Thursday, December 4, 2014

300

The film 300, directed by Zack Snyder shows examples of rugged individualism, by showing toughness and strength, living close to the edge, and connection to nature. The character of King Leonidas shows signs of toughness and strength.

One scene that shows a sign of toughness and strength from King Leonidas is the scene of when they notice that they are very overpowered and an undersized army but they still choose to fight against the thousands of Persian soldiers. With only 300 soldiers Leonidas and his army fight and battle against the Persians which have better weapons, more soldiers, and more ships coming with hundreds of more soldiers. This was still not enough to make Leonidas and 300 give up. Another scene that shows toughness is they show how it is growing up and training to be a soldier. Young children are forced to beat up and kill each other to move up in the ranks and to get respect. There are also scenes that show living close to the edge. As a young teenager Leonidas is sent to the wild to determine if he should become King of Sparta or not. As he tries to complete his journey he comes across a wild jungle cat. As he fights of the cat shirtless and shoe-less in the snow he eventually kills it and skins it. He then returns back to Sparta wearing the fur from the cat as a coat and is praised and becomes the King.


Sunday, November 30, 2014

Bad Boys II




             In the film Bad Boys II by Michael Bay the characters Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett who are modern day FBI cops strongly encourages rugged individualism. Mike and Marcus are fierce and brave individuals who would do anything to make sure that their job gets done. Theses cops drive luxury cars, shoot massive guns, and are always on high speed chases. The film focuses on how American males are viewed as dominant as well as an in depth look on the life of a cop. This action packed film also has various amounts of people getting killed in the movie and severly hurt. But when Marcus' sister who was also Mikes' girlfriend got kidnapped while hugging each other the two men felt helpless and mostly sad which is an example of romanticism.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Cultural analysis of romanticism and rugged individualism



TAK3N a movie a bout a father who was once special forces and his past comes back to try and kill him and his family. Liam Neeson who is Brian Mills in the movie does his best to protect his daughter and wife but does so by killing many criminals. TAK3N is a perfect example of both rugged individualism and romanticism because Brian Mills loves his family so much and really does anything it takes to save his family and as the movie gets more intense it also get more emotional which is a characteristic of romanticism. also this movie is more of a rugged individualism ideology because he is living on the edge multiple times throughout taken, taken 2 , and TAK3N Brian has nearly died and he shows a lot of self reliance because he doesn't rely on a team or the government or police to help him fight off many drug lord or human traffickers or whoever it may be that he has an issue with. Taken series is overall a rugged individualistic movie because it has few romantic characteristics.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Kelcie romantic blog

In the show "The Originals" there is an episode when one of the main characters in the show his name is Kluase wants to save the little bit of family he has left from being whipped out by the people that wants them dead they also live in the swamp so the character wants to do this without any one knowing that shows romanticism because even though he is supposed to be a tough character that doesn't care about anything when deep down inside he really care's about family, The show also shows romanticism because the character Kluase has an older brother named Eligha that falls for a girl that's pregnant he tries his best to keep her and the unborn child safe from the ones that want her and the baby killed and they try to be together but she gets in contact with her real family and finds out that she's supposed to marry another man and that hurts him but he still wants her to be safe and happy.


Rugged Individualism

The Mafia, a network of organized-crime groups based in Italy and America, evolved over centuries in Sicily, an island ruled until the mid-19th century by a long line of foreign invaders. Sicilians banded together in groups to protect themselves and carry out their own justice. In Sicily, the term “mafioso,” or Mafia member, initially had no criminal connotations and was used to refer to a person who was suspicious of central authority. By the 19th century, some of these groups emerged as private armies, or “mafie,” who extorted protection money from landowners and eventually became the violent criminal organization known today as the Sicilian Mafia. The American Mafia, which rose to power in the 1920s, is a separate entity from the Mafia in Italy, although they share such traditions as omerta, a code of conduct and loyalty.
This is a good example of Rugged individualism Because The Mafia was a well known group that was against most people and they lived their lives on the edge.

Rugged Individualism

In the film Baby Boy by John Singleton it shows characteristics of rugged individualism by the main character Jody being perceived as being tough and living close to the edge. He was shown this way because it was like he was kicked  in reality of the real world. Jody was a streetwise and a jobless character he had 2 children by different women. In the film Jody showed many ways of being a tough individual. For example whenever he came in contact with another of the characters Rodney who was having affairs and raping Jody's babies mother he always argued with him and showed his emotions which can also relate to Romanticism.

