Critique
“One Day You’ll Feel Alone” by Jermaine Campbell is a personal essay that presents Jermaine’s experience where he felt alone. Campbell mentioned some the emotions in which he felt when he left his family to join the United States Army Reserve. Campbell also described some obstacles that he had to overcame in order to pass the Army's vigorous training.
Campbell’s essay gives an insight into a life of a misunderstood person. Ultimately, his essay proved his happiness and braveness about deciding to join the United States Army Reserve, even though he had his share of doubts. This writer told a personal story in which he used effective examples, had clear coherence throughout his essay, and had a great organizational skills, thus making this personal essay strong.
The first reason I think this a strong essay is because Campbell gave vivid and live details that led his readers to create an image of what he tried to get across to them. For example, Campbell descriptively illustrated the intense emotions he had while recalled the loving
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In each and every one of his paragraphs, he had a clear and concise topic sentence that lets the audience know what they are about to read. At the end of each paragraph, Campbell gives an insight in what he is going to talk about next. For instance, Campbell talks about how he was going to leave his family in order to join the United States Army Reserve by introducing it, stating his fears of what this entirely new journey would bring. He mentioned how anxious he was about how he’d expected things to go and he also made it clear he had strongly hoped the negative rumors he heard about the Army weren’t true. By following these tactics such as providing a clear and consistent breakdown of each paragraph, Campbell was able to make his story easy relatable to others who may have gone through a similar
Tim O’Brien begins his journey as a young “politically naive” man and has recently graduated out of Macalester College in the United States of America. O’Brien’s plan for the future is steady, but this quickly changes as a call to an adventure ruins his expected path in life. In June of 1968, he receives a draft notice, sharing details about his eventual service in the Vietnam War. He is not against war, but this certain war seemed immoral and insignificant to Tim O’Brien. The “very facts were shrouded in uncertainty”, which indicates that the basis of the war isn’t well known and perceived
In The Red Badge of Courage, Henry Fleming was drawn to enlist by his boyhood dreams. His highly romanticized notion of war was eclectic, borrowing from various classical and medieval sources. Nevertheless, his exalted, almost deified, conception of the life of a soldier at rest and in combat began to deflate before the even the ink had dried on his enlistment signature. Soon the army ceased to possess any personal characteristics Henry had once envisioned, becoming an unthinking, dispas...
I enjoyed how Lydia stayed calm and didn't panic through the tragic disaster she had faced. The rhetorical techniques that Brideau demonstrates are pathos because she displays positive and negative emotions throughout the story. Also tells the story through graphic details. The words “hope” and “determination” seemed most significant because it set the overall tone to the story. For example, Lydia was terrified when she realized she was unable to shut the door against the rushing water, but she was determined to get to safe spot to avoid the flooding of the hurricane. This essay does not remind me of any other essays. If I wrote a letter to Jan Brideau, I would tell her I found the essay Lydia’s Story very inspiring and informative. I admired
In 1960, at the age of twenty-four, Philip Caputo enlists in the United Sates Marine Corps in hopes of escaping his relaxed lifestyle in the quaint town of Westchester, Illinois. Caputo is interested in proving himself a man and earning respect in response to President John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address to the nation. “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” are the famous words that pushed many young men into the patriotic world of enlistment, in order to defend American ideals. Caputo’s expectations of the war in Vietnam are to achieve heroic acts, finish his missions quickly and efficiently, get out in one piece, and return home to a supportive country interested in his heroic adventures.
The Vietnam War was a psychological and physical battle for all the young men who were drafted or volunteered. Caputo's own reasons for volunteering illustrate the mentality for some of the men entering into this journey. Those who are inducted into Vietnam face disturbing moral dilemmas that can be expected in an "ethical wilderness." The draft introduced a myriad of young men to the once forgotten moral ambiguity of war. Average American citizens must balance right from wrong in a world without morals or meaning. Caputo himself struggles with the idea that killing in combat is morally justified.
...y crying not knowing what to do then he turned and peered back to the Minnesota shore line. “It was as real as anything I would ever feel. I saw my parents calling to me from the far shoreline. I saw my brother and sister, all the townsfolk, the mayor and the entire Chamber of Commerce and all my old teachers and girlfriends and high school buddies. Like some weird sporting event: everybody screaming from the sidelines, rooting me on” (58). This is when he knew he could not turn his back on his beloved country. All the wrong he felt the draft was he could not cross the border to flee from anything or anyone. This whole situation describes the rest of his life, but mainly his years in the Vietnam War. He would have to make decisions, decisions that would be hard but would have to do for the ones he loved.
