chasing the “dog”. Each item may dictate our particular interest in objects and gives insight into the psychology of an individual. This was done in 1946 by a man named Tim O’ Brien. His novel titled “The Things They Carried”, first appeared as an excerpt in Esquire Magazine and told the story of the men in war with the things they carried. In the pages of this excerpt, one is able to see an epiphany performed by the soldiers. This epiphany relates to the items they had carried around during their missions and is geared especially towards the leading character, Lt. Jimmy Cross, of the excerpt. A coming of age is derived from this individual, which also sheds light on the psychological atmosphere of the men serving the Vietnam War.
In Chapter one "The Things They Carried", Tim by O'Brien gives deeper meaning to items soldiers were carrying consistently. “The Things They Carried” which takes place in Vietnam during the war time the physical weight humped is emotional and psychological burdens. The purpose and the way O’Brien describes the situation in the chapter tells the reader different aspects and reasons for carrying certain things with them and how they coped with war. The items carried directly correspond to the soldiers’ behaviors. It is directly correspond to the soldiers behaviors. The soldiers adapt to the things they have to deal with by force
The physical items a soldier carries into war may not seem important at first, but they are crucial to the short story “The Things they carried” written by Tim O’Brien. On the surface, the various items are carried along for numerous reasons. Initially, they are largely determined by necessity. After that, they serve partly as a function of rank and field specialty. An item may also present itself as a means of killing or staying alive. Others were determined, to some extent, by superstition. The items also varied according to the mission. However, the soldiers also carried the mental and emotional baggage of men who might die. Similar to the Greek God Atlas, “they carried the sky” (O’Brien 343). Atlas carried the entire weight of the sky on his shoulders. Incidentally, Atlas was also a soldier of war. The mental, emotional and psychological burdens were much heavier than any piece of physical equipment these men carried, much like carrying the weight of the world. That being said, the function of the items that the soldiers carry is to establish power in an unstable environment, but, instead, they reflect the soldiers powerlessness in war fueled by a panoptic society.
The Vietnam War was a challenging time for soldiers both physically and mentally. They often didn’t have a choice on whether they were going to war due to the drafting system that had been in place. Many had tangible and intangible things that they carried with them for the sake of their sanity or their job in the unit. The chapter, “The Things They Carried”, in the novel The Things They Carried, captures this immaculately. The author, Tim O’Brien, speaks of the things each man within his unit carried with him. Each man did not just carry tangible objects with him, but also intangible objects as well .
One aspect of having all students wear the same school-district uniform, is that it helps students focus on learning. In my case, I went to a private junior high school few years ago. Students there are required to wear the uniform every day; everyone dresses like a student. When I wake up every morning, I just grab my uniform and put it on without having any other thoughts about how it will look on me; thus I have more time to spend on learning. Therefore, I was prepared every day, and so were others. Yet, the high school I went to was a public school; it does not have any uniform policies. Comparing to my junior high, students dressed differently every day with different kinds of clothing. Since it does not require un...
In Tim O'Brien's story "The Things They Carried" we see how O'Brien uses symbolism in order to indirectly give us a message and help us to connect to what the soldiers are thinking and feeling. During a war soldiers tend to take with them items from home kind of as a security blanket. The items they normally take with them tend to reveal certain characteristics of their personality.
This collective mentality is cultivated from the first day of boot camp where an individual will lose his first name, his choice of clothing, and his social status. With the suppression of self-identifying traits, the individual is accepted as part of a larger body that is the military identity. This identity is designed for obedience, self-regulation, and adherence to good order. To maintain this
The military was built on long standing values and customs and courtesies such as saluting, being willing to die for your country, professionalism, and respecting the uniform that you wear by wearing it proudly. All service members are proud of their uniform and what it stands for, but many people don’t know what a uniform is. Oxford Dictionary defines uniform as something that is not changing in form or character; remaining the same in all cases and at all times. Synonyms of uniform are unchanging and constant. If we have a line up of military members in uniform under this n...
We all know that each of us are different, so why are we trying to hide under uniforms, looking like everyone else? We have to be ourselves and show who we truly are. We dress according to how we want to be that day, like wearing nice clothes to look good, or wearing sweat pants to be comfortable. We have to be ourselves and quit trying to be the same as everyone else.
wearing the same uniform every day get boring, if you want uniforms wear the same outfit everyday. we don't have to be equal to each other. everyone says stand out, be different, make a change. uniforms wont let us be who we really are. slideshare.com has a sentence saying "in conclusion, uniforms are not only help students be distant from other people, to be more beautiful, but also make them equal to other students.
Clothing is the main way students express themselves. Wearing a uniform limits this freedom tremendously. They can not wear their favorite band shirts to school or simply their favorite blouse. They can not wear their favorite jersey when their football team wins. They can not even wear their favorite outfit that makes them feel confident and proud.
First and foremost, school uniforms are a representation of the student body, school, and community. They create an identity, while showing respect to the school. Ultimately school uniforms promote school spirit. Similar to how sports teams promote unity and spirit, school uniforms unite the student body as one. For example, when we see the maple leaf worn by our proud athletes in Sochi, especially when they win gold, we as Canadians feel proud to be represented on the grandest stage of them all, the Olympics. Uniforms are a symbol that “unite and create an identity for the school in the community; as a result create an atmosphere of belonging” (TheGuardian.com). This demonstrates the essence of unity created by school
So in order to show the unification, each group has their own uniform. The army has army uniforms, the school has school uniforms. When we go to primary school, we should wear school uniform. The most obvious sign is the students’ school uniform. And we see many students wearing school uniforms everyday and everywhere.