Rugged Individualism


Gary Ross's 2012 screenplay Hunger Games reflects the ideology of Rugged Individualism because it shows how a female is strong, is "living on the edge", and has a sense of independence for being part of these games that could potentially end her life. The character Katniss Everdeen which is one of the main characters in the movie, has a strong sense for individuality and self-reliance, also toughness.

For instance in a part of the movie Katniss decides that she is going to volunteer for her little sister that she will instead go and be apart of the hunger games from her district. This scene shows her toughness because she has chosen to take her little sister’s spot and have a greater chance to die in the process. Another scene reflects her independence and individuality as her and the boy from her district name Peta are on the way to the games and she makes the statement that she could do everything by herself but doesn’t need his help.



High School Musical-Get your head in the game

In High School Musical a story about a star basketball athlete Troy falls in love with s normal high school musical Gabriella. This particular song shows an example of both Rugged Individualism because Troy is so confused on why he is in love with her, and also Romanticism because they do in fact have something in common. The emotion is strong because he's singing with all his heart to his beloved Gabriella. "You gotta getcha getcha head in the game", a verse from the song shows a bit of rugged individualism because he's trying to tell himself to get it together and stop thinking about this girl because he can really play ball and he could possibly get a scholarship if he "Gets his head in the game". This shows me that he's trying to be tough and not a romantic guy. "Why am I feeling so wrong? My head's in the game but my heart's in the song". This is a verse from the song, it's showing Romanticism because he's thinking about playing basketball but where his heart desires is to sing and be with Gabriella. This shows a good example of freedom from tradition because an athlete is suppose to be this tough macho guy but inside he's a softy. This song form High School Musical is a great example of both Romanticism and Rugged Individualism.

Brantley Gilbert- Rugged Indiviualist

Brantley Gilbert's 2011 hit song "Hell on Wheels" reflects the ideology of Rugged Individualism because it emphasizes living by the edge, toughness, and independence.  The song is about him on his own running from the police.  He sings, "Ridin' 95 down the highway, sideways, runnin' from ole John Law."  John Law is a reference to the police and he shows that he is living by the edge because society doesn't typically have a police chase very often.  He strays from what society shows him.  The overall idea of this dong is toughness, but he has some lyrics to show for it too.  He says, "Well roll with me but you better listen good and clear. If you got a badge or a big mouth brother you ain't got no business here."  Right now he's stating that if whoever he is talking to is a cop or will tell someone what is going on, that he does not belong there.  He is showing that he is the boss because he is the toughest man around.  The independence Gilbert shows in the song is best shown in the chorus when he say, "Brother I'm hell on wheels."  He is by himself in this escape from '"John Law" showing he has independence and self reliance to get him free of this situation.  Also an uncanny amount of confidence going into it.

Survivorman: Rugged Indivisualism

The show Survivorman reflects rugged individualism because of its connection to nature, self-reliance, toughness, and inventiveness that shows the world’s high technology and civilization can’t help you in every situation you get put in. Survival expert Les Stroud puts himself into harsh conditions in remote locations all alone and records himself surviving on what the land has to give and nothing else. His connection to nature is a must, because he’s living in the wilderness and has to think outside of the box to stay alive.  He creates shelters using anything he can find like trees and leaves.  He shows self-reliance every second of his experience because he’s all alone and doesn’t have anyone or anything to depend on except himself.  His toughness is obvious, he knows what it takes to stay alive and isn’t afraid of much.  In the Zambia episode, he was starving and needed some food for energy so he ate a Zambian grub.  That takes toughness.  His inventiveness in every episode is amazing.  He can create so many things we take for granted, like a rock and a stick to make a spark.  In the “Canyonlands” episode, he creates a box-and-stick trap which is a flat rock carefully balanced on an arrangement of sticks.  He baits it with peanut butter and catches a squirrel for dinner.

Culture Analysis










Romantic poets/musicians cultivated individualism, reverence for the natural world, idealism, physical and emotional passion, and an interest in the mystic and supernatural. Romantics set themselves in opposition to the order and rationality of classical and neoclassical artistic precepts to embrace freedom and revolution in their art and politics. Take music for example, it simply continues evolve into higher and more complex meanings within every time period. Take the 1800’s for example, Ludwig Beethoven was famous in that era, some people considered him no only a musician but also a poet due to his very inspiring lyrics.


"Music is a higher revelation


than all wisdom and philosophy.


Music is the electrical soil


in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents."


