Movie Review on The Green Berets

The 1968 film The Green Berets, starring and co-directed by John Wayne, presents a very pro-American and jingoistic view of the Vietnam War, sugarcoating the more violent and abhorrent aspects of the US Army’s activities during the war in favor of a more benevolent, patriotic mindset. The film follows Colonel Mike Kirby, leader of a Green Beret Unit, as he fights in South Vietnam and defends his men against actions taken by the North Vietnamese. In this essay, several aspects of the film will be critiqued, comparing the viewpoint explored in the film with the truth of US Army actions during the way. The biggest piece of evidence towards the film being a propaganda piece is its direct confrontation of the negative press that had built up around the Vietnam War in the character of Beckworth. In the beginning of the film, Beckworth is the stereotypical skeptical reporter, the audience’s represenatative for those who doubt the validity of America’s involvement in Vietnam. From the beginning, when Muldoon (Aldo Ray) explains the reasons for entering the war, and the weaponry the Viet Cong have at their disposal, America joining in is painted as absolutely necessary, and even extremely welcomed by the South Vietnamese. When Beckworth protests, challenging these facts, Kirby asks him if he has been there. Beckworth’s admission of never having gone to Vietnam is supposedly evidence of the invalidity of his opinion, as it shames him to the point where he feels it necessary to go there. Beckworth is conveniently missing for the film’s climax, where the majority of the action takes place. This leaves him out of the action until the very end, where it is presumed he has changed his opinions about Vietnam, and will come back with a greater appreciation for American troops. This is also exacerbated by Kirby’s story to Beckworth about the atrocities the Viet Cong inflicted on a South Vietnamese village, adding that â€Å"it’s difficult to talk about the place unless you’ve been there.† While this is evidence of Wayne’s overall intention (to pay homage to the troops, not necessarily the war), it is a clear answer to the critics of the war itself, implying that, unless you have actually been there, you have no right to your opinion of the conflict. The film presents a fairly black-and-white portrayal of the US reasons for entering the Vietnam War, equating the civil war in Vietnam with a potential invasion of America in the beginning. â€Å"They need us, Ms. Sutton,† says one soldier in the beginning, â€Å"and they want us.† The characters of Captain Nim (George Takei) and Ham Chuck are emphatic examples of friendly South Vietnamese figures, both presented as stereotypical but sympathetic figures, who have the respect of the all-American troops who are there to free their homes. In fact, many on both sides of the conflict did not want the Americans there, because they would escalate the conflict, and certainly some South Vietnamese resisted the involvement of a foreign country in their own civil war, despite the assistance they received. The Green Berets (and the US military as a whole) is presented as a benevolent force for good in Vietnam. The film conveniently whitewashes the atrocities that the American armed forces had inflicted on both North and South Vietnamese alike, and the reasons for going into the war were glorified. It offers a very old-fashioned, traditional view of war, more familiar in World War II movies, than the gritty realism and guerilla warfare of the Vietnam War would indicate. Instead of mud, rain and trenches, the base camp is in wide open space, in bright Technicolor, and everyone jokes around with each other, particularly Ham Chuck. The Viet Cong are presented as a band of murderous savages, particularly when a VC wanders into their camp and brought in for questioning; a clear distinction is made between ‘good Vietnamese’ and ‘bad Vietnamese,’ when the alliance was far shakier. The Americans are seen giving things to the innocent South Vietnamese, the only real hesitation seen in the village chief who just wants to talk to Kirby, refusing requests to come into the base. Otherwise, the film paints a very broad picture of the American forces freeing the South Vietnamese from the animalistic atrocities of the Viet Cong. Warfare in this film is presented in a very straightforward, close-distance manner, when in reality it was much more enclosed and chaotic. The climax of the film (in which the Green Berets attempt to kidnap an NVA general), is full of very generic, ordered, bloodless combat, unlike the brutality and animalistic warfare indicative of the real Vietnam War. The general in question is presented as a tyrant, who is living well while his men starve and remain unclothed. This is a very stereotypical, jingoistic way of presenting the NVA as monsters that have to be stopped; yet another method of increasing the sympathy for the American forces and the protagonists of the film. The defensive battle earlier in the film is modeled after the Battle of Nam Dong, arguably one of the more justified and heroic battles of the war, for American forces