An emotional burden that the men must carry is the longing for their loved ones. The Vietnam War forced many young men to leave their loved ones and move halfway across the world to fight a ...
Many individuals look at soldiers for hope and therefore, add load to them. Those that cannot rationally overcome these difficulties may create Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Tragically, some resort to suicide to get away from their insecurities. Troops, notwithstanding, are not by any means the only ones influenced by wars; relatives likewise encounter mental hardships when their friends and family are sent to war. Timothy Findley precisely depicts the critical impact wars have on people in his novel by showing how after-war characters are not what they were at the beginning.
Wallace Terry has collected a wide range of stories told by twenty black Vietnam veterans. The stories are varied based on each experience; from the horrific to the heart breaking and to the glorified image of Vietnam depicted by Hollywood. Wallace Terry does not insinuate his opinion into any of the stories so that the audience can feel as if they are having a conversation with the Vietnam Veteran himself. Terry introduces the purpose of the book by stating, “ Among the 20 men who portray their war and postwar experiences in this book. I sought a representative cross section of the black combat force.”(p. XV) Although the stories in this book were not told in any specific order, many themes became prominent throughout the novel such as religion, social, and health.
“The Red Convertible” is one example of literature that gives realistic examples of the impacts war can have on an individual. Not only is Henry Lamartine impacted by actually going to war and being captured, but the narrator and brother to Henry, Lyman Lamartine also faces challenges. Louise Erdrich
...ust deal with similar pains. Through the authors of these stories, we gain a better sense of what soldiers go through and the connection war has on the psyche of these men. While it is true, and known, that the Vietnam War was bloody and many soldiers died in vain, it is often forgotten what occurred to those who returned home. We overlook what became of those men and of the pain they, and their families, were left coping with. Some were left with physical scars, a constant reminder of a horrible time in their lives, while some were left with emotional, and mental, scarring. The universal fact found in all soldiers is the dramatic transformation they all undergo. No longer do any of these men have a chance to create their own identity, or continue with the aspirations they once held as young men. They become, and will forever be, soldiers of the Vietnam War.
Her story was interesting to read, but she over exaggerated every detail, making it perplexing to read. “In Case You Ever Want to Go Home Again’s” transitions were non-existent, confusing me further. I could picture minute snippets of the essay, but the overall depiction was not clear. Furthermore, her narration had minimal dialogue; constructing a conversation in this story would recover this essay from the gutter it was in. If the author used transitions, dialogue, and used direct descriptions, her essay would have been renovated
The soldiers feel that the only people they can talk to about the war are their “brothers”, the other men who experienced the Vietnam War. The friendship and kinship that grew in the jungles of Vietnam survived and lived on here in the United States. By talking to each other, the soldiers help to sort out the incidents that happened in the War and to put these incidents behind them. “The thing to do, we decided, was to forget the coffee and switch to gin, which improved the mood, and not much later we were laughing at some of the craziness that used to go on” (O’Brien, 29).
The military provides you with training to become more mentally tough. It always stays busy; you don’t have time to think about anything besides the training or job you are performing. This organization can provide you with a sense of belonging, family, friends, and hope. It instills in you that no matter what the circumstance’s, you have the strength to overcome. These protective factors gained through his military service helped him become more resilient. His anger is also a protective mental factor used by Antwone to not face his true emotions. While this is negative, his anger has helped him by concentrating on others and situations instead of himself. Antwone enjoys drawing, and writing. He displays academic intelligence by being able to learn two languages. Those are crucial positive and resilient protective factors for Antwone. Despite his trauma and stubbornness, he is able to seek help and accept it. Not forgetting to mention, he is also able to demonstrate positive emotions and create positive relationships, with Lieutenant Commander Davenport and Sailor Sheryl. Antwone eventually achieves closure with his family, and in return that helps him deal with his
...nd embarrassed with their true desires not to fight. There is no freewill at this point because they feel obligated to be the patriotic men. They are confused not knowing the reason for this war but that it is “to stop the Communists, plain and simple” (O’Brien 45). Unfortunately is it not plain and simple, even a million words would not be able to express the experiences that these young men endure. Unlike the Lone Ranger, the soldiers would rather flee due to the natural human instincts toward a dangerous situation. Yet, they suppress their true feelings and fight with all they have. As we can see, the ones that fight to help people that they hardly know are indeed the regular, normal, and everyday human beings. With this in mind, we cannot count on the Lone Ranger to come to the rescue; rather, the heroes are right before our eyes. They are an “everyman.”