Down the Barrel

            War art always tells a very stark story. It tells specific stories and usually indicates a very decisive view. Ivan Shagin’s On a Raid is no exception. This photo shows three large gun barrels pointed towards a sea with two military destroyers in the background. The view comes from directly beneath the gun barrels, so one is unable to tell if it is coming from a tank or another ship at sea. These barrels dominate the photographs composition, taking up more than half of the field of view. To me this represents the enormity of the war machines rolling over the earth during world war two. This war was one of the largest scale in our world’s history. No country in the Western world was able to escape its impact, either directly or indirectly. In the middle of this photograph is a flag. It is unclear which country this flag belongs to. This flag is one of the main focal points of the photograph. All three-gun barrels are pointed towards it; the barrels form the bottom of a triangle with the flag being the tip. This flag, compared to the gun barrels is very small, yet still standing tall against their advance.  This represents the hope that those affected most directly by the war held on to, the hope that they and their way of life may still endure. The ships in the background tie into this as well. They are coming towards the flag and the barrels, almost as if to offer more hope to the people of the flag.

Dear Country, Dear US

Dear U.S.A.,

“A story. A man fires a rifle for many years. And he goes to war. And afterwards he comes home, and he sees that whatever else he may do with his life - build a house, love a woman, change his son's diaper - he will always remain a jarhead. And all the jarheads killing and dying, they will always be me. We are still in the desert.” (Jake Gyllenhaal, Jarhead) The America public, for all we see on the news and read in books, knows little about war. We do not know how it feels to be in enemy territory with he only things keeping you alive are the rifle in your hands and the men at your side. To better understand war, we as a nation need to better understand the men who fight in it. To understand the soldier is to understand the heart of the military. To better understand the soldier we as a country should embrace them. Too often do we fear the men and women returning from war. We shun them and wonder why anyone would possibly want to fight. As a nation we place all the horrors of war onto the servicemen and women returning home. They are killers, they are monsters. This is a very naïve opinion to have. It is true not all Americans believe this. But some do. Yes there are soldiers who commit acts far above the necessary to complete a mission and survive; there are soldiers who are killers. But there are civilian monsters as well. There are bad people everywhere. It is important to judge the soldiers as a whole, by their courage and their sacrifices. To understand the war, we must understand the soldier.  

Joey Durbin

Matt Rotando's 104 Blog

www.104aboutwar.blogspot.com

Current Events

www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/08/iraqi.ambassador/index.html

This article is about the Iraqi ambassador to the US He believes that the US should not leave Iraq in the immdiate future. He belives that without our military Iraq will not last long. The ambassador, Samir Sumaidaie, believes that it will be very important for whoever is our next President to carefully judge and decide what we should do. He believes that we will be able to decrease our presence over the next few years, but for now we cannot fully pull out of Iraq.

This article is all about a speech, and as such is full of quotes. These quotes all cover the same basic ideas, speaking of time tables and giving advice. Iraq is called a "work in progres' by the subject of the article, Iraqi Ambassador to the US Samir Sumaidaie.  The article, in regards to time, refers only to years. There is no mention of what should happen over the next few month period, only the next few years.

I Don't Remember

I don't remember middle school. I don't want to. I didn't like it very much. Places, people, subject. It was no fun. No fun at all. I don't remember my dog. I try to, I want to, but I don't. Time goes by and I remember less. I don't remember what mix she was. I don't remember how it felt to touch her. I barely remember her voice. Her howl. Her speech. I don't remember what it was like to have her as a friend. All I remember now is after. She is gone, and good ridance to her. Her frienship was a lie. I don't remember and I don't want you to ask.

I Remember

I remember. 

I remember. Sometimes I think that is the problem.

I remember.

I remember the zoo.

I remember the show.

I remember the Chex game.

I remember then. 

I remember now. 

Homophonic Translation

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Poor is more damnit, damn her, damn you

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Damn language it pleasant sounds lure you on it nowhere

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