at least. In it, NVA and Viet Cong forces attacked a military camp (the titular Nam Dong), where many died to defend the camp successfully. The Americans were not the instigators in the battle, making it a PR boon for the United States; a Medal of Honor awarded to Capt. Roger Donlon for defending the camp was â€Å"the first Medal of Honor awarded to an individual who distinguished himself while serving with a friendly force engaged in an armed conflict in which the United States is not a belligerent party† (TIME, 1964). As a result, it is easy to see why John Wayne inserted an analogue to this battle in the film; it presented realism in its portrayal of the war, but in a way that implicated the US as instigators the least. In conclusion, the action of The Green Berets presents a very incorrect and skewed view of America’s involvement in Vietnam, likening it to the positive, straightforwardly black-and-white experience encountered in World War II. While there is a slight presence of skepticism in the form of the character of Beckworth, his presence seems to only be there in order to refute that skepticism and present an objectively positive viewpoint on American involvement. In short, the film appears to be quite narrow-minded in its presentation of the war, and its transparency as a propaganda piece is evident. References Armed Forces: One Who Was Belligerent. (1964, December 11). TIME. Retrieved August 7, 2011, from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,897370,00.html Wayne, J. (Director). (2007). The Green Berets [Motion picture]. United States: Warner Home Video.

Racial and Cultural Prejudice Essay - 766 Words

There are many themes woven into the play The Merchant of Venice, Prejudice being the most evident. This prejudice is mainly racial (against race) or cultural (against lifestyle, i.e. religion, culture†¦) and is one of the leading causes of conflict in the play. Prejudice towards Jews, prejudice towards Christians, and prejudice towards people of different colour and prejudice of others with different nationalities, are all present in the play. (transition) Here come another of the tribe: a third cannot be matched, unless the devil himself turn Jew. (III, i, 73-74) This one quotation perfectly displays the attitude held towards the Jews at the time of The Merchant of Venice. In this quote, Solanio is stating that the Jew is worse than†¦show more content†¦The quote, â€Å"You don’t fight racism with racism, the best way to fight racism is with solidarity.† -Bobby Seale, makes it known that when hate is involved, nobody wins. This hate caused Shylock to tak e things too far in order to receive his fair share of what he called â€Å"justice.† He lost the humanity that he was being given in his sufferance, and was made the bad guy. Often, when discrimination is present, it is best to be the bigger person. (transition) Even though Portia is a very courteous character, she too exhibits her portion of discrimination. When she hears of the Prince of Morocco’s arrival, she says: â€Å"If he have the condition of a saint and the complexion of devil, I had rather he should shrive me than wive me.† (I, iii, 128-130) Without even knowing him, she is classifying him as undesirable. In real life, people of darker skin have often been mistreated and even forced into slavery. The quote, â€Å"You have among you many a purchasd slave, which, like your asses and your dogs and mules, you use in abject and in slavish parts.† (IIII, i, 90-92) displays how, at the time of The Merchant of Venice, it was socially acceptable to kee p others as slaves. These slaves have had their lives purchased and, though they are just as human as anyone else, they have been treated no better than animals simply because of the colour of their skin. The image of a young coloured boy crouching behind a sign that saysShow MoreRelatedRacial Inequality : Guess Who 11352 Words   |  6 PagesRACIAL INEQUALITY IN GUESS WHO 1 The 2005 film Guess Who illustrates how racial inequality is present within society, and how race is used by our society to create and manufacture social categories. This film is about a black female named Theresa and a white man named Simon that fight against the racial inequality present within their society and choose to be together. 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School Unifoms Free Essays

Part 1: Purpose The purpose of my bill is to give some children their freedom and creativity back, by allowing them to express how they feel through their clothes instead of wearing a uniform. Being able to tell a little bit about someone at first sight just by their clothes isn’t always bad. Even though school uniforms would make equality among the children, its also blocking their creativity and giving them the wrong message on how to look at things. We will write a custom essay sample on School Unifoms or any similar topic only for you Order Now People always say how horrible it is to judge people by what they wear or by what’s on the outside, but it’s not all stereotypical. Just by looking at someone you can tell a little bit about them, such as if they like different bands, or