I do not think O'Brien should have brought his daughter with him to Vietnam. She obviously does not understand the concept of war or why her dad feels the way he feels about certain issues. It was a big mistake to drag her along to places that were not significant to her. She does not even know what war means, let alone the mental consequences of a soldier experiencing someone they love die. She finds it "weird" and "embarrassing".
Why does the Alpha Company believe that Morty Phillips "used up his luck"? Any one of them could have chosen to go swimming and could have gotten sick.
Hmm Stephanie. So here's a hypothetica scenerio, just because you perhaps didn't understand (as a child) the importance of say Vatican City in Italy, does that mean you shouldn't go?
Back to what Stef said- I would have to agree. Kathleen is only ten years of age. A typical ten year old should be thinking about times tables and riding bikes, not think about the events of a war. Its good to know history and develop a child with maturaty. Sometimes, i wonder if this topic is to heavy for a child. Childhood innocence is a precious thing. Its surprising how easily something like that can be taken away. Taking Kathleen is important but couldnt he have taken her at a later age?
We aren't told much about Morty outright. We know that Morty "pisses it away on nothing". Morty didn't tell anyone where he was going either. As an inference, I would say that Morty is fearless and cocky. He goes where he wants to, without protection. He goes skinny dipping, even though the VCs could have been anywhere, waiting to kill him.
Alyssa I see where stef is coming from. But i also she as him bring his daugther along to help and show her everything that happened to him, and why he is who he is. O'Brien doesn't have anyone to really express what happened to him, and his daugther is who he can express everything towards. While he is teaching her everything that he went through and she is getting an understanding, O'Brien at the same time is getting the opportunity to try and push some of the past away.
Jake Rietow I agree with what stefanie says, but I think that O'Brien took her there for a reason. True she is younger than he was when he entered the war, but I think he does it to draw a parallel between them. He too was thrown into the war as a young, naive man, now knowing what he was fighting for. He could not understand the motives, and the war was too much for him to handle. Yet he had no choice, he was thrust into the fighting and had to learn for himself. I think he is trying to show her kind of how he felt when he was brought to Vietnam at a time in his life when he couldn't relate, or understand it.
Shauna Ten years of age is old enough to start leanring about her father's and the world's history. He is not trying to tell her to go join the war he is just simply introducing her to another part of the world she needs to know about. She may not understand everything now but it's a starting block for her to realize that the world is not always going to be good and happy and that there are other things out there besides what is close around her.
Pattie Olson -about Morty I don't think he used up his luck because Jorgenson was able to "keep him alive".. kind of showing that he is one lucky guy. To not step on a bouncing betty alone is lucky, to not be shot by a VC is even luckier. To get sick and to have the "green" medic save you... still pretty darn lucky sounding to me.
As an answer to Rahcel's question, I believe many of them do feel that he actually used up all of his luck. All of the soldiers bring with them some type of talisman that they believe provides them with the luck necessary to survive and stay alive. At a point in the war, I believe the war has changed their mental outlook on life so much that they actually believe that they have a certain amount of luck with them and in the objects they bring. Though we all know that there isn't an actual amount of luck in an object or person, I believe after everything these men went through in Vietnam I think that they do actually believe it. So by sayig Morty "used up his luck" by swimming in the stream the day before, I believe they actually think its true. By risking all the luck he had to swim and cool off that one day, he exposed himself to the bacteria of the water which eventually cause his death.
What his did was unbelievably stupid, to leave the group, go for a swim in enemy territory alone, and then return back in one piece was a very lucky thing to get away with. He could have been shot by a VC or he could have be killed in an exchange of friendly fire because nobody knew where he was or when he was coming back, he could have been mistaken as a enemy and been shot and killed
Reply to Amber's comment Alpha Company believe Morty used up his luck because he didn't run into a single VC, booby trap, trip flare, mine, or anything. In Vietnam, for such a thing to happen, you had to have a lot of luck. So after that swim Morty's luck was all gone.