~ Ludwig van Beethoven ~





Teachers like Plato even says music is a big deal: “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” Music is the reason why people can share their feelings, ideas, or even just their everyday life without seeming so average. the musician Andie Anderson would agree, “


“…Children and adults with attention deficit disorder can get their work done faster with music played that they can appreciate. Law enforcement have found that if they play Classical music on loudspeakers in neighborhoods that have high crime rates, that the violence is downgraded in some strange way. Music creates a unified body of people at the beginning of sports and events where for instance, the national anthem is played and everyone sings in unison in respect, it commands pride and respect and emotion. [Andie Anderson]


“...Music is very important in our lives, we may not appreciate 'Rap' or 'Ska' or 'Heavy Metal' but groups like Run DMC and Aerosmith have banded together in the past and with their different sounds have created popular music that two groups of sounds merged into one and were accepted. Metallica, known for its head-banging sounds has done a version of Bob Seger's 'Turn the Page' which is profoundly moving. Another one of my favorites is Neil Young's 'Old Man' which has emotional lyrics and sound as well and Neil Young is usually known for his shouting. (Andie Anderson)”


America represents diversity in multicultural ideologies and overall creativity amongst nations; and we continually strive to evolve our ideas into the very best of our abilities in which we are capable of.

Rugged Individualism

In this video Joey Bada$ shows power and anger. He raps about how powerful he is at rapping and how he is the chosen one for rap and no ones better. At the end of the song he says " the world in my pocket, and I won't stop until i reach Christ Conscious". In the video it shows that he has been reborn and is chosen one and will not stop until hes the best.

 

Rugged Individualism In Watchmen



The character Rorschach(also known as Walter Joseph Kovacs) from Alan Moore’s Watchmen is a satire of rugged individualism and specifically of objectivism. By day he is Walter Joseph Kovacs,a grimy Ginger with raggedy old sign foretelling the end of the world but by night he is a homicidal masked vigilante that goes by the name Rorschach.Although one might wonder what this pathetic character might have to do with the unrealistically perfect businessmen of Ayn Rand’s schlock or Cowboys the old West?The answer lies in the rantings and ravings of his personal journal,this is where Rorschach reveals his metaethical leanings.from the very first page it is made very clear what end of the political spectrum Rorschach is on  

 “This city is afraid of me...I have seen its true face. The streets are extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood and when the drains finally scab over, all the vermin will drown. The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whoresand politicians will look up and shout "Save us!"... and I'll look down and whisper "No." They had a choice, all of them. They could have followed in the footsteps of good men like my father or President Truman. Decent men who believed in a day's work for a day's pay. Instead they followed the droppings of lechers and communists and didn't realize that the trail led over a precipice until it was too late. Don't tell me they didn't have a choice. Now the whole world stands on the brink, staring down into bloody Hell, all those liberals and intellectuals and smooth-talkers..”

This quote clearly shows that Rorschach is not only wingnut but sees himself as morally superior the vast majority society and that the world is being brought down specifically by those who are not willing to pull their own weight within society.He also seems to indicate in the quote that he thinks he might be able to influence society somehow although it is not clear exactly how at this point in the novel since the character has not been fully introduced.This kind of thinking is typically associated with the radical kind of individualism of the Randian kind but it is not implied that he’s a businessman of any kind in fact the handwriting is rather sloppy and businessmen are not really known for sloppy handwriting.


 Although there are many more quotes like this from his personal journal entries that are stunning examples of narcissism and homicidal rage that is a part of the mindset of real-life rugged individualists.I think the clearest and most profound statement of his personal philosophy is brought up during the interview with a psychologist in prison,where he proceeds to describe the first time he “really” became Rorschach.This involves him investigating the case of a girl that was being held for ransom,breaking into the home where he thought the girl was at and then proceeding to find out that the girl was brutally murdered and fed to the dogs of the kidnapper.This would lead him to murder the kidnapper’s dogs in a fit of homicidal rage, burning down his house with the kidnapper inside. Rorschach proceeds to describe what he was thinking at the moment….. 
Stood in firelight, sweltering. Bloodstain on chest like map of violent new continent. Felt cleansed. Felt dark planet turn under my feet and knew what cats know that makes them scream like babies in night. Looked at sky through smoke heavy with human fat and God was not there. The cold, suffocating dark goes on forever and we are alone. Live our lives, lacking anything better to do. Devise reason later. Born from oblivion; bear children, hell-bound as ourselves, go into oblivion. There is nothing else. Existence is random. Has no pattern save what we imagine after staring at it for too long. No meaning save what we choose to impose. This rudderless world is not shaped by vague metaphysical forces. It is not God who kills the children. Not fate that butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It’s us. Only us. Streets stank of fire. The void breathed hard on my heart, turning its illusions to ice, shattering them. Was reborn then, free to scrawl own design on this morally blank world. Was Rorschach. Does that answer your questions, Doctor?”

