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Comparing Rumor Of War In When Heaven And Earth Changed Places

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In various history textbooks, wars are presented through concrete facts and statistics. This is an important source of information, in terms of gaining general knowledge about the war; however, we, as readers cannot learn or relate from secondary sources as well as we can with first person interactions. Primary sources are significant to understanding the war because they delve into the inner emotional and psychological aspects of witnesses. Through their memories and experiences, we are able to learn the extent of their trauma and how they have coped past the eternal effects of war. The novel written by Graham Greene, The Quiet American, conveys his point of view, as an English reporter, on the complexity of being forced to choose a side during the Vietnam Wars. While Phillip Caputo’s memoir, Rumor of War, is a heartbreaking journey of an American Marine who describes the true nature of the horrors experienced in the war zone. In addition, Le Ly Hayslip’s memoir, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, signifies a woman’s perspective as a Vietnamese peasant. Her story is unbelievable and inspiring because of the strength she has to battle against struggles and to forgive those who victimized her. These primary sources suggest how differing events of trauma …show more content…

Greene’s opinion that the Communists were going to win the war presented itself through subtle hints in his work, as well. “Sooner or later…one has to take sides if one is to remain human (Greene 230). This recurring idea of how people cannot stay neutral in war sends a negative message of the irresistible influence war conveys on humans. Fowler, throughout the novel, pretends to be unbiased of the events he witnessed; yet he has some of the strongest opinions in the novel which leads to him unraveling the appalling nature of

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