blog




  • Essay / Flags of Our Fathers by Clint Eastwood: The Psychological Effects of War on Soldiers

    Flags of Our Fathers is an American war film set before, during and after World War II. In this film we see the effects of war on three soldiers who become famous after taking a famous photo. During the film we see that they struggle to move on as they have flashbacks to their time during the war or PTSD. They also struggle with their newfound fame and continue to live without their comrades. Directed by Clint Eastwood, it stars actors such as Ryan Philippe, Jesse Bradford, John Hickey and Paul Walker. This is a very powerful film which, despite its light humor, shows that life after war is a very difficult burden and it is extremely difficult to continue. As for the movie Letters from Iwo Jima, we get a second perspective from the Japanese on how they act, treat their soldiers, and fight on their side. We learn that life goes on for them too despite everything. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Right from the start, we see our three protagonists: Ira, Rene, and Doc reflecting after their battle as they shoot through a bonding campaign. During this time, we see them recalling memories or suffering from PTSD. We see their story as they undergo training in Hawaii until they are finally sent to Iwo Jima. The battle then takes place and we see that many lives are lost including some of their friends. Still, as the battle continued, the soldiers raised the flag on command. From there we see others being killed slowly throughout the battle until it is finally over. After the war, these three survivors go through their own trials and tribulations despite being proclaimed national heroes. For example, Ira begins to experience discrimination due to his Native American background and begins to struggle with alcoholism. In one scene we even see a drunken Ira attack police officers after being refused service simply because he is Native American, despite being a national hero. Over the years, we learn the fate of the three soldiers. Ira dies of exposure after a night of drinking, Doc lives out the rest of his life as a janitor, and René attempts a career as a businessman but fails. Doc, on his deathbed, tells this story to his son, and then a final scene of the men is shown. It is a powerful film that contains very realistic scenes. For example, the post-traumatic stress disorder that we see our heroes struggle with is shown throughout the film. With Ira, we see his struggles with alcohol abuse, survivor's guilt, and depression. Doc struggles with survivor's guilt as well as insomnia and more. Racism is also a reality that persists in this era. Ira is hit by the worst and we constantly see him receiving “jokes” which are in reality nothing more than racist remarks. He is also the only person consistently attacked with remarks that identify him solely by his race. Like when a senator tries to speak to him in his native language in a mocking manner or when another person asks if his people are proud of him, etc. This is also another film in which we see that the characters are portrayed as larger than life or epic figures, however, these characters don't really want to be portrayed that way. They just want to live a relatively normal life. In another scene we see Ira working on a farm and being stopped by a family who wants to take his picture and.