In this quote Rorschach proceeds to throw away whatever notions of God and morals that he had before, accepting that there is no God and their is no clear morality other than whatever we impose upon the world and each other but he has not given up on morality fully rather he seeks to enforce its own personal moral code upon the world through acts of vigilante violence he has become fully convinced that he can change the world solely through his actions and no one else’s, this is not only delusional but a clear indication that he sees himself it’s an a powerful individual much like like the rugged individuals of the past or the characters of Ayn Rand novels,enforcing his will upon a hostile and amoral world.

Man vs Wild

Bear Grylls travels around the globe to find the most dangerous tourist locations and environments, in order to show us how to survive in them. With his simple survival techniques and his knowledge of the wildlife, he is able to give handy tips about the beautiful and rugged nature we may not know everything about.


Bear Grylls is a survival expert which means he knows how to survive in the most extreme conditions. He travels to dangerous places to share his way of surviving the most dangerous parts of wild life while stranded alone with no help. Bear Grylls is a rugged individual showing people how to survive in the most romantic of places which means it is full of un touched fresh wild life.
Bear Grylls is a rugged individual because in the show he is shown as a tough strong man who travels to parts of the world no one would dare travel to be themselves or probably not even with a partner. there is romanticism in here because he is traveling to parts of nature that have had very few visitors and are full of all fresh nature everywhere.


Living off the grid: Rugged Individualism or Romanticism?



Living off the grid is an example of Rugged Individualism. Living off the gird is a term used to describe people who don't want to be involved in modern society, or be controlled by the government. When you live off the grid, you do everything independently. For example, they grow their own food, build their own houses, live without electricity, ext. People who live off the grid are the modern version of the frontier men and women. You see living off the grid in media as well. For example, show that depict people living off the wilderness, or trying to survive in a place with very little communication with people is an example of living off the grid. To live off the grid, you need to be able to live without help from anybody, but yourself, and becoming an independent person, and that's what Rugged Individualism is about. 

Romanticaism/Rugged Individualism






In the Disney animated 1999 film version, Tarzan, reflects the ideology of Rugged Individualism because it emphasizes the connection with nature and also toughness and strength. Tarzan was took in and raised with a family of gorillas in African wilderness. Tarzan had to be tough and strong in order to live up to the same standard as the other young gorillas. Throughout the movie Tarzan and Terk were at times competing against each other. Throughout times in the movie Tarzan gets carried away with trying to be better than Terk, especially as a child. Growing up in the jungle around nature, and having to use it as a lifestyle for everyday use is what makes Tarzan a example of Rugged Individualism. Tarzan used things like vines, the trees, leaves, and even oceans as a connection with nature. Even though that was all that he knew. Tarzan would often be in altercations with the cheetah of the jungle that was always hunting him,/his friends. But being tough and strong he did what he had to do to chase him off. Also, another example is when Jane and other hunters came into the jungle trying to change things around. Tarzan did what he had to do in order to protect himself, as well as his friends and family. The fact that Tarzan was a strong and independent character throughout the movie is what reflects this ideology


Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Cultural Analysis- Romanticism/Rugged Individualism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vxOhd4qlnA

The 2014 movie Interstellar by Christopher Nolan, has the characteristics of Romanticism. This work reflects the ideologies of Romanticism. It has many characteristics of Romanticism, including strong emotion, the power of imagination, freedom from tradition/social conventions, importance/inspiration of nature, and the appreciation of common, everyday life and language.  The movie has love, sadness, happiness, anger, and strong emotions throughout it.

Throughout the movie it shows many characteristics of Romanticism. For example it showed strong emotions. In the movie the main character has to leave his family for basically their whole life. This was a very emotional time in the movie. His wife died and he is a single parent. He was very attached to his children and dad. When he had to leave, his daughter was very angry and sad. She was so angry, she didn't even say goodbye to her father and he left for over 20 years. Since he was going into space to save the planet he had to leave for so long. Another characteristic is the power of imagination. In the movie the main character goes to space, through worm holes, and milk ways. Today our society knows little to nothing about worm holes, or space in general. So you definitely need to use your imagination throughout this movie. The director and the scene writers used a lot of imagination to make this movie. Another characteristic is importance and inspiration of nature. The whole movie is about space so it has a lot of involvement in nature. You feel connected with space practically through this whole movie.

In conclusion the movie Interstellar by Christopher Nolan shows all the characteristics of Romanticism.

Is The Hunger Games Rugged Individualism?

Suzanne Collins 2012 film version of The Hunger Games reflects the ideology of Rugged Individualism because it shows toughness and strength, living on the margins of civilization, independence and self-reliance, and inventiveness. The character of Katniss, who is the main character, puts herself into danger when she volunteers as tributes instead of letting her little sister have to be killed.

