Lessons from the Vietnam War

Final Paper, use MLA format.
You can think of it this way: in our last class, we saw the stories of the children of a
generation that lost its country, of a son whose father kept the secrets of his past in a
locked box, and of a daughter who is not a veteran, but who was directly and indirectly
affected by what she did not know and what she found out about the Vietnam war. One
of the motivations for her search also occurred when she found closed boxes holding
objects that evoked the knowledge that had been kept from her, or that she had never
thought about or wanted to know.
In a sense, then, that son and that daughter is you. Write a letter to me or any of the
authors or characters we have come across during the semester. Look at the course
you’ve just taken as a locked box you have found in an attic or garage, or buried in the
back yard. Imagine unlocking that box. There are the things inside– the books, stories,
poems, films and discussions we’ve had over the semester. Reach in and take them out.
Which gave you the most insight and knowledge, that changed you, that gave you your
greatest learning experiences? How did it or they do so? .
Another option is to use the Campbell Journey of the Hero model. You are that hero.
What safe place did you leave? What guides (the books, stories, poems, films and
discussions we’ve had over the semester) did you find? What wounds did you receive?
What valuable knowledge did you gain that you wish to bring back to your world?
YOUR JOURNEY OF THE HERO
Personalize your response to Learning Module Two by using the Joseph Campbell
“Journey of the Hero” pattern (below). Refer to whichever of this module’s readings, film,
poetry you feel helped bring you to question E, below. Use (and quote from and cite) at
least two sources, though you may bring in more.
A. What "safe place that needs renewal" did you leave? (Why was it safe, and what was
lacking? This could be your own preconceptions)
B. Into what "dark place" did you descend? (What made it "dark"–i.e. what didn't you
know that the readings and film helped clarify or illuminate?
C. Who or what was/were your guide(s)? (Which sections or chapters or passages or
characters helped you understand more? Use summary and quotations from whatever
you choose to help clarify your response)
D. What was your "wound?" or "wounds"? (Sometimes knowledge can be painful, or
challenge comfortable preconceptions we might hold–did this happen to you).
E. What wisdom are you bringing back? (What was your most valuable learning
experience(s) from reading and discussing this [these] book[s] poetry, film?
Here are some works we read/watched(Use as needed):
Work Cited (apply as needed) Note all book or film titles should be in italic font.

Bao Ninh, The Sorrow of War, Riverhead Books, New York, 1996
Campbell, Joseph, "The Journey of the Hero" reprinted in Learning Module One, ENG
2810, Spring 2018
Herman, Judith, Trauma and Recovery, New York, Basic Books, 1992
Karlin, Wayne, Wandering Souls: Journeys with the Dead and the Living in Viet
Nam, New York, Nation Books, 2013
O'Brien, Tim, "Name of Chapter," in The Things They Carried, Mariner, New York, 1999
(Unless you are using a different edition)
When the 10th Month Comes, dir. Dang Nhat Minh, DVD, Vietnam Feature Film Studio,
Hanoi, 1984
Heaven and Earth, dir. Oliver Stone, DVD, 1993.
Green Dragon, dir. Timothy Linh Bui, DVD, 2001

Answer Preview…………

To many people, the Vietnam War is just another historical event like the Holocaust, slavery, or even the transition of power from one president to the other. However, unless one has engaged in the analysis of the war and its effects or experienced the war themselves, it would be hard for them to understand the horrors and lessons that come from the war. First and foremost, William Tecumseh Sherman educated every American by letting them know that, despite the side of the war that a person fights for or supports, war is hell. In this paper, I go on the journey of a hero into the events of the Vietnam War with the guidance of the books by those who experienced the war. This journey started from a safe place and that was at the beginning of the course. Before I descended into the Vietnam War experience, my preconceptions about the war were the safe place which was desolate. My imagination about Vietnam War was that of a historical event that happened in the mid-20^th century that many Americans opposed. I had never thought of the war……………..

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