The Crusader Of all the different character tropes, the crusader stands out as most popular and widespread main character type in the world over. Beginning after WWII audiences in the United States was after a positive, all-American hero that would make the right choice no matter what. John Wayne is the perfect embodiment of a rugged, self-made American doing whatever he can for good. Starring in westerns such as Gunsmoke he almost always played the same crusader role in as a man for everyone to look up to, someone who did justice for the people around him and not himself. For over fifteen years this was the standard crusader with little advancement but over time it became predicable and boring as no one could relate to these characters. Real people have flaws and personal problems which would go on to be the first evolution of the crusader. As the post-war world changes its perception of governments and begun more widely challenging norms the Crusader did too. With the Vietnam war in full swing a drama/comedy called M*A*S*H set in the Korean war came with a new Crusader, Hawkeye th...
Appy’s book is valuable to its readers in showing how Vietnam became the template for every American war since, from novelties like the invasion of Grenada to the seemingly never-ending conflicts post-9/11. But before all that, there was Vietnam, and, larger lessons aside, Appy’s book is a fascinating, insightful, infuriating and thought-provoking study of that conflict, from its earliest days
Lawrence’s purpose in writing this book was concise and to the point. In recent history, due to the fall of the Soviet bloc, new information has been made available for use in Vietnam. As stated in the introduction, “This book aims to take account of this new scholarship in a brief, accessible narrative of the Vietnam War… It places the war within the long flow of Vietnamese history and then captures the goals and experiences of various governments that became deeply embroiled in the country during the second half of the twentieth century” (Lawrence, 3.) This study is not only about the American government and how they were involved in the Vietnam conflict, but highlights other such countries as France, China, and the Soviet Union. Lawrence goes on to say that one of his major goals in writing this book is to examine the American role in Vietnam within an international context (Lawrence, 4.) Again, this goes to show that the major purpose of Lawrence’s study included not only ...
The Vietnam War is one of the most controversial issues in American history. It is no secret that the American public was not in favor of this war, which is why the government’s decision to keep the US involved for over ten years created such a disconnect between America’s people and their government. In the third verse the Temptations sing, “People all over the world are shouting 'End the war.'” The Temptations bravely attack the government, addressing their continuation of a war no one wants. Although The Temptations avoid explicitly naming the war, or the government as the guilty party, it is evident that this is a criticism, or at least an acknowledgement of a predicament America found itself in.
Tim O’Brien’s book, The Things They Carried, portrays stories of the Vietnam War. Though not one hundred percent accurate, the stories portray important historical events. The Things They Carried recovers Vietnam War history and portrays situations the American soldiers faced. The United States government represents a political power effect during the Vietnam War. The U. S. enters the war to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam. The U.S. government felt if communism spreads to South Vietnam, then it will spread elsewhere. Many Americans disapproved of their country’s involvement. Men traveled across the border to avoid the draft. The powerful United States government made the decision to enter the war, despite many Americans’ opposition. O’Brien’s The Things They Carried applies New Historicism elements, including Vietnam history recovery and the political power of the United States that affected history.
Raymond, Michael W. "Imagined Responses to Vietnam: Tim O'Brien's Going After Cacciato. Critique 24 (Winter 1983).
Warriors of God by James Reston Jr. is a non-fictional view of the third crusade. This particular crusade spanned from 1187-1192, containing many gruesome battles and a lot of intense moments between Islam and Christianity. Reston supplies the reader with a little background to the third Crusade when he talks about the first Crusades happening since 1095. Reston gives a fairly impartial view of this holy war. He discusses the battles, politics, and emotions of the Crusade as an outside party and if he takes any side at all it is with the Muslims. He often speaks badly of King Richard and he speaks well of Saladin, the sultan. He portrays Richard as a greedy, anti-Semite, who is intolerable of other religions, while he shows Saladin as tolerant to the Jews, reasonable, and an overall good leader. Reston wrote this book mostly to inform readers about the third Crusade but also to add some of his own insights. His thesis was a little unclear but he stated that the Crusades were the most violent event in history all the way up to Hitler’s rein. Reston did a good job in proving this when he told of battles and then analyzed them. He told of a time when King Richard had twenty thousand Muslims executed and when Saladin had Reginald of Chatillon beheaded along with many other Christian prisoners.