From that point on Katniss's life was changed. In the beginning of the movie, Katniss is hunting in the woods outside of her district. Katniss shows her hunting and archery skills when she is in the woods and after she gets into the hunger games. Katniss is independent and self-reliant when she loses her father in the mine and her mom is basically not all there. When the game starts, Katniss has to figure out ways to survive. She does that by climbing and sleeping in trees and making traps with everything she has. This shows that The Hunger Games is a rugged individualism when it comes to Katniss and how she acts.

Romanticism/Rugged


The television show Naked and Afraid demonstrates rugged individualism. In the show two strangers are stranded and have to face some of the most extreme weather environments. They must survive for 21 days with no food, no water, and no clothes. This has many characteristics of rugged individualism. They live on the margins of civilization, connect to nature, test they're toughness and strength, and they are proving they're independence and self-reliance. In order for them to survive they need to connect with nature and use every possible thing to keep them alive, like building a fire and shelter. The couple test their toughness and strength by seeing how far they can push themselves and if they can survive three weeks in the wild.

Rugged Individualism

The film Menace To Society reflects the ideology of the rugged individual because it  displays the life of young reckless black men in poverty with no help or hope .The movie shows how these men live on the edge by living everyday life in a dangerous neighborhood. In this movie there is a young black man named Kane . Kane is a rugged individual  in many ways.   Kane was a criminal to the law. In Kane's community there was killing and drug dealing. In one of the scenes Kane and one of his friends were arrested for no reason by the police. The policemen resulted to beating Kane and his friend into a pulp and dropping them off in rival gang territory. Kane is a rugged individual because  he coulden' t rely on the polices help he was always independent.  Kane lived on the edge everyday because he ran the risk of going to jail or getting shot. In the movie Kane was a tough individual that showed his strenghth  in tremendous ways throughout the movie. Kane was playing video games with his friends son. Kane began to show the small boy how to hold a gun. The mother walks in and says "boy put that gun down and if I ever see you with  it again I will kick your ass'". Kane responds by saying , "Look you gotta be hard growing up out here".  this is how Kane is displayed s a rugged individual because he shows that toughness and strength in this line. Kane is a rugged individual because he lived n the edge and was a tough strong individual.

"Thank You For Your Consideration"

The 2012 movie, The Hunger Games stars a young girl who is picked to take part in a fight to the death event that occurs every year. This movie reflects the ideology of Romanticism because it shows the freedom from tradition and a connection to nature. The main character, Katniss shows how she defiance to religion and how she is connected to nature.

In the beginning of the movie, there is a scene of Katniss hunting the woods outside of her town. Her skills with archery and hunting shows her connection to nature because hunting requires a lot of knowledge about nature and how certain animals behave. In another scene, Katniss is required to show her skills to the leaders of the hunger games and she chooses her archery skill. Her first attempt at hitting the target fails because the bow she uses is a lot different to the bow she normally hunts with. This causes the leaders to laugh at her, she attempts a second time and hits the target perfectly. The leaders didn’t even bother looking at her because of her first attempt, this causes Katniss to take the bow and aim at an apple that is in the viewing booth. When she hits it, it startles the leaders and she says, “Thank you for your consideration.” This shows her defiance in the normal behavior of the tributes. Normally the other tributes would just show their skill, but Katniss isn’t like the others.




ROUGHNESS

In the Book The Invaders a group of boys who call themselves the Heroins and have been kicked out of their village. The theme that the book follows is rugged individual, the way the book follows this is how all the characters are now rough and tough they have to become. A character from the book that is a good example of this is Thorn. In the book Thorn is a man who likes to be alone and is very tough and strong and lives very dangerously. An example from the book is,"Ill pitch a tent under the trees to avoid bunking with you lot."(124) In this quote Thorn says that he would rather sleep away from the others.

Romantic

   The game Skyrim symbolizes Romanticism. It does in various ways. There is nature just about everywhere. Tall trees, grassy plains, huge mountains.There are many tall waterfalls that have been untouched. Rivers stretch for miles. Wildlife flocks everywhere in the world. They lurk underwater, they fly high in the sky, and they roam the open plains. There are people who hunt the animal for food and clothing. They usually use bow and arrows and daggers. There  are no guns in there which would be the opposite of Romanticism. The lifestyle is very Romantic. There are taverns were people drink mead. In our day people go to bars and drink beers.They have inns with a fire place. These days people stay in hotels. There are no supermarkets in there. They have little stands were you can buy fresh stuff or a little building were you can buy stuff. Weapons in the game are Romantic. Sword shields and armors are some weapons they use. I think the most Romantic thing in the game is the buildings. None of the buildings are like the ones we see today. The ones we see are way more boxy and straight. The the game they have castle and more round buildings. They also have old dungeons were they keep prisoners.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Me vs Tim O'Brien

If I was 19 years old in the 1970’s, and I got drafted into the war, I would enlist into the army. I would fight for and serve my country. I would not only be fighting for America, but I would fight for and protect the people I love. The people threatening America also threaten me and my loved ones, and I want to do something about that. By joining the army I can protect my family, and also get the full experience of being in the army.

