Essay on Rumors Of War Critique

Submitted By maelza09
Words: 1558
Pages: 7
Open Document
Maria E. Jimenez
GENS 411-Section A
Dr. Kalny
April 7, 2015
A Rumor of War Book Critique: Caputo’s Attitude through the War A Rumor of War book is a memoir of Caputo’s experiences and his notes of the more historical and well-known events that war created for him. It takes viewers through the battles, minds, and thoughts of what being a soldier in Vietnam truly was. Caputo was motivated to volunteer in the Marine because he was hungered for danger, challenges, violence, and adventures, as the only things he knew were the security, comfort, and peace of his hometown, Westchester, Illinois. He wanted desperately to prove his courage, toughness, and manhood, as well his capacity to be a hero like the ones he read in his school books. However, as his involvement in the war grew, his attitudes through it changed as well as his personal identity. Caputo’s first personal and physical changes begun during his military training. He became to be more “self-confident and proud, some to the point of arrogance” (21). Additionally, he acquired the essential military virtues—courage, loyalty, and spirit de corps—but lost his capacity for compassion. He looked the world around him in a different way. Every scenario he saw, such as landscape or hills, he associated it with his military training and started to plan strategic movements of how to defend or attack.
Caputo left the United States with a youthful, romanticized illusion of war inspired with President Kennedy’s idealistic challenge and America’s arrogance of superiority over others. Before entering the war, Caputo was very optimistic over America’s power and he believed that “Asian guerrillas did not stand a chance against U.S. Marines” (69). When he learned that his platoon would go to Danang, he felt an adrenal surge, as it was something he was waiting to happen for long time. Since his landing to Vietnam, he had the conviction that his brigade could win the brushfire war quickly, taking only a few months to get over. As the time past and his platoon did not encounter enemy forces, his feelings become confused because he wanted action and he did not want it, suffering a tense of emotional balance as a result of these conflicting desires. Further, he worried about failing in his contingency strategies that he rehearsed his reactions to different cases. He started to experience fantasies of personal heroics and how they would sound in the local newspapers. Overall, Caputo felt happy to going into combat for the first time.
As Caputo’s platoon became more involve in the war, Caputo’s optimistic attitude started to change. During one of the first patrols at the jungle, Caputo and his platoon experienced a nightmare operation because the jungle had the power to cause fear among the marines. They had the sense of being surrounded by something they could not see. As Caputo state, “Men with active imaginations were most prey to these fears. A man needs many things in war, but a strong imagination is not one of them.” Imagination is one of the main enemies of soldiers since it can alters soldiers’ nerves causing soldiers to see and hear enemies everywhere. Fear was one of Caputo’s first pessimistic attitudes towards war. Furthermore, in the cordon and search operation, Caputo felt uncomfortable searching through the villagers’ belongings since he felt like burglar. However, the more villages were searched and destroyed by the marines, Caputo’s feelings towards civilians changed. He harden his heart against civilians’ suffering believing that they were paying the price for helping the Viet Cong. He thought that this was an act of retribution rather than an act of madness and civilians were learning a lesson. At this point of the war, soldiers were learning to hate anybody that supports their enemy’s operations not matter the level of innocence.
When Caputo began with his patrols, all the he wanted was to capture the guerrilla but as the confrontations raised all he wanted was to kill the
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Rumors Of War Critique

Kristof Rhetorical Strategies

instead of physically or verbally attacking one another. Kristof discusses the issue of prejudice and stereotypes. He argues that despite the absence of interpersonal knowledge, individuals nevertheless believe it is acceptable to spread negative rumors and gossip about one another based on presumptions and…

Words 2010 - Pages 9

The Great Gatsby Research Paper

Gatsby recounts his time in the war, his studies in Oxford, and then explains how he acquired his wealth, telling Nick that he had inherited it from his parents (Fitzgerald 42-43). Through his recall, Gatsby embodies success, showing that he is very well off to Nick. His relentless pursuit…

Words 1517 - Pages 7

Familial Proliferation and Political Viscounty Lineage Research On Mao Zedong’s Descendants Essay

endeavored to proliferate by all means, not only for the sake of continuing Mao’s family line, but also preserving their political viscounty after Mao’s death. Mao Xinyu, the sole grandson of Mao, was given birth by artificial insemination with the rumor of mental retardation centering on him. His promotion in the Army and status in political system are the evidence of political viscounty bringing by an existence of male descendants in Mao’s family line. This was why Mao’s family made effort on familial…

Words 3996 - Pages 16

Conspiracy Theory and Highway Trust Fund Essay

A compromise on the Highway Trust Fund is coming – it would raise the gas tax and stave off transportation collapse Jones 6-19 [Kevin. Staff Writer for Overdrive. “Fuel tax hike proposed in Senate to shore up highway funding” 6/19/14 http://www.overdriveonline.com/fuel-tax-hike-proposed-in-senate-to-shore-up-highway-funding/ ] A proposal in the Senate is pursing the oft-cited and trucking-backed solution for shoring up the Highway Trust Fund: an increase in the tax on diesel and gasoline at the…

Words 5990 - Pages 24

Eminem Essay

chart-topper for the rapper, driven by the single "Just Lose It", notable for being disrespectful towards Michael Jackson[22]. Despite the comedic theme of the lead single, Encore also had its fair share of serious subject matter, including the anti-war track "Mosh". By the end of 2005 Mathers released the single, "When I'm Gone", recorded for the greatest-hits set Curtain Call: The Hits. Eminem often said that one of his most influential…

Words 4794 - Pages 20