Preview

Lieutenant Sidney Martin In Going After Cacciato

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
729 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Lieutenant Sidney Martin In Going After Cacciato
In accordance with the balance of nature, everything has a good and bad side. Something cannot be considered bad because it has bad qualities, because there is an advantageous side also. Rain, symbolic of rebirth and cleansing, may be thought of as just that, giving life to plants and making the earth green. But others may view rain as an omen, flooding the earth with continuous torrents similar to what Noah had endured. Or another example, angels, messengers of God. They may be considered as good and pure, considering an angel led the three wise men to baby Jesus, but other people may see angels as a bad omen. If they see one, they may think of death or the end of the world. Lieutenant Sidney Martin is portrayed as a morally ambiguous character in Going After Cacciato, as …show more content…
Lieutenant Sidney Martin demonstrates his moral ambiguity with his adherence to military procedures, but his actions, which he believes are standard protocol and thus effective and can be labeled as ¡°good¡±, make his men dislike him and attempt mutiny. Lieutenant Martin can be considered a great military man. He realizes all the choices he has to make in such critical times. ¡°He had many problems to consider: whether to stay on the road, with its danger of land mines but with its advantage of speed, or whether to move instead through the rough country, with less danger but with less speed. He had the problem of heat. He had the problem of sending tired men into the battle. He had other problems, too¡­¡± Lieutenant Martin only has a different way of thinking than the men. ¡°¡­but he was a leader, working through his sergeants according to the old rules of command. This kept his sergeants happy, and it would

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    As analysis is conducted into the characters of both Chief Bromden and Randle McMurphy, it is easy to conclude that both have characteristics and preform actions that can be considered heroic. Physically both Bromden and McMurphy are huge. But, unlike McMurphy, Bromden does not have the self-confidence to match his gigantic exterior. This contrast in personality is due to the idea that Bromden has constantly been maltreated for the entirety of his life. McMurphy, on the other hand, refuses to be brought down because of his indomitable spirit.…

    • 1048 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In this writing he can almost put the reader in his shoes. This was a pointless war that many young men were forced into. He didn't want to be there but he feels it is his responsibility and is to coward to just run away from it even though he has the chance when he is on the boat with Elroy in the chapter " On the Rainy River". That last sentence may have confused the reader of this essay a little. They might be thinking to themselves, " wouldn't running away from the war make them a coward apples to going to it" and that's what you should think. But O' Brien states in the book not doing what you think is right is coward. He wants to just run away from it all but is to worried about what his friends and family will think of him. He lets the opinions of others get in the way of what he wants which he defines as…

    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    and off the battlefield. Beneficial to the Lieutenant, his meaningful affections for the junior college…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Boyd talks about how everyone was very eager to volunteer to join the military to have fun and to make some money and it seemed to be very easy because the war was expected to be very short. Things started to look a bit different even when, the volunteers got to the first destination to be sworn into duty. They started to wonder why they were being sworn in to service for 3 years when they all thought the war was going to be very short. Boyd and the rest of them figured that the government must know something more than everyone else knows. Even during the beginning of the service the conditions for the service did not look as good as they had expected, and the officer had seen that the volunteers started having second guesses about doing it so they put them into more comfortable quarters to keep them from going home. During the war most of the time the conditions were horrible. There were many problems with the soldiers during the war. Many died from being wounded, being shot, and the worst of all was the disease. The conditions were so horrible that many men couldn't get enough sleep and even when they did get sleep they were sleeping in the rain or in the snow.…

    • 1130 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In William Faulkner's book The Unvanquished, Bayard Sartoris made a crucial decision in his life to become a man. In "The Odor of Verbena," Bayard had found out that his father was killed by his old business partner, Mr. Redmond. He then had to choose between killing Redmond or not, knowing that each decision would have a consequence. He chose to let Redmond live, allowing him to have the will he wanted. His action was honorable because he took into account what he cared about, not what others did, and picked the decision which was most important to him. He was aware of the risk and alienated all external forces telling him to kill Redmond, and by doing so, he became a free man. Bayard's move showed Faulkner's readers that the best move one…