By joining the army I can prevent terrorist attacks from harming my family, and America itself. I am doing America a favor by fighting for it, and protecting it. Joining the war, defending for what America stands for is one of the true meanings of patriotism. The army has a billion lives on the line they need to protect, and I would like to carry that burden. 

Each one of us carrying this burden protects each other’s brothers and sisters and family. We joined so that we won’t be the ones seeing our family suffer, and us not being able to put an end to their suffering. We joined to ensure the safety of our family, ensure that the threat itself stays where it originated from. To do these things, joining the army is a necessity.

Within this necessity awaits an experience, the experience of being in the army, to defend one another’s family. It’s the sort of bond that one another can make while serving in the war. Living through the chaos of the war, so that one can appreciate the normal civilized environment that they live in. then coming back from the war to open arms.
Tim O’Brien however, thought differently. “What If” he thought, “I move to Canada?” he thought about how life would be there, peaceful, quiet, and best of all no war. Tim also thought about how it would be back in America. People would point at him calling him a traitor. The very thought trouble Tim O'Brien.
\What also troubled him was the fact that he was randomly picked for the war. Tim didn't think that it was fair that he had to fighting war, yet he wasn't even responsible for starting it. “Everyone else should fight this war; let the people who read the papers fight the war. I’m too good, too smart, too compassionate, too everything for this war.”
The pure thought of this war annoyed Tim. “What was the purpose behind this war? Why doesn't the government give us a straight answer about the war? What kind of war was it? Was it a civil war?” He had a lot of unanswered questions.
These questions soon haunted his dreams. He ended up dreaming what if he moved to Canada. People pointed at him screamed and called him names; the most common name was traitor. He feared the war, but he also feared exile. He was afraid of leaving everything that mattered to him.

Since everything mattered to him, he decided it was best to join the war. He wanted everyone to remember him in a good light. He loved everything in his life, the people always gossiping on the corner sitting on the steps of the cafe. He loved his friends his family, and his life, they all mattered to him. The fear of losing respect from everyone was too great for him, so he decided it was best to join the war.
When I first get the notice I would have already decided I was joining the war. It was simply a calling, a calling to join something bigger. Yet when Tim got his notice, he had an internal war within himself.

“Should I save myself and move to Canada? Or should I do what’s legally right and join the army?”
I think it would be best to join the army for the greater good. I would be doing my family and America itself a favor by joining in the army. Tim O'Brien however, thought about canoeing into Canada from a river. He figured that it was simply foolish to fight a needless war.
Joining the army, I say will give me a good experience of what it’s like to be in a war. It will give me the necessary skills in life to better myself as a person. Other people and how they think of Tim O'Brien if he left for Canada haunted Tim. Ultimately he feared exile from the people and things in his life that he loved.
In the end we both joined the army.

We joined for different reasons: I joined for patriotism, while Tim joined to avoid exile and criticism. We both decided in end to protect what was dear to us. We both in the end wound up serving our country.

War movies, do they actually tell the truth about war?

                                       
War stories and war movies are talking about the same things, but differ when it comes to first hand perspective of war. I will be examining the war movie Three Kings, starring Ice Cube, Matt Damon, and George Clooney, and I will be comparing this to the writer Tim O'Brien, and his war story The Things They Carried. In the beginning of the Three kings you hear the sound of marching, in which according to Tim O'Brien you do a lot of marching in the war, he portrays the marching as a mindless activity.  These soldiers sneak out of a camp in order to find a secret location filled with Huddan's gold. They then start to have an internal conflict when they come to confiscate Huddans gold, and come across a family about to be executed. In the end of this conflict they decide to help the family.

The part that is most critical is the ending, it determines the moral, and it determines if it's a true war story or not by the way it ends. According to Tim O'Brien the moral of a war story isn't supposed to be easily understandable. The ending isn't supposed to be uplifting, and not everyone (or no one) gets what they want in the end. Three Kings, I would say is not a true war story because they simply go against everything that Tim O'Brien s way of a true war story. In the end, the soldiers don't get in trouble for sneaking out and going AWOL. They, unrealistically give away all the gold, and the people they rescued go off to live their lives happily. This didn't portray a true war story to me at all.

