 Sgt. Elias and Sgt. Barnes Just as Chris and the platoon are divided between Elias and Barnes, viewers also feel somewhat divided. You feel compelled to side with Elias because he is jaded and righteous and seems to care about his men, but you can't help but admire Barnes' hardiness, his determination to win the war and ability to survive.
After our class discussion about allegory, the Christ figure and Machiavelli, as well as the inability of humans to be purely good or evil, you understand that this is a decision that is not as easy as one might hope. Imagine that you are a soldier in this platoon. Who do you follow, Sgt. Barnes or Sgt. Elias? Take into consideration all factors: survival, morality, reality of the war environment, psychological effects of the war, constant extreme stress, and any other factors that would affect your decision. Explain your decision in a thoughtful and well supported blog entry. PLEASE ADD WORD COUNT AT END OF EACH BLOG ENTRY! Primary Blog Entry Expectations (respond to the prompt above): 200-250 words, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the assigned "pen name" given to you in class. Secondary Blog Entry Expectations (read everyone's first responses, select two that interest you, and respond to their ideas): 100-150 words EACH, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the assigned "pen name" given to you in class. (3 total blog entries for this assignment)
# 5
3/29/2014 01:43:05 pm
If I was soldier in the platoon I would choose to follow Sgt Elias. The reason why I would follow him is because he believed in fighting the war and protecting his men as well. But he would do that with a good heart. He helped his men. He gave them advice, he wouldn’t kill people for no apparent reason because they are starting to lose their sanity and they are upset about everything that has happened. Yes, most good men or maybe you can say people probably die quicker than most people because first off many people find it annoying that a person would do the right thing no matter what. Most people like Sgt Barnes like having their own way of doing things. Yeah, they live longer but they are suffering deep inside. They might portray an exterior attitude of being tough and chill about things but I bet every decision that they have made has affected them more and more each time. You can tell Barnes is troubled he doesn’t know what is wrong or right anymore or maybe he does but since he has made so many decisions that is not right but has brought him to the place he needs to be he doesn’t care. But in the long run people like Barnes do pay the consequences for their actions maybe not now or even for a long, long time but there time will come and they won’t see it coming and it will hurt them making them regret everything they have done. So I would follow Sgt Elias because he has as much and even equal skill to Barnes just because he wasn’t shot 7 times doesn’t mean he isn’t a good leader. Barnes takes advantage of how lucky he is to be alive, and how most of the men respect him.
Student 3
3/30/2014 08:17:42 am
True. Sgt. Elias was a mentor of Chris I should say. He knew that there was not much glory or satisfaction in killing people to achieve what you want. He cared more of his soldiers than Sgt. Barnes. He was the Christ figure. He believed in whatever he did. Although Barnes was in a higher position than him, he sometime tried to correct him for his actions. For example, Barnes threatened a man that he would kill his daughter if he did not tell him where their enemies were, but Elias stopped him immediately. The little girl was innocent, and therefore killing her would not give him the answers he wants. Word Count: 111
Student 23
3/30/2014 12:33:10 pm
I agree with alot of what you said about Sergeant Elias and Sergeant Barnes. For example Sergeant Elias is like a teacher and a counselor to his men, and he cares about their moral behavior. He shows that he cares about their moral behavior during the scene at the village. He showed that he cared because he was angry at the way they treated those innocent villagers. People like Barnes don't really care much about others as long as they achieve their goals, even if it means harming others. Eventually their sins and evil deeds do hunt them later on in life, and there is where the real battle begins for them. word count : 111
# 5
3/30/2014 03:59:44 pm
I am glad you guys a agree with me. Most people would follow Barnes because they have that careless attitude as well. They would do anything to get the job done. Sometimes and most if the time that is dangerous because you lose sight on what right and wrong and you just don't see it anymore. Elias knew that there were limits. So did Barnes he just didn't care. What touched me was the part that Elias was still alive after being shot by Barnes. He kept running, fighting. I thought that was heart breaking. That your own soldier would do that to him. Ugh made me so upset. I get into movies too much haha
14
3/30/2014 03:36:31 pm
I agree with this post. Sgt. Elias is a true leader and isn’t doing it just for himself. He knows how to work well with others and maintain positive vibes throughout the movie. Sgt. Barnes is very careless and only worries about himself. I agree with your statement about how Sgt. Elias has a good heart and keeps his sanity. I also agree with how Sgt. Barnes has his own way of doing things. This is also another example oh how selfish he is. He doesn’t care about anyone else’s input. I would personally follow Sgt. Elias. (100)
Student 9
3/30/2014 04:59:16 pm
I agree with your opinions on choosing Sgt Elias as a leader. I appreciate the fact that Elias wanted to win the war without performing illegal actions or activity. Sgt Barnes does seem as if he has been through enough traumatic experiences to completely alter his outlook of life. This fact could potentially make a soldier want to choose Elias. Sgt Barnes could possibly provide a longer life for each soldier, but the actions he completes could cause a person to change mentally and emotionally after the war is over. I also feel that Elias and Barnes have the same level of skill when it comes to war tactics. If I was able to prevent an emotionally damaged mindset after war, I would prefer Elias as a leader instead of Barnes.
