Johnny Got His Gun

Throughout the novel, Trumbo develops many positions about war. However, at the end of the novel he really expands on beliefs on war. He believes that the establishment causes men to rise up against each other, and if this did not exist, men would not do that. I disagree with this argument because I think it is human nature that when put in a threatening situation, our “flight or fight” instinct takes over. For example, a farmer would defend his or her land if he felt threatened by the person invading, or if a burglar came into a home, the individual in the home would have to fight to protect their home. Another position Trumbo takes on war is that one shouldn’t die for ideals, but rather “concrete things” such as a mother giving up their life for their child. I disagree with this idea that there is no idea worth dying for, because there is.

Johnny Got His Gun

I found the way the book was written to be interesting. I have never seen an author construct a piece where the reader cannot tell if the main character is conscious or hallucinating. This is important to the storyline because Joe has suffered greatly because of the war. All he has left is a functioning brain and nothing else, so his thoughts are always sporadic and sometimes confusing to the reader. One of the best parts of the book where the reader cannot tell if Joe is hallucinating or not is when he thinks he is being eaten by the rat. Trumbo uses such great imagery that the reader can picture the scenario in their mind and start to believe that this was in fact true, yet it was only a figment of Joe’s imagination. By including the thought process of Joe during the war, he is able to show reality of war and the struggles a soldier must face.

The March of the Flag

In the essay, The March of the Flag, Albert Beveridge makes the claim that Americans are, “God’s chosen people.” He assumes that Americans have a superiority over everyone else, and their sole purpose is to fight for God. He also argues that, “America’s power is to save the soil for liberty and civilization.” This means that an individual does not have a choice to fight, but rather must fight. It is similar to Johnny Got His Gun because he was forced to fight in a war that he knew little about. Joe was simply fighting for the protection of America’s wonderful gifts that God has given this country. In the book Joe describes the horrors and struggle of war that he had to face in order to preserve God’s land. Moreover, he sees Americans have a moral and global obligation to spread the knowledge and superiority of America’s religion and government to all the less fortunate people.

"America the Beautiful: What We're Fighting For"

In the essay, “America the Beautiful: What We’re Fighting For,” Dinesh D’Souza discussed the conflict between the Islamic and American worlds and opinions and controversy that keeps these worlds in tension. He also talks about how lucky Americans are and how wonderful America is as a country. There are many advantages that America has over other countries. D’Souza called American society, “the greatest, freest, and most decent society in existence,” and goes as far as to say that Islamic societies produce, “wretched, servile, fatalistic and intolerant human beings.”

In the novel, Johnny Got His Gun, a young man, who like many others, goes to war because he is told by the leaders of his country to go to war. He was injured when a bomb explodes next to him, and he loses both his arms, legs, hearing, sight and can’t even speak.

The relationship between D’Souza’s essay and Johnny Got His Gun is that Johnny Got His Gun shows the reality of what war really is like. D’Souza explains the complications and problems with war, but not necessarily the consequences that come of it. Johnny Got His Gun shows how horrifying, sad and dangerous war is and the lasting impact it has on people’s lives.

Civil Disobedience

In Henry Thoreau’s essay, Resistance to Civil Government (Civil Disobedience), he explains his reasoning for refusing to pay this tax and his views on government and why it must be resisted. He looks at the importance of justice, morality and conscious of an individual. Thoreau argues that people shouldn’t let the government overrule and that it is the duty of the people to allow the government to act with injustice. Thoreau believes that was government exists in America because of tradition, and because it was practical.

The Declaration of Independence was written to request independence from Great Britain under the rule of King George III. Much like Thoreau’s essay, the settlers were trying to resist the government that was being imposed on them. The role of resistance is in place to shape and consider the will of the people. The Declaration of Independence served as the settler’s first attempt at creating a democracy, where the power would lie in the hands of the people. Resistance to democracy is important because everyone would be forced to believe the same thing. A government that has resistance allows people the freedom of thought, which is what helps to shape and enforce a democracy. It allows citizens to live freely under an established government where everything is considered “fair and balanced.”

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

An interesting topic that has come up recently in the news is the military policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” An independent Senator named Joseph Lieberman introduced a bill that would repeal the ban on openly gay service members in the military, but at a hearing later in the day Republican lawmakers questioned why lifting the ban was necessary. Lieberman introduced the bill in response to Obama’s pledge to end the 17-year-old “don’t ask don’t tell.” This law allows gay men and lesbians to serve in the armed services only if they keep their sexual orientation secret. At the hearing panel, there was the statistic given that from 1999 to 2008, 1.9 million people were discharged by the Department of Defense, including 8,300 because of the “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Gender is personal and I believe it should remain that way and it allows people to live their lives freely, but without fear of reprisal.

Engaging the Text #2 What is Marriage?

By starting the passage with an extended definition of marriage, Wolfson is able to make himself credible and show how much power a marriage between people can hold. He starts his definition with discussing how even though people speak many different languages, there is a word for marriage, and it always describes someone’s love and dedication to another person. This shows how marriage is a universal term, and is represented the same way no matter what culture or background someone comes from. Wolfson then describes how marriage is a personal commitment, a social statement, and a relationship with the government. He also describes the legal and economic responsibilities, and the spiritual significance marriage has for many of us. Wolfson does this to show that a marriage is a big step, and requires a lot of commitment for two people. He uses the definition to primarily represent that the union between to people should symbolize their love for one another.

I think that Wolfson’s definition is fair and sensible because it describes an accurate meaning of marriage. However, since Wolfson is a gay man it is possible that in his definition he placed a higher value to the benefits he believes marriage entails as opposed to someone else who carries the same ideas, but does have the actual benefits of marriage.