Explore themes and ideas associated with the Vietnam War by listening to the music of the era...

Monday, June 4, 2012

THEMES, VALUES AND CHARACTERS


In class we have established a good background of the different themes featured in Dear America, and in that I’ve told you that themes, ideas, characters and values, though separate things, are closely linked and inform each other. It is important for you to ensure your essays contain references to these features of the text because your understanding and analysis of them are part of the assessment criteria for this outcome.

Criteria 1: Understanding of ideas, characters and themes.

Criteria 3: Analysis of ways in which values are embodied in the text.

As each of these features of the text inform each other you will find that thinking about and discussing one of them will naturally lead you to reflecting and commenting on another one. Discussing values will invariably lead to discussing characters which will invariably lead to discussing themes and ideas and so on it goes, round and round:




Can you identify these features being addressed in this passage? Leave comments about where you see them being discussed.

Edelman is careful not to simplify the soldiers in ‘Dear America’ into representations of good soldiers and bad soldiers. For the most part the soldiers were decent, respectable young men trying to handle the situation they found themselves in as well as they could. However, the situation they were in was extreme and at times this led them to act in ways that contradicted their values. Rod Chastant, an author of multiple letters in the text, is a character that Edelman has chosen to illustrate this point. The reader admires Chastant for his courage and endurance as they discover ‘he extended his tour for an additional six months’. They like him further because he is someone who believes in standing up for one’s ideals which can be seen in his comments, ‘My experience is invaluable. This job requires a man of conscience’. A dominant reading of the text leaves the reader believing Chastant is confident and comfortable in his role whilst a resistant reading of the text actually exposes a ‘world of hurt’ and confusion for him. Chastant imparts, ‘The incompetency and the wrongs committed in Vietnam are staggering’. When he makes this point the implied reader wonders how the experiences he has had in Vietnam might torment his soul. He acknowledges that it is letters from his mother that keep him ‘civilized’, stating, ‘…as I read your letters I am a normal person. I’m not killing people…I’m not carrying guns or grenades’. The surreal environment of war forced Chastant to be a killing machine and on some levels allowed him to justify his actions. Yet, within his heart of hearts he felt that much was ‘wrong’. This was the case for many soldiers who fought in Vietnam; good men, compromising on their values in a bid to protect their society’s democratic beliefs, only to be left feeling as though they were in some ways sold out by their government and participants in many unnecessary violent actions.


Popular music and the Vietnam War - It's all poetry



Music and poetry can be analysed to discover themes, ideas, issues, concerns, beliefs, values, etc, that are prominent for a particular society and time in history. During the Vietnam War, and since it ended, music has played a powerful role in expressing feelings and points of view about what was happening. By considering the songs of this time alongside the poetry of Dear America we can gain a deeper understanding of the themes and ideas explored by the text. This will give us stronger personal perspectives of the Vietnam War which will help us to analyse the text with depth.

The war in pop songs.

1. Find the lyrics to a pop song from the Vietnam era that refers to the war. In a post to this page, use links and embedding html codes to share the lyrics and a recording of the song. Then discuss the song: What is its message? Does it simply express an opinion about the war, or does it also call on listeners to take some action? What sorts of reactions might different people (such as a young person eligible to be drafted, a soldier serving in Vietnam, or the parent of such a soldier) have to the song?

2. Consider the poems featured in Dear America. Find one that relates to the song you have analysed and explain the correlations between the two. Why has Edelman included this poem in Dear America? What impact do you think he wishes its inclusion to have on the reader? (The poetry in Dear America can make a strong discussion point in an essay. It demonstrates a close reading of the text that considers the literary devices Edelman has employed. If you respond to an essay question that asks you to consider the various features/elements of the text, the poetry should not be overlooked).

(source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/tguide/index.html)

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Friday, April 23, 2010

Dear AmericaThemes and Ideas: Song Activity

Note that the song is featured in the Dear America Movie when the troops were starting to get pulled out from Vietnam.

Rolling Stones: No Expectations

Take me to the station
And put me on a train
I've got no expectations
To pass through here again

He is going home from Vietnam, no intention of coming back again to fight.

Once I was a rich man and
Now I am so poor
But never in my sweet short life
Have I felt like this before

He used to be a rich man before he was drafted to fight in Vietnam. But now, after several years of being away, he comes back home with nothing. But even so, he never felt so happy in his life (because the war is over)

Your heart is like a diamond
You throw your pearls at swine
And as I watch you leaving me
You pack my peace of mind

Her love was very precious to him, but she gave it away to another man. This means that his wife ran away with another guy. As she left, she also took away his soul.

Our love was like the water
That splashes on a stone
Our love is like our music
It’s here, and then it’s gone

Their relationship was very fragile; it collapsed as soon as they were faced with hard problems such as him going to fight in Vietnam.

It was there, and then it was gone.
So take me to the airport
And put me on a plane
I got no expectations
To pass through here again

Just a repetition of the first verse

Conclusion:
Well, basically, the song is about a soldier used to be a rich man comes home from the fighting but finds himself with nothing left, even his wife left him for another man.I think the song is trying to tell the people of how most of the soldiers are facing real big problems after fighting such a terrible war.

Lyrics taken from: http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/NO-EXPECTATIONS-lyrics-The-Rolling-Stones/C06973092E2EAC284825689A0026C5B3
Posted by Kimbo the Great at 10:32 PM