    • 163 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Revolutionary soldier

    • 1235 Words
    • 5 Pages

    respect for the soldiers such as Joseph Plumb Martin. Although he didn’t necessarily want to be a…

    • 1235 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    It Happened On The Way To War is a book by Rye Barcott. This book talks about a marine who dreams of making a difference in the world. We read about his life, feeling as if we were a part of it. Three values that he clearly shows in this book are balance, leadership and Inspiration. Somebody once said that in order to succeed in life, you have to have a balance between your personal life and your professional life. Rye Barcott not only shows us the importance of having a balance, but he also shows us how hard it is to find that balance. While he was a part of the Marines, he was expected to transition easily from the combat mode to peace keeping mode. He thought that he will be able to separate the founder of Carolina for Kibera(CFK) from the marine that he was meant to be and vice versa. However as he started his journey, he soon realized how difficult finding balance actually is. After he came back from Kibera and started bootcamp. Rye noticed a difference in his performance. His said that for the first time in his life, he was in the bottom half of the class. “ It’s like a dual culture shock” (90 Barcott, Rye) thats what is what his mother said that he was going through. This was the first time, we see Rye struggling to keep his personal and professional life separate. As time went by he was able to over come the cultural shock, however once he was an official marine. he was presented with a new challenge. He had to look at children that he was trying to improve the lives off, as potential suspects. As a marine he had to check kids that looked innocent for bombs and weapons and then then as a founder of CFK he had to go and help them. In my leadership class, I have been taught that in order to be a good leader you need to do 5 things. You have to model the way, inspire a shared vision, encourage the heart, challenge the process and enable others to act. In the book, Rye demonstrates most if not all of these 5 qualities. He…

    • 1057 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    the wars essay hero

    • 894 Words
    • 4 Pages

    - shows how Robert Ross progresses as a "hero" and demonstrates the responsibilities and pressures the war puts on an individual as is can make them think irrationally. It also shows how teamwork is the most valuable tactic in surviving battle. It gives a more visual outlook to the reality Robert experiences in the war as he expresses fear and quick thinking.…

    • 894 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Criticism In Catch-22

    • 1723 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Throughout this work Heller relies heavily on the use of juxtapositions. A prime example of this is the way Colonel Cathcart feels about his rank as a colonel; he, “…was conceited because he was a full colonel with a combat command at the age of only thirty-six; and Colonel Cathcart was dejected because although he was already thirty-six he was still only a full colonel,” (Heller 192). His emotions about his age and rank are complete opposites. He is happy that he is young and ranked highly, but unhappy that he is young and ranked lower than younger men. There were even juxtapositions within character descriptions as Cathcart is described as, “…dashing and dejected, poised and chagrined,” (Heller 191). Heller uses completely contrasting adjectives in order to describe the colonel. For every good trait he possesses there is a bad one to even it out. These types of juxtapositions can even be found in descriptions of characters that are not even involved with the war. For example, “Nately’s mother, a descendant of the New England Thortons, was a Daughter of the Revolution. His father was a Son of a Bitch, (Heller 255). Nately’s mother is a well-respected member of society. In direct contrast to her good qualities, is his father, who possesses the poor qualities. The fact that they are married shows union. One represents good and one represents bad and they are married together. There is no way to obtain the good without the bad and that is the…

    • 1723 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the positive aspect of the war to Paul was that it melds extraordinarily strong bonds between soldiers. The men of the Second Company are comrades-in-arms, closer than family or even lovers. They have seen unspeakable horrors and endured unimaginable suffering together, experiences they will never be able to share with those who did not fight. The war creates sharp distinctions between soldiers and civilians, but it erases other distinctions. Class divisions, for example, are no longer significant: well-educated young men like Paul fight and die alongside peasants like Detering.…

