Introduction-
In the introduction to the "Good War, An Oral History of World War Two 1984" I got a little taste of what life was like for soldiers. When reading I learned about the typical American Soldier and I learned that it wasn't about getting another Japanese soldier or getting another Nazi that made a soldier fight; it was the, "sense of not wanting to fail your buddies. There's a sort of special sense of kinship" (Terkel 164). I really enjoyed reading that, and got a sense of pride that soldiers were looking out for each other. Also, I remember reading about the tough circumstances when a person was a war prisoner and what was going through their mind. When we read in class we read about the cruel treatment and how the enemy would have no mercy. But, I never actually took the time to think about what must be running through their minds. Food. "In camp first thing you talked about is what you wanted in your stomach...this was a big topic all the time" (Terkel 165). This just shows how mal-nutrioned the soldiers that were captured were. It just goes to prove that they were always wanting some sort of food. Who could blame them? It must take a lot of discipline to not eat what you are used to before you go to war.
Robert Rasmus-
Robert remembers his mother telling him that he would be in the war. He was only 14 years old. That is an extremely young age to go off to war. That is so sad because a fourteen year old boy is not mature enough and should not have to go through the pain and suffering. That's not fair to them. A little boy like that should be learning about himself, and should not have to grow up so fast. Reading about that made me believe that young boys who went into war had a loss of innocence because they would be rudely awakened when they went into the real world of fighting and learn about death. Robert recalls, "I was hoping she'd be right (go off to war) At that age, you look forward to the glamour and have no idea of the horrors" (Terkel 177). Robert remembers that he was constantly behind the lines and then moved up. There were always people before him and as soon as he thought that he was getting closer to the action, his platoon would be there. He though, "this is incredible. We've got these great masses of troops, of quartermasters and truckers and tanks and support troops, and then all of a sudden it's so lonely..." (Terkel 186). I think that Robert started to miss the everyday life and what went on. When you are out at war for so long, and you think that you are fine with your troop around you, it is not enough to make up for the loss of doing things. When you are at war, you can not do much except wait to do what you are told to do. I really liked reading this chapter.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Blog #3 Jane Yoder / Peggy Terry And Her Mother, Mary Owsley
Jane Yoder-
In this short story we learn about the struggle that took place during the great depression. While reading this I remember feeling appreciative of what I have got. When Jane was in fourth grade she was extremely cold and she had no blankets, and no coats. Her older sister bought a coat and Jane remembers taking the coat in order to be warm. She, "...took that coat home and [she] waited till Sunday and wore it to church. And then everybody laughed. [She] looked horrid" (Terkel 127). At this time, Jane did not care how she looked, or how others viewed her as a person. Jane needed to do, what she needed to do in order to stay alive. If that meant that she had to wear an ugly coat in order to stay warm, then she would do it. I commend Jane for not caring how others viewed her. She had a strong sense of what was important in life. She didn't understand how people could have thirty blouses, or ten sweaters because she would think, "I have no desire to think where I'd hang them" (Turkel 128). When reading this I thought of how selfless Jane is and how she doesn't see the need to have so many things. I think that has a lot to do with what she already had, and how she learned to accept what she had and learned how to survive. When reading "Tom Yoder, Jane's Son" he said something that stuck with me. "But it's only human nature that we all want to go on and find something better" (Turkel 130). Do you believe that statement is true??
Peggy Terry And Her Mother, Mary Owsley-
I really enjoyed reading reading this. There was something that started Terry's thinking. It was when she was reading about President Roosevelt's cuff links. She had read that some of his cuff links were rubies and precious stones. She will never forget. She recalls, "I was sitting out there in the hot sun, there weren't any trees. And i was wondering why it is that one man could have all those cuff links when we couldn't even have enough to eat" (Turkel 144). That would make me angry too if I read that. If I was in her position reading about how the president is going by with out any suffering that I would despise the president. I would be thinking how unfair it is that the president isn't doing anything, and things that are not that important (like cuff links) are being made for him with rubies and stones. A little later on in the story she read "Grapes of Wrath" After reading this book she became proud of poor people, and she never thought that she would ever do that. She said, "I think that's the worst thing that our system [government] does to people, is to take away their pride. It prevents them from being human being" (Turkel 145). People who grow up poor never feel a sense of pride and joy because they are always comparing themselves to those of higher status. It's always a competition as to who is better than whom. I think that is why it built some self esteem in Terry after reading that book, and it's what she needed to help her feel good about herself. What do you guys think?
In this short story we learn about the struggle that took place during the great depression. While reading this I remember feeling appreciative of what I have got. When Jane was in fourth grade she was extremely cold and she had no blankets, and no coats. Her older sister bought a coat and Jane remembers taking the coat in order to be warm. She, "...took that coat home and [she] waited till Sunday and wore it to church. And then everybody laughed. [She] looked horrid" (Terkel 127). At this time, Jane did not care how she looked, or how others viewed her as a person. Jane needed to do, what she needed to do in order to stay alive. If that meant that she had to wear an ugly coat in order to stay warm, then she would do it. I commend Jane for not caring how others viewed her. She had a strong sense of what was important in life. She didn't understand how people could have thirty blouses, or ten sweaters because she would think, "I have no desire to think where I'd hang them" (Turkel 128). When reading this I thought of how selfless Jane is and how she doesn't see the need to have so many things. I think that has a lot to do with what she already had, and how she learned to accept what she had and learned how to survive. When reading "Tom Yoder, Jane's Son" he said something that stuck with me. "But it's only human nature that we all want to go on and find something better" (Turkel 130). Do you believe that statement is true??
Peggy Terry And Her Mother, Mary Owsley-
I really enjoyed reading reading this. There was something that started Terry's thinking. It was when she was reading about President Roosevelt's cuff links. She had read that some of his cuff links were rubies and precious stones. She will never forget. She recalls, "I was sitting out there in the hot sun, there weren't any trees. And i was wondering why it is that one man could have all those cuff links when we couldn't even have enough to eat" (Turkel 144). That would make me angry too if I read that. If I was in her position reading about how the president is going by with out any suffering that I would despise the president. I would be thinking how unfair it is that the president isn't doing anything, and things that are not that important (like cuff links) are being made for him with rubies and stones. A little later on in the story she read "Grapes of Wrath" After reading this book she became proud of poor people, and she never thought that she would ever do that. She said, "I think that's the worst thing that our system [government] does to people, is to take away their pride. It prevents them from being human being" (Turkel 145). People who grow up poor never feel a sense of pride and joy because they are always comparing themselves to those of higher status. It's always a competition as to who is better than whom. I think that is why it built some self esteem in Terry after reading that book, and it's what she needed to help her feel good about herself. What do you guys think?
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