movies or games. You can tell if they don’t care about their appearance, or if they shop at expensive stores you can tell they might be wealthier. Clothes are a big way of expressing how you feel about different subjects. This bill will help people be able to do that. Another reason that we should not have uniforms is natural disasters. How would a parent identify their child? Most parents know what their children wear to school for the day, and it is a very easy way to pick out your child. Or another is what if a student with superiority attacked a younger age student how would they be able to describe their attacker or pick them out of a group if they all look the same. â€Å"School is a place where the next actors, writers, artists, politicians, inventors, designers and musicians are trained. School uniforms send a clear early-life message to students that comfort is important and creativity is not, that authority is allowed to abuse its power and constrain our constitutional right of free speech and expression. Students learn from uniforms that their individuality, political opinions and religious rights are unimportant, as is their education; students are regularly suspended for non compliance to the uniform code even if their school work is excellent. If uniform-requiring schools were actually in ‘the business of learning’ this would not occur† says Tara Maginnis. They’re all wearing the same uniform. I fear that as adults people don’t have the same opportunity as teenagers and children to express these things. As adults we can wear uniforms and suits, but children are not paid executives they should have the experience of wearing what they want, and by making them wear school uniforms we are taking away that experience. Suits and other formal clothes. can be saved for adults, but not for children. My bill will help kids experience these things. Many parents and teachers believe that enforcing school uniforms would create equality among the students. By creating this equality parents and teachers believe that it will cut down on bullying and peer pressure to dress nice. But unfortunately students will find other ways to bully a peer. Its also important for childrens minds to pick out their own clothes to wear. It has been proven that alowing children to pick out their own clothes creates a better thinker, and independence. No parent or teacher wants their child/stufdent to believe that making everything equal is the way things work in the world, and wearing uniforms everyday will make them believe this. This bill will not allow any school in America to have school uniforms. This will include both public and private schools. This bill will support kids throughout America to express their creativity, outgoing styles, and unique personalities. Making children wear uniforms is against freedom of expression. We are containing our children’s creative minds by making them wear uniforms. Clothing is a very big way for children to express themselves and their personalities. The way they define themselves is not only through their feelings and actions, but also through their clothing. A child’s mind is growing and we are restricting them as children. We are crippling their young creative minds by making them wear the same uniform day after day. Parents and teachers should not have the right to take away a child’s creative minds. That is what this bill is for. Goals for this bill would be†¦  · give kids freedom to pick their own clothes  · give them their freedom of expression  · find other ways to deal with teasing and etc  · save money for parents, and the government  · show people who want uniforms why this bill is important  · give children their creativity and another way to express it  · get rid of some clothing stereotypes  · give them the experience These goals are very possible if this bill is passed. I will try my hardest to make them all happen if my bill is passed. The affects of this bill will be a big turning point for all the schools and students, and parents, when they realize that having uniforms is a bad thing, and it’s much better without them. This bill will need a lot of cooperation from school’s staff all around America. It will need to be enforced by the government, but in every school we are going to need to cooperation from all principal. They have a giant impact on what the children and parents believe is right for the school. This will mainly need to be enforced by the government. We need them to make sure that every school in America is following the rules that are in the bill. The government is the only one that can do that. Part 2: Definitions Superiority: A higher ranking or a higher status person. Crippling: Disabling, impairing, weakening. Non Compliance: Dont agree, refuse. Part 3: Date effective This bill will be going into affect August twentieth. This way it’s not in the middle of the school year and parents haven’t already spent money on expensive uniforms that their child won’t even be wearing for more than half of a school year. Part 4: Costs Benefits This bill is not a big money issue. In the end, we will be saving parents, the government, and the