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Bravery In The Things They Carried

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When Americans think about soldiers, one of the first words to come to mind is bravery. Americans are raised in a culture that places emphasis on fighting for what one believes in; they are raised to be bold. The media influences one’s children at an early age. Children are exposed to countless heroic scenes through movies, television, and even toys. As a result, the majority of Americans are raised with a strong concept of bravery. They long to prove themselves; they yearn for the recognition of bravery. To be cowardly is seen as a sign of weakness, as a result, those deemed cowardly are often times shunned. As a result, a multitude of Americans become soldiers, in part because of a desire to protect America’s freedom, but also because one may think that being a soldier is the ultimate act of bravery. Tim O’Brien, the author of The Things They Carried, refutes this idea however, stating “I was a coward. I went to war.” O’Brien, a Vietnam War veteran, discusses his moral dilemma concerning whether or not to fight in the war in the story On the Rainy River. After deliberating with himself for the sixth day at the Tip Top Lodge, O’Brien finally comes to a conclusion, stating “I would go to war-I would kill and maybe die-because I was embarrassed not to.” O’Brien’s decision …show more content…
When O’Brien is contemplating swimming to Canada in On the Rainy River he muses “I couldn’t make myself be brave.” He implies that true bravery is standing up for what one believes in despite the opposition. That is something that American soldiers did not do in Vietnam. Vietnam was not a war full of brave, heroic soldiers; it was one filled with cowardly soldiers that killed only out of fear, soldiers that were not fighting for something they believe in. The greatest tragedy of the Vietnam War may not have been the killings, but rather the compliance the war

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