● 1. How are the soldiers portrayed at the beginning of the film and how does this
change later on?
○ The soldiers are portrayed as young souls in the beginning of the film, but
in the end, they were tired and had seen many horrors on the battlefield.
In the movie, the letters talk about how people are able to fight for freedom
as their main goal. They had clear motivations to fight, but towards the
end of the war, they said that they didn’t even know why they were there.
They would want to appreciate the fact that this war gave them purpose in
life, but towards the end, they just wanted to not die, so they could go
back and be part of their family. It really shows how the ability to be in an
individualities culture versus a community culture from before really
diverted here.
● 2. How is the fighting in Vietnam portrayed?
○ The fighting in Vietnam is portrayed as if it would be quick at the
beginning. Everyone expected for it to be a done deal. A person at the
beginning talk about how if the war was anything like that day (beaches
and vollyball and surfing) then war would be easy. But as they realize that
their friends and and people that they were close to were dying, they
immediately became more serious and realized how much the war could
actually impact them. They also had to go long without showers and beds,
and there was a letter where a woman went to the base camp, and saw
the fascination that the American soldiers had with modern technologies,
just because they had been gone from home for so long.
● 3. What is the film's point of view on the war (bias) and how does it change as
the film goes on? What might have been left out of the film given its POV/bias?
Answer in 2-3 sentences with supporting details from the film.
○ The film’s point of view at the beginning is more cheerful as the soldiers go
on to fight for their country. They would rather fight for freedom, as the
film’s bias shows through, when they show how bad it was getting
throughout the years. The film follows people’s feelings about war. The
film mentions the dissenters were increasing in numbers, and people,
including soldiers just wanted their people back home.
● 4. Write a complex thesis in response to the following question:
■ Evaluate the extent to which opinions on the war in Vietnam
changed over time.
○ Although people were motivated to fight against communism, opinions on
the war were majorly impacted over time because of the high costs of the
war and the distance between home and its comfort.