    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    (5)Near the end of the story, the theme becomes apparent, that is because even with the losses and Martin, (one of the only few that made it back from no mans land who managed to crawl back into the trenches)the regiment did not reach their objective but instead just got mowed down.(6) As wounded Martin attempted to get back inside his trench, he describes that he sees on the way back “Again and again he passed…

    • 1289 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This meant that even though they were required to carry the physical load and bear the emotional consequences, they still had to “fight” for survival. Every characteristic or thought was taken in a positive manner and helped them develop confidence and motivation that lead them to overcome the devastation of war. For example there was an epiphany for Jimmy Cross at the end of the story when he realized the predicament of not being focused in war. This lead him to burn the letters, which shows a great deal of confidence and motivation, developed during war. The act of him burning the letter made sure that he was willing to forget the fantasies about his girlfriend Martha and become focused in war. He had managed to acquire the courage by simply an incident that could have potentially proven to be fatal. Therefore this helped in developing confidence and the ability to be focused while also motivating him to be alert in war. Therefore this gives us insight that the author provides details about the consequences of war faced by the soldiers not only physically but also mentally such as fear, love and grief. The ability or mental strength required to overcome the atrocities of war is immense and this is intensified by gravity of the precarious situation. “They carried their reputation.” Thereby leading to this conclusion that war has many social and personal consequences that are reluctantly compelled onto a soldier but it undeniably lead to the development of confidence and…

    • 1501 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    troubled thinking

    • 994 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Montresor and Sammy act on impulse when they are encountered with their discordances, but strongly feel that they each have a compelling reason to serve…

    • 994 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Things They Carried

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is a young, carefree man who is still searching for his future. Without realizing what he was getting himself into, he applies for the Reserve Officers Training Corps at his college in New Jersey. Many of his friends knew he did not care about the war. Even Cross himself never gave it a second thought. He never thought he would actually go to war by taking the Reserve Officers Training Corps course. Later that year, he is drafted to the war as Lieutenant of several men under his charge, and he is unsure about everything he does. He had no desire to be a team leader, let alone lead a group of men into a blind war. Up until the day he was drafted, Jimmy Cross did not care for the war and what was happening. Being only a sophomore in college, he was still a young man with no experience when it came to war and being Lieutenant.…

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In this amazingly well thought of essay i will discuss with you today of the series of actions that brought me to write this paper, the possible effects these actions might have on the accomplishment of the mission, and how to discourage and possibly stop such things from ever happening to me. The reason I am being subject to this time consuming, uninspired, and rather boring writing assignment is because I failed to be at the correct place of duty at the time appointed to me by my superiors. The story begins on the previous night before the great war known to many as “The Great Flu Battle of Monty Gym” like any other night it will start with a handsome young private he might be a tad on the short side and his chin might not be as squared as he’d like but handsome none the less, and his bad luck with the evil things known as alarm clocks ! As this young private gets off work just like any other day he scurries towards his den his manly cave of freedom, sweat, food, alcohol, and lotion known as his barracks room opening the door as he knows in his mind that now at last he is free from the clutches of the men referred to by the people as THE NCO’s for he knows this is a safe haven where as long as he knows not to make a single peep as Ann Frank once did long ago nothing can harm him with such horrible, wretched, evil weapons known as extra duty or some also known as “detail” but not everyone gets so lucky not everyone can escape alive for those unlucky bastards I applaud for when you so happen to see them again if by luck this is so. it is the look on their defeated eyes like windows towards the soul knowing they could be so lucky as to dine pig at the great halls of a place to some referred as The Taste Korean or maybe drinking slushies’ at The amazing Sonic, but that is not so for them and that is why I salute you my friends my comrades my brothers in arms ! Knowing the worst had passed the young private opening the door already…

    • 1259 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Powerful Essays