#25
3/31/2014 01:34:49 pm
*#25 not #5
#25
3/31/2014 01:36:53 pm
sorry thought this was my comment.
Student 10
3/30/2014 07:47:22 am
If I was a soldier in this platoon I would choose to work with Sargent Elias. I would choose to work with him because, I feel like I would trust him more than Barnes. He understands what war is, the both do, I just like his perspective better. He would fight war and try to protect or save his men. He helped his men, gave them advice on certain topics. Elias had just about the same skills for war as Barnes but they each used their skills differently. Most of the men that are with Barnes stay with him because throughout everything that he's been through he's still alive. His men believe that they will too survive with him. Elias tryed to save his men as much as he could, he died for them.
Student 3
3/30/2014 08:03:40 am
I know right. Sgt. Elias is a good warrior and a righteous man. He is more concerned about the lives of his soldiers. Barnes uses his skills to achieve just what he wants. Elias is the fatherly figure, always reaching out for other people. He looked out for everyone, and never thought of his survival only. He also tries to tackle the hard part of the war, in order not to get any of his soldiers hurt. Out of his greatness and kindness, Chris looked out to be like him. At the end, Barnes kills Elias because he thought he was always going to get in his way. Word Count: 108
21
3/30/2014 04:56:16 pm
I disagree, he might have his skills, but he doesn't have the urge to do everything that is necessary to maintain his men alive. he thinks that talking he is going to solve things, war is not about that, war is about who is stronger, and who is ambitious enough to win the war and the country that has less dead solders. He might want to protect his solders but, he does it softly, and by doing that their solders will not progress to become a better solder. They will stay the same, they would learn the hard way. Sgt. Barnes way.
19 i think lol
3/31/2014 04:22:12 pm
cool you think the same way i do so uhmm yeah i agree with you.. trust is more important and theres no way to trust Barnes if he tried to kill Elias and Chris .. E would of done anything for his men even for Barnes! he would of given up his own life exactly how u sated it
Student 3
3/30/2014 07:48:02 am
In my point of view, I follow Sgt. Elias. We are to keep in mind that these soldiers are needed to stay alive to complete their mission. Sgt. Barnes is a good warrior too just like Sgt. Elias. Barnes’ aim is to win the war at all cost. He cares a little about the well-being of people. Therefore, he would even kill to keep his men safe, but that is not the case. In the movie, he and his men invade a village and kill some of these villagers because he needed answers. He wanted to know where their enemies were hiding and what they planned to do, but these people refuse to give them any clues. He was stopped by Sgt. Elias because he killing them would not bring them any solutions. This creates some kind of hatred between these two soldiers. Barnes only cares about his soldiers because he needs them for the war, but Sgt. Elias’ concern is both the well-being and the soldiers’ survival through the war. From my perspective, I think Elias would prefer they lose the war that losing his men through the war. He is so passionate and the fatherly figure. For example, at the beginning of the movie, he helped Chris Taylor, one of the new soldiers who just joined them, during their first ambush. He takes Chris’ bag off his back and carries it since he was so exhausted and weak. This kind of figure is a righteous and a good warrior as well.