The Price of Freedom Test

Monday, October 20, 2014

Vietnam Draft

If I was elected for the war I would flee to Canada for a better life instead of going out to fight. In Canada I would try and raise a family just like every other citizen and play hockey because its one of my favorite sports and its very popular in Canada. If you don't want to fight in a war i don't think you should have to then.

What I would do

If my number was pulled for the draft I would go and fight the war because I believe it is one of my duties to defend my country and people who live in the United states.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Three Kings

Three Kings
In this movie, four American Soldiers- Archie Gates, Troy Barlow, Chief Elgin, and Conrad Vig- separate from the troops to rescue Kuwait gold bullion from Iraqi bunkers. While on their journey, the four men encounter tortured Iraqi prisoners held by Saddam's loyalist soldiers. The soldiers break the cease-fire agreement to rescue the prisoners and bring them to a refugee camp along the Iranian border. Tim O'Brien would not consider this film as a true war story because it follows too much of a clean cut plot. this movie is like most Hollywood films where the ending is always a feel good moment.

Three False Kings

I enjoy the ideals of hope & selflessness the film presents, although i feel like it can not be a true war story because of that, The film attempts to show America as being the hero at the end of the day. In real life I believe most soldiers would leave with the gold, based on the greed & evil there is in the world today. I believe that maybe just maybe at least one of the soldiers would understand and argue to help them but as perceived in the movie, it was the other way around. How 3 out of the 4 soldiers were willing to help the refuges. As Mark Wahlberg says in the movie "just go with the plan" America, Wars & the world in general has been corrupt because they listened to others and not they're hearts

Is Three Kings a true war story?

The movie Three Kings, its uncertain whether it is a true war story or not. It is torn between the two. It is a true war story because it is very obscene. They curse, they drink, they shoot people, there's blood, there's evil, etc. For example in the beginning when they first make a plan to get the gold, they plan to just use the rebels and get the gold. They don't want to have anything to do with the rebels, they just want to get in, get the gold then get out. That's very obscene and cold since the people are suffering and dying. And they don't want to help them what so ever. Another reason its a true war story is that its not realistic. It doesn't seem possible that it would be that easy to get 23 million dollars worth of gold. They just walked in and found it almost right away. Also the fact that the rebels have all those expensive cars in the middle of nowhere. That's not realistic. Another reason its a true war story is because it makes you feel uncomfortable. Like when the lady got shot and you saw all the blood. Or when you saw the inside of Troy. My last reason its true, is that it captures paradoxes of war. For example, war is fun, war is horrible. In the beginning they party and have fun. But by the end they are suffering. At the same time this story seems like a true one there are some reasons its false. For example the movie has a nice ending. But according to O'Brien a true war story never ends. In conclusion the movie Three Kings is torn in-between a true and false war story.

Three Kings -- True War Story?


I would say Three Kings is a true war story. But by O’Briens definition….? Not necessarily. There are elements of O’Brien’s definition present in the film though. Like when Conrad dies. Usually in non-drama movies, everything is alright in the end. All the characters live and go on to live happy lives. But Conrad’s death goes against this typical Hollywood movie format. This movie also enforces the idea of building bonds you might not have. An example of this is the relationship between Amir and the American soldiers towards the end of the movie. But this relationship can also be seen as a contradiction of O’Brien’s beliefs. O’Brien’s definition of a true war story speaks of a lack of morality, which isn’t shown when the American soldiers decide not to just take the gold and run but actually stay and help the Iraqi prisoners. I think this shows that there can’t be a certain formula for a true war story as everything can be seen in different ways.

All Quiet on the Homefront

All Quiet on the Homefront is a 1930's war film on World War 1 that I watched freshman year.  It starts with a teacher of a high school class of boys who are about to graduate at age 18, the age they could enlist in the army.  HE gives a riveting speech to encourage the boys to go to the army and "save the Fatherland." The boys get very excited and enlist as soon as they can.  To their surprise the war is not what they had expected.  They saw hundreds of men dying and some of which were their friends.  This shows signs of being a true war story because this is the point where the boys innocence is taken from them.  Towards the end the main character returns home for a weekend and hears his former teacher giving the same speech to another group and yells about how bad the war is and then leaves home to go back into war.  The movie ends with the same young man almost getting stabbed by a soldier who he ends up killing, then noticing he dropped some kind of coin, and getting shot and killed when he reaches for it.  This movie shows that there is no uplifting ending to a war, after his all best friends and his own life are taken.

Is Three Kings a true war story?