schools money. First by taking away uniforms you would think that the parents would end up losing money, but that is not how I see it. Once the parents buy the uniforms for the children they don’t have to buy any other clothes for school for their children. No child is going to wear their school uniform outside of school. The parents will end up purchasing just as many clothes and spending more money than the parents who don’t have to buy uniforms. That would be for public schools but then on the other hand, public schools are funded by the government. This way the government would save money too, by not having to buy uniforms for all of the public schools. Also if the schools did not have to ask for uniforms from the school, they could ask for more supplies for the buildings, and help the needs of the school. But I am fearful that the schools with uniforms will disagree, and we will end up making a compromise so that this bill will get passed. How to cite School Unifoms, Essay examples

Concepts of Lifetime Fitness Essay Example For Students

Concepts of Lifetime Fitness Essay Concepts of Lifetime Fitness Essay September 1, 1997 Homeostasis is the state of equilibrium in which the internal environment of the human body remains relatively constant. Two excellent examples of homeostasis are how the body maintains a constant temperature and blood pressure during strenuous physical activity or exercise. Although there are many other activities in the body that display homeostasis, I will only discuss these two. Temperature in the human body is usually kept at approximately 37 degrees Celsius. To maintain such a strict temperature, the body has a few functions to combat the outside elements. People cannot make themselves cold as readily as make themselves hot, however I will mention both homeostasis functions. When the external temperature decreases, a portion of the brain called the hypothalamus detects the drop by means of the blood. To compensate, the brain sends chemical and electrical impulses to the muscles. These impulses tell the muscles to begin to contract and relax at very high intervals. This is commonly known as shivering. The production of Adenosine Triphosphate or ATP in the mitochondria of the muscles produces heat. If the body temperature does not rise immediately after this, then a second function begins. The brain will signal the blood vessels near the skin to constrict or narrow in diameter. This occurs so the heat deep in the muscles is conserved. Since the vessels are now smaller in diameter, less blood is needed to fill them. Since less blood is needed through the vessels, the heart begins to slow. If the body remains in this slowed state, hypothermia could result. Hypothermia is the condition in which metabolic processes are inhibited. The medical world has taken advantage of this by inducing hypothermia in patients that are undergoing organ transplants. To fight temperatures higher than normal, as in exercise or on hot days, the body reacts in the opposite way than with cold. Again, the hypothalamus detects the change of temperature in the blood. The brain signals blood vessels not to constrict, but to dilate. This increases the diameter of the vessels, and results in the need for more blood. Since more blood is needed to fill the vessels, the heart pumps faster and that causes respiration to increase. The increased respiration will make the body exhale some of the internal heat, like placing a fan in a window to cool a room. The blood vessels are dilated so the heat deep in the muscles is easily released. Another commonly known mechanism to fight heat is sweating. Sweat glands found throughout the body are stimulated by the hypothalamus to excrete sweat and when the sweat evaporates, the skin is cooled. If the body is not cooled by the time all of the internal water supply is used, it could go into hypothermia. This is when the body becomes dehydrated and proteins begin to denature. Hypothermia can result in certain death if the water supply is not immediately replenished. Some advantages to these mechanisms are the cleansing effect of sweating and weight loss. Sweat, when excreted, removes waste materials such as bacteria and water. Fat material, during exercise, is actually eaten by the body thus reducing overall weight. The second example of homeostasis is blood pressure regulation. When the hydrostatic pressure of blood is above normal, pressure sensors in the blood vessels tell the brain through chemical means. The brain will then stimulate the heart to contract or beat in slower intervals. This will cause less blood to enter the blood vessels and that will lower the hydrostatic pressure. If the pressure is lower than normal, the exact opposite happens. The sensors in the vessels tell the brain and the brain will then make the heart beat faster so more blood enters the vessels and the pressure is raised. THE INVASION OF NORMANDY EssayThe body uses many mechanisms to regulate temperature and blood pressure. Be it stimuli to the heart from the brain or messages from the blood, the body maintains its internal environment through a process called homeostasis. .