Student 3
3/30/2014 07:48:40 am
Word Count: 253
Student 23
3/30/2014 12:54:21 pm
I agree with everything you said about Sergeant Elias, because after all he's a caring man. He shows he's a caring man, because during the nightwatch scene he doesn't blame Taylor for falling sleep. Instead of blaming Taylor, he acts in a calm way showing that he cares, because after all accidents happen. He's a very caring man because he stopped Sergeant Barnes from butchering an entire village of innocent people, and this shows that he has good morals.I agree with what you said about Elias losing the war rather than losing his men in it because once again, this shows that he cares about his men, and that he's devoted to them. word count: 114
10
3/30/2014 01:32:56 pm
I agree with everything you said. Sargent Elias was like a fatherly figure to them. He would help them through everything. He was such a caring man, unlike Barnes. He helped the new boy, and Barnes with his squad wanted them to go in first just because they're fresh meat.
7
3/30/2014 03:31:50 pm
I agree with your statement about Sgt. Elias because he is like a father figure to men. He never points the finger and never lets one person take all the blame. He is cool, calm, collective. He displays a great amount of poise during high tension scenes. But also Elias should not get too close since it is war. The main goal is to win the war and Elias is mainly thinking about not losing his men, which is thoughtful. Elias shows his troops that he has a good head on his soldiers and that he knows what he is doing. If I was out there in Vietnam, I would want a guy like Sgt. Elias to follow.
Student 23
3/30/2014 12:17:27 pm
If i were a soldier in the platoon, i would follow Sergeant Elias for so many reasons.One of the main reasons why i would follow Sergeant Elias is because of his good moral values. A good example of those moral values occurs during the scene in the village. In this scene Sergeant Barnes starts harrassing the people in the village and shows no moral values. When this is happening Sergeant Elias intervenes because Barnes' actions are brutal and intolerable. Another big reason why i would follow Sergeant Elias is because he seems to care about his men more than anything. A good example of this is seen in the scene where Taylor is blamed for falling sleep during nightwatch. In this scene instead of barking like a dog at those responsible (or innocent) for this incident, he treats them in a more lenient way without getting angry at them. Another good example of Sergeant Elias caring about his men is when he puts his life on the line for his men. This occurs at a certain scene in the movie where the platoon is getting overrun by the vietnamese, and in this scene Sergeant Elias puts his life on the line in order to cover the platoon's retreat. This ultimate sacrifice claims his life, but saves many others his shows how much he cares for his men. Word count: 227
24
3/30/2014 01:57:26 pm
I disagree with student 23 because I think that Barnes would bring the men the farthest. Elias adds too much emotion to everything, he gets attached. I feel that in Vietnam Barnes would be the better of the two because Elias becomes too nice, forgetting the main point of the war, which is to win. Barnes has “his eye on the prize” and nothing is getting in his way of doing his job. I’m not disagreeing with the fact that is he brutal; it’s just in this situation, after the Vietnamese retaliation against the US, Barnes actions are acceptable and expected of any proud American. This doesn’t justify anything. It’s just Barnes doing what he believes will get them out of the war.
# 5
3/30/2014 04:05:30 pm
I see your point but it's not that he puts too much emotion but it's that he still has some values. You can still win the war and have the eye on the prize by doing things right. People just throw simple things out of proportion. There's no need to kill inncent lives. There's no need to be brutal.
Student 12
3/30/2014 04:30:43 pm
Look Sgt. Elias good morals will only get him killed in war anything must be done to save millions of lives. He will only get his men killed. Sgt. Barnes was trying to get answers and the woman was the statement he had to make. No one wants to be the bad guy but, at the end the bad guy gets things done. The good guys stay in the dust die with their morals. Sgt. Elias was just a bug that was hurting the army. No one needs a pot head to talk about morals. Sgt. Barnes could have saved a lot of lives if his gut feeling was right.
21
3/30/2014 04:46:29 pm
I agree but disagree at the same time, he might care about his solders but, he doesn't know how to train them, if you let something like fell a sleep in a night watch slide by, they could get killed, and the solders would never learn, he might be a good solders but doesn't help the other lean what they're what they are up against, they are playing with their live's and the live's of they fella solders. He needs to show them who is in charge who can they respect and look up to, like Sgt. Barnes, he shows them a direct way to lean, if they make a mistake he makes sure they see, so they can fix it. Thats how a person learns, learning from their mistakes.