Soy el dios de espanol. Tito le gustan chicos, no chicas. Su novio y el estan allegre y van a casarse este fin de semana. Espero que todos veran sus beso primero. !Que Amor!
Jake Rietow Earlier Matt asked "Why doesn't O'Brien try harder to stop Azar from following through on the prank they played on Jorgenson?." I think that the answer to this is because though he was still not quite as angry an Jorgenson, he still wanted some revenge. Jorgenson took something away from O'Brien that he could not get back, his pride. So though he was not as angry, O'Brien wanted to feel as if he was in power over Jorgenson the way Jorgenson had power over him when he got shot.
matt maranto I have to agree with Jake on his answer to my question. O'Brien did have that power over Jorgenson just like he did and O'Brien could have easily shattered Jorgenson's pride too. I think they both realized they messed up in the way they should have carried things out and in the end made up in an understanding of a handshake.
Chris Newbauer Amber, the men say that he "used up his luck" because in a sense he had. Yes any other man could have done the same thing and been killed, but he always had done things such as go off alone for swims without anyone knowing which could have been very life threatening. They considered him "lucky" to have lived through all his dangerous adventures.
I agree with Derek up above. Morty went alone, to a place that is booby trapped, with enemies around them on all sides, for a swim. This is a completely ridiculous thing to do, for there is a only a slim chance to come back alive. And so he "used up all his luck" to get to and from the river without scratch on him. Vietnam was not a friendly place, where it was dangerous for even large groups of men to be moving, so it is unconceivable, that one man traveled all those miles without even being harmed by any enemy or friendly fire.
Stef
ReplyDeleteI do not think O'Brien should have brought his daughter with him to Vietnam. She obviously does not understand the concept of war or why her dad feels the way he feels about certain issues. It was a big mistake to drag her along to places that were not significant to her. She does not even know what war means, let alone the mental consequences of a soldier experiencing someone they love die. She finds it "weird" and "embarrassing".
Amber Janson
ReplyDeleteWhy does the Alpha Company believe that Morty Phillips "used up his luck"? Any one of them could have chosen to go swimming and could have gotten sick.
Hmm Stephanie. So here's a hypothetica scenerio, just because you perhaps didn't understand (as a child) the importance of say Vatican City in Italy, does that mean you shouldn't go?
ReplyDeleteWhat else do we know about Morty?
ReplyDeleteRachel :)
ReplyDeleteBack to what Stef said- I would have to agree. Kathleen is only ten years of age. A typical ten year old should be thinking about times tables and riding bikes, not think about the events of a war. Its good to know history and develop a child with maturaty. Sometimes, i wonder if this topic is to heavy for a child. Childhood innocence is a precious thing. Its surprising how easily something like that can be taken away. Taking Kathleen is important but couldnt he have taken her at a later age?
Why doesn't O'Brien try harder to stop Azar from following through on the prank they played on Jorgenson?
ReplyDeleteRachel :)
ReplyDeleteWhen the company says that Morty "used up his luck", are they being sarcasitic or do most of them actually believe that Morty was a lucky guy?
Amber Janson
ReplyDeleteWe aren't told much about Morty outright. We know that Morty "pisses it away on nothing". Morty didn't tell anyone where he was going either. As an inference, I would say that Morty is fearless and cocky. He goes where he wants to, without protection. He goes skinny dipping, even though the VCs could have been anywhere, waiting to kill him.
Alyssa
ReplyDeleteI see where stef is coming from. But i also she as him bring his daugther along to help and show her everything that happened to him, and why he is who he is. O'Brien doesn't have anyone to really express what happened to him, and his daugther is who he can express everything towards. While he is teaching her everything that he went through and she is getting an understanding, O'Brien at the same time is getting the opportunity to try and push some of the past away.
matt maranto above
ReplyDeleteJake Rietow
ReplyDeleteI agree with what stefanie says, but I think that O'Brien took her there for a reason. True she is younger than he was when he entered the war, but I think he does it to draw a parallel between them. He too was thrown into the war as a young, naive man, now knowing what he was fighting for. He could not understand the motives, and the war was too much for him to handle. Yet he had no choice, he was thrust into the fighting and had to learn for himself. I think he is trying to show her kind of how he felt when he was brought to Vietnam at a time in his life when he couldn't relate, or understand it.
