A Man and His Rifle- Jarhead Jarhead: Noun, “slang for Marine due to the high-n-tight haircut that resembles a jar. The man fires a rifle for many years, and he goes to war, and afterward he turns the rifle in at the armory and he believes he’s finished with the rifle. But no matter what else he might do with his hands-love a woman, build a house, change his son’s diaper-his hands remember the rifle and the power the rifle proffered” (Swofford 123). That sentence explains the book or at least the main portions of the book. This book Jarhead frightened me yet made me excited; I looked forward to reading the heart pounding adventures and the heinous mischief that Anthony Swofford encountered and digested while in the United States Marine Corps. …show more content…
Our country had fought in three wars in which we were trying to defend other country’s; not really for us but for them. In Jarhead it brings up Vietnam and Korea, and how being in Kuwait and Afghanistan relates to that. To me it makes sense why our soldiers are there; however, I don’t support it, let me make myself clear, I do not support this, but the situation is understandable. It makes sense to me because some of these third world country's, which are country's that do not have much opportunity as us, cannot defend themselves. Our country gets critiqued and criticized an abundant amount due to the way we help other country’s out, but it is because we believe everyone deserves democracy or some sort of it, we believe in freedom, and opportunity. Our country will try to help every other country we can and because of that we are considered by some to be the greatest country. In my eyes we strive for greatest, and that is gratifying to me. We went to defend the Kuwait border and that is where Anthony Swofford is, we went to defend the people of Kuwait and its fields of oil from its neighboring country. It is a tremendous amount of oil. Swofford talks about how the Iraqi military forces set fire to these oil wells, and it is hard to imagine, but what a sight it must've been to see 600+ oil wells on fire. Swofford talks about how it was always dark due to the smoke blocking the sun and how it would …show more content…
I'm wondering how you go from being a civilian to being in the mind of wanting to kill another man. Anthony Swofford didn't kill another man but he wanted to, he talks about how bad he wanted to. He came close he almost shot another man but they decided to bomb the men instead. They stole his kill from him and he was pissed, for a while anyways, but explains later how that “Captain handed me life” (Swofford 257). so he discussing how a part of himself would've died if he did kill those two men. He explains how sometimes he wants to go back to the desert just so he can get a kill, and how he thinks less of himself as a Marine and even as a man kill not killing while in combat. Swofford talks about how it bothers him how it's like a wreck in your head he says. “There is a wreck in your head, part of the aftermath, and you must dismantle the wreck. But after many years you discover that you cannot dismantle the wreck, so you move it around and bury it” (Swofford 247). What changes inside of you that makes you want to kill another human being? What is the desire all about? In conclusion, a man and his rifle are never separated. The book and many others explain why this is. They discuss how bad you want to leave while in the service, and how bad you want to return when you’re home. Men have a sense of feeling guilty for the men still there fighting that war; fighting a war that in their minds is never ending. For example,