Tuesday, March 22, 2016

War is loss of innocence





In The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien he states that, “Even now, at this instant, I remember that yo-yo. In a way. I suppose you had to be there, you had to hear it” (72). In other words, Tim O’Brien is trying to make his audience realize that in order to understand what happens in war, one must physically but, also mentally be part of it. In reality a young boy may see war as an act of bravery but, once that same boy is forced to grow up fast and serve in war his view can truly change over time. Since the painting has a story on either side they unite to form a message of the loss of innocence. Through the painting one can see, a baseball bat vs a rifle, a park vs the battle field and a boy screaming of laughter or a boy screaming because of fear. In the center of the image we see that as a child the boy loved playing baseball but, he was forced to grow up fast and now he is forced to carry a gun in his hand. As a young boy he would spend his time at the park where he was able to see the green grass grow, the clarity of the blue sky and light shining from the sun. While, on the other hand he know is in the dark side with pain, sadness, dirt and most of all feeling hopeless. He feels hopeless because he is now living day by day at war without knowing if he will make it alive. Overall, now looking closely at the boy of the painting he can be betrayed as a boy that is screaming of laughter on the right side or as if he is trying to escape from the left side. If the boy is seen as screaming of laughter then it may be because he loved his childhood and he enjoyed every day of his childhood. On the other hand, if the boy is betrayed as being scared and wanting to escape the left side then it might be because living in war can cause so much damage. War can not only cause physical damage but, also mental damage to a soldier. In reality, when one comes back from serving in war it is hard to adjust to the world outside of war. As a soldier one can imagine things that happened in war as if they were happening in the real world. Not only is it hard to know what is the “world of war” and “what is the real world” but, the real question is can both worlds be seen as real worlds at today's day?

As one is forced to group up fast mentally and physically it is hard to come back to the world without knowing what is reality.

"Logos Lite." Logos Lite. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.

5 comments:

  1. This is really insightful and eye opening to read. I like how you used the change in perspective of what being in war is as a child, as the ultimate bravery, to the pain it brings as real soldier. I think the image is intriguing, just the idea that every soldier on a battle field was once an innocent child. You did a really great job of getting that message across by making direct comparisons of the child to the soldier. I also liked how you talked about the mental aspect and toll that the war can take on soldiers, and that these mental challenges stretch far beyond the battlefield.

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  2. I loved the picture you chose because it connects so well to your thesis. It shows how a little boy transforms into a war soldier. Also, the quote you chose helped me better understand your thesis. Your quote made me realize that people who do not go to war, don’t understand what it’s like to serve for their country. Also, our views on war transform throughout our life.I thought you did a really good job analyzing this picture.

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  3. I loved the picture you chose because it connects so well to your thesis. It shows how a little boy transforms into a war soldier. Also, the quote you chose helped me better understand your thesis. Your quote made me realize that people who do not go to war, don’t understand what it’s like to serve for their country. Also, our views on war transform throughout our life.I thought you did a really good job analyzing this picture.

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  4. I really ehjoyed the connection you made in the artist statement to your image. It was interesting how you chose to include not only what differed on each side of the phot, but how they came in the middle to form his loss of innocence. I think you captured a great theme that occurs all the time in war. The idea that there are young men going to fight, and what they are giving up in their lives to be representing our country. The image was extremely intriguing because it was relatable since we all can image that time when we played baseball as a child versus what its like to not only grow up but to be thrown into something like war. Overall you did a really amazing job at connecting the two together, and having a clear explanation of how war is a loss of innocence. Great job!!

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  5. Really great work jasmine!! Your writing and visual was a really great representation of what we have been talking about in class. We focus a lot on how war can change an individual and why it does, and this photo really speaks that. I think that the statement "loss of innocence" is a very powerful statement, being that it is defining the transformation into a new person after experience. War is a hard concept to grasp because we have never really experienced the horror. The endless fear that soldiers at war feel on a daily basis is scary, and i think that you captured this really well in your image and artist statement. Loved it, nice job!

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