Fellers, Carla A. "What A Wonderful World": The Rhetoric Of The Official And The Unofficial In Good Morning, Vietnam." War, Literature & The Arts: An International Journal Of The Humanities 17.1/2 (2005): 232-241. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
Starting with the economic collapse that preceded World War II, Heller describes how profit driven America acts in self-interest, avoiding danger and risk at a much higher clip than their allies. While in the Air Force, Doc Daneeka does not uphold his agreement to the Hippocratic oath: “to remember that he has “special obligations to all fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm” (Hippocratic Oath). The inherent nobility and altruism normally associated with a soldier or a physician is nowhere to be found in Doc Daneeka. Today, in schools and textbooks, the American people laud the United States Armed Forces and government for its honorable motive and deliberate course of action during World War II. Heller views Doc Daneeka and America in the same vein: the altruistic nobility of their perceived positions is misrepresentative and overstated. When asked about World War II, Harry Truman once said, “If you can’t convince them, confuse them” (Truman, 1945). In Catch-22, Joseph Heller masterfully found a way to accomplish
“Vietnam: A Mistake of Western Alliance” is not the only piece of writing by Mark Atwood Lawrence about the Vietnam War. He has written two books on the topic: Assuming the Burden: Europe and the American Commitment to War in Vietnam and The Vietnam War: A Concise International History. He has also written other essays about the war and co-edited The First Vietnam War: Colonial Conflict and Cold War Crisis. He received degrees from Stanford and Yale and is a Professor of History at The University of Texas at Austin (Mark Atwood Lawrence).
As the Second World War drew to and end during the mid-1900s, a new conflict soon followed. This upcoming conflict put two of the world’s great powers against one another, “the democratic, capita...
There are several significant, as well as less significant, themes that are put forth by the author. Some themes that are not as meticulously elaborated on, but still contribute to the book, include the idea that war can corrupt the government and it’s actions, police brutality was part of the norm of the 1960s, and the word “power” had more than one meaning during the civil rights era. All these themes are important to take into consideration upon reading this book; however th...
Pope Urban beckoned for the Christian people to take back the holy land only on the values that he set in the recollections, “The Call for Crusade” whereas the values are pretty much broken when the crusaders sack the Christian city of Constantinople from “Annals” Pope Urban was under minded ultimately by the Christian warriors and leaders.
The Knights Templar were the manifestation of a "new chivalry" which united the seemingly incompatible roles of monk and warrior. As the first religious military order, these dedicated men were models for successive orders including the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, later known as the Hospitallers, and the Teutonic Knights of the Hospital of St. Mary, two contemporary, rival brotherhoods. These and other orders, flourishing during the 12th-14th centuries as protectors of the Holy Land, were the first standing troops to be properly trained and commanded in Western Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire (Seward 17). The extraordinary story of the Knights Templar ranges from its humble establishment to a period of extreme prosperity, and, finally, to a tragic, haunting conclusion.
Contrary to many commonly held notions about the first crusade, in his book, The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading, Jonathan Riley-Smith sets out to explain how the idea of crusading thought evolved in the first crusade. In his book, Riley-Smith sets out five main arguments to show how these ideas of crusading evolved. Firstly, he argues that Pope Urban’s original message was conventional, secondly that a more positive reaction was drawn from the laity (due to the ideas surrounding Jerusalem), thirdly, that the original message of crusading had changed because of the horrible experiences of the first crusaders, fourth, that due to these experiences the crusaders developed their own concept of what a crusade was, and lastly, that these ideas were refined by (religious) writers and turned into an acceptable form of theology. Riley-Smith makes excellent points about the crusade; however, before one can delve directly into his argument, one must first understand the background surrounding the rise of the first crusade.
Flanagan censures all aspects of war, from combat to the long-lasting psychological impacts. The horrors of war that Flanagan discusses in his novel remain relevant to this day. We must use the atrocities of the past as a mirror for our actions today. Military prisons such as Guantanamo Bay and Okinawa still exist, and if we forget the abhorrent occurrences in Japanese prison camps, we allow the same abuses of power to occur again. If we quickly forget the horrors of war, what will stop us from entering more wars and recreating the same awful circumstances? The consequences of war that Flanagan describes in The Narrow Road to the Deep North will remain relevant through the rest of humanity’s