ipl-logo

Summary Of A Rumor Of War By Phillip Caputo

900 Words4 Pages

People who have served in the war are usually honored and praised for their service and for fighting for the country, but the majority do not understand what they do through. The book “A Rumor of War” by Phillip Caputo discusses his experience, his journey in a way that helps masses comprehend and grasp the concept of a first-hand experience of what it is like to serve in the war. Simply, as the author has worded, “the things men do in war and the things war does to them”.

It is stated behind the book with a blurb that “A Rumor of War is far more than one soldier’s story.” As well as how it is a basis of the Vietnam war. The book is separated into three parts, the first (The Splendid Little War) being the starting point of his journey; explains …show more content…

gave his first public antiwar speech called “Beyond Vietnam” (1967) which was a strong, influential and passionate address against the war which caused controversy and is a good polar to Caputo’s memoire. The author talks about his own perspective, being in the war; being involved whilst King talks his own perspective, how the war is seen on his eyes and rage. This was not the only speech that he made about the war, but also “Why I am Opposed to the War in Vietnam” (1967) where he states “I am disappointed with our failure to deal positively and forthrightly with the triple evils of racism, economic exploitation, and militarism.” In some ways, King and Caputo see eye to eye, but unlike King- Caputo lived to tell his tale of his first hand experience being in it.

All in all, “a rumor of war” by Phillip Caputo is a very well written primary source for historians alike, as well as a detailed insight for those who care to look into the history of United States of America and/or the Wars that have occurred in this country; especially highlighting the Vietnam war due to it being arguably the only war it has lost.
Even though Caputo did not intend for his memoire to “pretend to be history” it does live up to being considered one of the most important yet ever so controversial books ever written about war. A very good read that is raw, intense and lifelike. Not recommended to those who are not faint of heart, those who do not particularly enjoy and/or cannot withstand heavy topics that this book tackles (“how to face death and how to cause

Show More
Related
784 Words | 4 Pages

Through his writings of memoirs, we can see how they reflect the views of individuals who actually lived in Vietnam during the war. Philip Caputo was best known for his best-selling memoir “A Rumor of War”. Where he got first-hand experience throughout the Vietnam War. Therefore, he was able to write and share all his encounters he faced throughout his time in war. Within the book it display how the United States was always

Read More
1460 Words | 6 Pages

In A Better War Lewis Sorely presents his audience with a well thought out, and well written examination of the last years of the Vietnam War. In 1968 then commander William Westmorland was superceded by General Creighton Adams(16-17). Several vitally important events during the war had taken place under the direction and leadership of Adams but by the time he had taken over, the people and media of the United States were declining in their concern towards the war in Vietnam. Because of this limited amount of attention towards the end of the war, most of the media coverage having to do with it focused on the time before Tet, when the tensions were high revolving the topic of Vietnam. Sorely points this fact out, using material that was only available in recent times, he delivers to us a swift and corrective story in which the little known truths are brought to light.

Read More
1500 Words | 6 Pages

A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo shows the hard work and difficult tasks the men had to go through to prove themselves and protect their country. The war will change the men’s attitudes and the way they do everything. Men made sacrifices in the Vietnam War most people would never make in a lifetime, they will not just sacrifice but push themselves physically harder than most any other men. The men will also emotionally change from constantly watching other men die, or killing other men. The mens first kill was always the hardest for them, mentally they had so many thoughts of the other mans close ones back home and what they would go through and how it would be all their fault.

Read More
937 Words | 4 Pages

In A Viet Cong Memoir, we receive excellent first hands accounts of events that unfolded in Vietnam during the Vietnam War from the author of this autobiography: Truong Nhu Tang. Truong was Vietnamese at heart, growing up in Saigon, but he studied in Paris for a time where he met and learned from the future leader Ho Chi Minh. Truong was able to learn from Ho Chi Minh’s revolutionary ideas and gain a great political perspective of the conflicts arising in Vietnam during the war. His autobiography shows the readers the perspective of the average Vietnamese citizen (especially those involved with the NLF) and the attitudes towards war with the United States. In the book, Truong exclaims that although many people may say the Americans never lost on the battlefield in Vietnam — it is irrelevant.

Read More
1718 Words | 7 Pages

Philip Caputo, a former American Lieutenant, wrote the influential memoir, A Rumor of War, recapping his memories and perspectives serving during the Vietnam War. A Rumor of War was published in 1977, shortly after the US withdrew from Vietnam, and reflects the cultural and political context of that time period. The Vietnam War was one of the most disputed conflicts in United States history due to its extreme controversy and execution during its span. Throughout the story, Caputo’s memoir offers a thoughtful and introspective recollection of his experiences in Vietnam, and addresses instances of good and evil, justice and injustice, and the devastating consequences that come from war.

