If I Die In A Combat Zone Essay

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Pages: 5

In If I Die in a Combat Zone by Tim O’Brien, the author emphasizes the horrors and immorality of the Vietnam war by adding descriptions of his general surroundings and life during this period, constantly including his never-changing opinion, and detailing the deaths and tragic events continuously occurring around him. As O’Brien reluctantly begins his Vietnam journey, he provides incredible imagery in order to allow the reader to understand the unnecessary dismay of the war. Before O’Brien joined his fellow troops in Vietnam, he becomes numb with the thought of leaving his family. He progressively worries that he will never see them or anything else he values again simply because of a war that did not possess any meaning to him (pg. ). Upon …show more content…
Throughout the book O’Brien directly voices this opinion to the readers, but more specifically, he even included the conversation with the Chaplain. This conversation could possibly lead the reader to believe that O’Brien just feels this way because he is scared; however, later the readers learn that that is not the case and that this additional passage was most likely included in order to show the readers the conflict of other important opinions and to establish a direct relationship with them in the beginning (pg. ). Furthermore, O’Brien clearly states that he does not think American soldiers possess the right to judge whether or not Vietnam would be better off under America’s government policies or their own policies (pg. ). Similarly, O’Brien also develops a few chapters that consist of letter to and from his family and friends (pg. ). In these, he is sure to provide an afterthought about his experience and the war itself, which he may not be able to say to his family (pg. ), but he takes the advantage of being able to be completely truthful with his friend (pg.