The Truth of War
How did we explore the truth of war in this project?
Throughout the project, there were many avenues that helped us to explore the meaning of truth and the truth of war. We read different historical documents about the Gulf of Tonkin incident, we reviewed information about the My Lai Massacre, and we talked to Veterans from Vietnam. For every topic that we explored, we considered both sides of the “story” and learned different perspectives. Out of all the activities we did, reading and discussing Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried explored truth and war the most deeply for me. The book has many chapters that are like short stories; they don’t go in any particular order, yet some are connected and mention the same characters. After reading each chapter, we discussed questions exploring the meaning of the story, the character’s traits, and their changes over time. After every story, we also considered how it added to our knowledge of truth. One story in particular, called How to Tell a True War Story was especially impactful. O’Brien used a literary device called stream of consciousness, and a lot of this story was his thoughts and insights on war. His work in The Things They Carried really helped me to think about the things we are told and how we know that things are true.
How did you strengthen your skills during this project?
As with almost every project I complete at Animas High School, I felt that The Truth of War led me to develop new skills and take away deeper understandings of my strengths and weaknesses. Because I decided to experiment with a new art form, I think I really strengthened my artistic skills. I am not particularly good at art, but I tried to learn a new block printing technique because it seemed interesting. I now feel more comfortable with the block printing method, and I feel that my skills have been strengthened because I am more confident experimenting with new art mediums. In the future, I hope to explore different ways to express truth through art, instead of simply sticking to the mediums that I am familiar with.
Throughout the project, there were many avenues that helped us to explore the meaning of truth and the truth of war. We read different historical documents about the Gulf of Tonkin incident, we reviewed information about the My Lai Massacre, and we talked to Veterans from Vietnam. For every topic that we explored, we considered both sides of the “story” and learned different perspectives. Out of all the activities we did, reading and discussing Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried explored truth and war the most deeply for me. The book has many chapters that are like short stories; they don’t go in any particular order, yet some are connected and mention the same characters. After reading each chapter, we discussed questions exploring the meaning of the story, the character’s traits, and their changes over time. After every story, we also considered how it added to our knowledge of truth. One story in particular, called How to Tell a True War Story was especially impactful. O’Brien used a literary device called stream of consciousness, and a lot of this story was his thoughts and insights on war. His work in The Things They Carried really helped me to think about the things we are told and how we know that things are true.
How did you strengthen your skills during this project?
As with almost every project I complete at Animas High School, I felt that The Truth of War led me to develop new skills and take away deeper understandings of my strengths and weaknesses. Because I decided to experiment with a new art form, I think I really strengthened my artistic skills. I am not particularly good at art, but I tried to learn a new block printing technique because it seemed interesting. I now feel more comfortable with the block printing method, and I feel that my skills have been strengthened because I am more confident experimenting with new art mediums. In the future, I hope to explore different ways to express truth through art, instead of simply sticking to the mediums that I am familiar with.
I have been to Washington D.C. and I have seen the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, but I had no knowledge of the history of the war or our reasons for entering the war. Now, I feel that I have a comprehensive understanding of the history of the Vietnam War, and I have been able to form my own opinions about the situation.
What enduring understandings will you take away from this project?
My greatest takeaway from this project has been an enduring understanding of the Vietnam War and how it fits into U.S. History. I have been to Washington D.C. and I have seen the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, but I had no knowledge of the history of the war or our reasons for entering the war. Now, I feel that I have a comprehensive understanding of the history of the Vietnam War, and I have been able to form my own opinions about the situation. Learning about the war through the perspective of Veterans has also helped shape my goals and outlook on my future. Additionally, reading The Things They Carried has left me with an understanding of the effects of war on a person. The book helped me realize the complexity of emotions and feelings that come from war, and the crazy things that Veterans went through. I absolutely love this book and the ideas that it presents, and I think I will probably read it many more times. |