Read More
1596 Words | 7 Pages

Klay’s short stories indicate how different war is for every soldier by containing a different narrator and plot for each story. The different stories show all sorts of different emotions such as fear, guilt, helplessness, and loss of oneself. Klay’s book repeatedly emphasizes the message that civilians will never be able understand a soldier’s experience, therefore civilians should reconsider whether sympathy is the proper way to treat a veteran. The idea that civilians must can only understand a veteran if they have experienced war leaves readers to question whether they truly understand a veterans war experience. Through Klay’s short stories “War Stories,” “After Action Report” and “Frago,” his characterization of certain characters, use of situational irony humor, and decision to have different narrators for every story allows civilians to become more familiar with different war experiences providing a better understanding on how war is a different experience for every

Read More
791 Words | 4 Pages

In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, the author retells the chilling, and oftentimes gruesome, experiences of the Vietnam war. He utilizes many anecdotes and other rhetorical devices in his stories to paint the image of what war is really like to people who have never experienced it. In the short stories “Spin,” “The Man I Killed,” and “ ,” O’Brien gives reader the perfect understanding of the Vietnam by placing them directly into the war itself. In “Spin,” O’Brien expresses the general theme of war being boring and unpredictable, as well as the soldiers being young and unpredictable.

Read More
889 Words | 4 Pages

Ever since July 4, 1776 “people sleep peaceably in their bed at night on because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” Although the U.S. had a few times of doubt, we have been and continue to be a solid, secure country since then. Over time there has been many stories written on behalf of war and the rough men that fight for us so we can sleep without a worry at night, and here is where we dive deeper. To begin with, a perfect story to start with is “The Things They Carried” written by Tim O’Brien, which is about a platoon of American soldiers fighting for their country on the ground during the Vietnam war.

Read More
1963 Words | 8 Pages

A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo is a memoir about his personal experiences as a Marine in the Vietnam War, Caputo makes it very clear that the story he tells is not about the history or politics or foreign policy dealing with Vietnam. His story is simply about his experiences during the war and what went on. Caputo and his unit were the first American troops to be sent to Vietnam in 1965. The book is written in three parts: The Splendid Little War, The Officer in Charge of the Dead, and In Death’s Grey Land. The Splendid Little War details why Caputo joined the Marines at the age of twenty-four, what training was like, and ends with his arrival in Vietnam and what it was like the first few months.

Read More
623 Words | 3 Pages

The Vietnam War is considered one of the most controversial wars in United States history. The United States is one of the greatest superpowers at the time and were seen as the helping hand for doing the right thing. The United States were dragged into this war in order to stop the spread of communism throughout the Democratic South Korea. Many Americans saw this as the United States intervening in another country’s civil war which is not our duty. Americans also used the draft in a poor way affecting the young and African American population.

Read More
844 Words | 4 Pages

The Struggles of a Soldier The brutalities of war are shown through a soldiers experience through a war. In the book All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque tells the story of a group of friends in World War 1. Remarque uses the protagonist, Paul, to display the brutalities of war by experiencing some of them himself. Brutalities of war are expressed through Paul’s experience of the war harming soldiers by negatively impacting their physical bodies, making it hard for soldiers to reintegrate themselves into society and, damaging their psychological health.

Read More
774 Words | 4 Pages

War has a profound and lasting impact on individuals and society. In “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, he tells different stories of before, during and after war and how it affects the soldiers, mentally and physically. In these stories Tim O’Brien illustrates these traumas and the long-lasting effects and impact that the war will always have on these men. Even though all the men didn’t survive the ones that did continue to have traumatic flashbacks. War has a lasting impact on individuals and society, affecting not only the physical but the mental and emotional well-being of those involved.

Read More
283 Words | 2 Pages

In his movies, Stone appears to be a forceful person who sees the world as a combat zone or a minefield, and himself as a rebel determined to triumph in the war. It is such an orientation that made him direct a film such as "JFK," which is the ultimate conspiracy film. He managed to make this film because of his sense of tranquility and security. Through these movies, it is clear that Stone is more political than most of his contemporaries and leans more to the left in his opinions (Riordan, p. 377). Nevertheless, his movies do not play like ideological criticisms but have an intrinsic energy and passion that sweep the audience along.

Read More
1906 Words | 8 Pages

The Wars is a symbolic masterpiece that illustrates the great impact war brings on the microcosm of society and how individuals juxtaposed to the war are affected. The novel itself requires active reading; because without it, the novel would seem very simplistic; however, after further examination, readers can evidently recognize the complexity of Robert’s character with the aid of many heteroglossic components, techniques, devices, and the reworking of literary conventions. Robert’s physical, mental and emotional journey he endeavours, followed by the constant re-evaluations of his truths and becoming a more proficient soldier, can be seen through a formalist perspective with the use of foreshadowing to signify Robert’s transition from a sane to insane soldier; the utilization of animal imagery highlighting Robert’s development through the horrific experiences of war; and the several themes in the text to illustrate Robert’s evolution as a soldier through his inner

Read More
999 Words | 4 Pages

The True Weight of War “The Things They Carried,” by Tim O’Brien, brings to light the psychological impact of what soldiers go through during times of war. We learn that the effects of traumatic events weigh heavier on the minds of men than all of the provisions and equipment they shouldered. Wartime truly tests the human body and and mind, to the point where some men return home completely destroyed. Some soldiers have been driven to the point of mentally altering reality in order to survive day to day. An indefinite number of men became numb to the deaths of their comrades, and yet secretly desired to die and bring a conclusion to their misery.

Read More

More about Summary Of A Rumor Of War By Phillip Caputo

Related Topics

Open Document