Shauna
ReplyDeleteTen years of age is old enough to start leanring about her father's and the world's history. He is not trying to tell her to go join the war he is just simply introducing her to another part of the world she needs to know about. She may not understand everything now but it's a starting block for her to realize that the world is not always going to be good and happy and that there are other things out there besides what is close around her.
Pattie Olson
ReplyDelete-about Morty
I don't think he used up his luck because Jorgenson was able to "keep him alive".. kind of showing that he is one lucky guy. To not step on a bouncing betty alone is lucky, to not be shot by a VC is even luckier. To get sick and to have the "green" medic save you... still pretty darn lucky sounding to me.
Joe Rietow
ReplyDeleteAs an answer to Rahcel's question, I believe many of them do feel that he actually used up all of his luck. All of the soldiers bring with them some type of talisman that they believe provides them with the luck necessary to survive and stay alive. At a point in the war, I believe the war has changed their mental outlook on life so much that they actually believe that they have a certain amount of luck with them and in the objects they bring. Though we all know that there isn't an actual amount of luck in an object or person, I believe after everything these men went through in Vietnam I think that they do actually believe it. So by sayig Morty "used up his luck" by swimming in the stream the day before, I believe they actually think its true. By risking all the luck he had to swim and cool off that one day, he exposed himself to the bacteria of the water which eventually cause his death.
Derek
ReplyDeleteto the posts about Morty and his luck.
What his did was unbelievably stupid, to leave the group, go for a swim in enemy territory alone, and then return back in one piece was a very lucky thing to get away with. He could have been shot by a VC or he could have be killed in an exchange of friendly fire because nobody knew where he was or when he was coming back, he could have been mistaken as a enemy and been shot and killed
Danielle Williams
ReplyDeleteReply to Amber's comment
Alpha Company believe Morty used up his luck because he didn't run into a single VC, booby trap, trip flare, mine, or anything. In Vietnam, for such a thing to happen, you had to have a lot of luck. So after that swim Morty's luck was all gone.
Soy el dios de espanol. Tito le gustan chicos, no chicas. Su novio y el estan allegre y van a casarse este fin de semana. Espero que todos veran sus beso primero. !Que Amor!
ReplyDeleteJake Rietow
ReplyDeleteEarlier Matt asked "Why doesn't O'Brien try harder to stop Azar from following through on the prank they played on Jorgenson?." I think that the answer to this is because though he was still not quite as angry an Jorgenson, he still wanted some revenge. Jorgenson took something away from O'Brien that he could not get back, his pride. So though he was not as angry, O'Brien wanted to feel as if he was in power over Jorgenson the way Jorgenson had power over him when he got shot.
matt maranto
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Jake on his answer to my question. O'Brien did have that power over Jorgenson just like he did and O'Brien could have easily shattered Jorgenson's pride too. I think they both realized they messed up in the way they should have carried things out and in the end made up in an understanding of a handshake.
Chris Newbauer
ReplyDeleteAmber, the men say that he "used up his luck" because in a sense he had. Yes any other man could have done the same thing and been killed, but he always had done things such as go off alone for swims without anyone knowing which could have been very life threatening. They considered him "lucky" to have lived through all his dangerous adventures.
Nolan Surma
ReplyDeleteI agree with Derek up above. Morty went alone, to a place that is booby trapped, with enemies around them on all sides, for a swim. This is a completely ridiculous thing to do, for there is a only a slim chance to come back alive. And so he "used up all his luck" to get to and from the river without scratch on him. Vietnam was not a friendly place, where it was dangerous for even large groups of men to be moving, so it is unconceivable, that one man traveled all those miles without even being harmed by any enemy or friendly fire.
Jose dice hola
ReplyDelete