In the movie, Three Kings, elements of a true war story are present throughout the entire movie. Many of the elements that O'Brien state are in the movie. For example, paradox's are present throughout the entire movie. Many of the soldiers in the Iraqi War had never seen combat, so that part of the war was very boring, but when these soldiers did see combat, it was intense, thrilling, exciting, ext. O'Brien states that a true war story makes your stomach believe, and Three Kings makes your stomach believe. The way the movie was directed shows not only the effects of being shot, but also the aftermath it can have on you. Overall, Three Kings is a true war story, and fits Tim O' Brien's description of a true war story.

#Basedonatruestory

Three Kings is in fact a true war story for many reasons. The movie is unbelievable which is one of the characteristics of a true war story. The story started off with a party and the soldiers having fun celebrating a victory. When you usually think of war you don't see parties. Also, there was so much gold just lying around in the country. There wouldn't just be gold lying around because if there was there would be more people going after it. Another characteristic of a true war story is that it makes you uncomfortable. Many parts in the move mad me uncomfortable, there was the killing of the man's wife, and Troy being tortured and forced to drink oil. These scenes in the movie showed how things went down in that country. The story also was very obscene and evil. They used so much foul language, and had sex with women during the movie. It gave realistic details and scenes and showed many examples of Tim O'Brein characteristics of a true war story, that's why its an true war story.

True war story?

       I don't believe that "Three kings"  was a true war story. What made this a false war story was how the 3 soldiers survived in the desert for so long without and food, water, or places to sleep at night. The soldiers snuck out of their campus to abort their missions from the U.S military to search for gold. Also how the 3 soldiers did all that fighting, searching, and almost giving up their own lives just to leave empty handed. I feel as though soldiers who actually fight in those wars go to handle business and not get into any extra curricular activities like trying to steal gold.

Is Three Kings a True War Story or not?


Three Kings is a true war story and it is not a true war story. It is a true war story because it is unsettling and unbelievable at some points. For example, when Troy Barlow gets shot in the chest and the movie shows you where the bullet went and the other soldiers saving him. It also makes you feel uncomfortable because there are parts when innocent people get tortured and killed. There is a point where Troy gets taken prisoner and is forced to drink oil. However, it isn’t a true war story because it has a happy ending with a lot of people getting to live a happy life. Also in the beginning, the soldiers seemed to not know what to do. Then a little later on, the American soldiers went to the rebels camp and there was music playing and the rebels were having a good time.

Based On A False Story


Three Kings is not a true war story. According to Tim O’Brien a true war story has no morals, this movie shows how the moral of this story was money is less important than people’s lives. The American soldiers gave up their gold for the refugees to cross the border. A true war story doesn't have morals. Also, Tim O’Brien says a true war story isn't uplifting or has a happy ending. The end of this movie showed the soldiers living normal happy lives after they were let go. In a true war story a soldier would be traumatized from the all the death they experienced. The soldiers at the end looked like the war didn't affect them at all, the stories didn't stick with them.

Three Kings a True War story

Three Kings is half a true war story and half not.  Three Kings shows good information for things in war like the brutality, the stomach turning affect, and also shows how war builds brotherhoods with the man fighting next to you. Three Kings also shows some of the unrealistic things in war like four soldiers finding a map in a enemy soldier's butt hole and following the quest for the treasuring they think is hidden somewhere on the map. Three kings shows some values of a true war story while also making up other details to make the story sound much more interesting.

Is 3 Kings a true war story or not?



I don't think that the 3 Kings is a true war story because even though it follows some of the characteristics of a true war story, there are a couple that don't follow and I think that those stick out. One of Tim O'Briens characteristics is that the war does not end. In the movie, the war does seem to end. There is justice for the refugees, and the soldiers get honorable discharged and go on with their lives. Another example of why 3 Kings is not a true war story is because when you're finished with a true war story, you shouldn't feel happy or excited or inspired. At the end of 3 Kings, I felt really nice because everything turned out okay. That shows that the 3 Kings is not a true war story.


Powell Doctrine

In my doctrine I propose that we execute a mass bombing on ISIS.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

War can make you and break you



If I were a 19 year old in 1970 I would stay in the united states and burn my pass draft card and protest because I wouldn't run to Canada for the fact that I have no family there and I would have to start from the ground to work my way up to live with no help, I also couldn't leave my family that would be the hardest thing for me. In listing in the army would not be a choice for me I would rather be put in jail before I fight in a war I could careless about. My biggest question is why are we fighting another country instead of trying to solve any conflict we may have.


My choice from Tim O'Brien is different because he would rather stay and fight rather than take his chances in jail he has more bravery than I do because I would be worried about losing a body part or getting hurt period.