16
3/30/2014 12:30:21 pm
As a soldier you have to keep your sanity while trying to survive. Your leader has to be someone who keeps their men strong and focused. So in a war such as Vietnam, I would side with Elias. War has a lasting effect on the ones fighting. Elias is far from the savage Barnes. Barnes doesn't realize that he isnt going to be at war his entire life. When he leaves, due to his actions he isnt going to be able to function in real life. Theres no way i would feel stable by being harrassed by Barnes. I become as insane as his men. Eilas will keep me alive and keep me in reality.
24
3/30/2014 02:04:25 pm
I disagree with student 16 because I don’t believe that keeping your sanity has a large impact on survival. You will survive if you fight to live. You could be insane and still survive. Elias is sugar coating the war, not showing everyone the reality of the war like Barnes did. Barnes told the men straight up what happens when someone messes up, he doesn’t lie to them. He is brutal, mean, and harasses the men but his main focus is to keep them alive. With Elias, he’s trying to make friends and create bonds with his men, but bonds and friendship aren’t going to save them in the war.
# 5
3/30/2014 04:13:34 pm
So # 24 you do realize they aren't going to be in war forever. So if they do survive they are not going to survive in society because they are insane. It's important that you keep your sanity. How in the world are you going to function in the real world of things. Elias was just making use if a difficult situation. He was being emotional or anything. He was just being a decent guy that realized that life could be gone in a second. Why be like Barnes. When you can do what you gotta do with out being stupidly severe. You do need your sanity. Just saying.
24
3/30/2014 01:24:05 pm
As a soldier in this platoon I would be compelled to side with Sgt. Barnes. Barnes does everything in his power to keep his men safe. That is a really important factor, to me because no matter what, with Sgt. Barnes I would survive. Barnes doesn't follow any type of morals during the war because it became so real. It was do everything you can or you and your men are going to die. Reality is, all of the men want to go home alive and not everyone would with Stg. Elias. With Barnes, the psychological damage would be unbearable, but men would go home alive. To me, the psychological damage is something I would live with, versus being dead. Barnes knows what is going to happen if he loosens up. He is the reason why the men made it that far. His hard-ass personality scares some of the men but also gains respect. At the same time with choosing Barnes, there would be unnecessary deaths. Barnes doesn't play the games that Elias plays. If you don’t do something Barnes orders, you’re done, you’re dead. Due to this, many people would die if they didn't follow the rules correctly. Overall, Barnes would be the one taking most of the men back home.
14
3/30/2014 01:59:26 pm
I disagree because at the scene with the townspeople Barnes was selfish and killed everyone in his path. He had no respect and acted carelessly toward the innocent Vietnamese. Instead of minding his own business and proceeding on with war, he disrupted them and caused some of them to lose the lives of their loved ones. Psychological can kill you just as much as physical damage. If you’re not in the right state of mind, you have a higher chance of not making it out alive. In my opinion, I think Sgt. Elias was a better leader. (100)
7
3/30/2014 03:23:49 pm
I also disagree with your statement because Sgt. Barnes is ruthless and cold hearted. He was extremely disrespectful towards the innocent people in the villages in Vietnam. Sgt. Barnes displayed a great ordeal of savagery in the movie. He even killed a woman that had a child. He showed no remorse for wrongful actions. Sgt. Barnes is insane in the membrane that is not the leader you want to look up to. I would not want to listen to a order telling me to kill a innocent civilian. I feel like Sgt. Barnes would not be the person to give you helpful advice in the time of need.
Student 9
3/30/2014 05:31:56 pm
I agree with student 22 about choosing Barnes as a leader. Even though many soldiers would be mentally and emotionally affected by Barnes actions, they would still appreciate the fact that they were alive. Elias promoted moral behavior, but Barnes promoted survival behavior. When it comes down the meaning of war, the thought of ethics may not seem as important or essential to practice. The thing that proves to be the most necessary to practice is the process of saving lives. Elias cares about lives of soldiers and winning the war, but his approach is not as aggressive as Barnes would be. During this war, well thought out plans and urgent unexpected plans will test the likelihood of life and victory.
student -14
3/30/2014 01:42:57 pm
If I were a soldier in the Vietnam War, I would follow Sgt. Elias. His motto was to win the war and made sure everyone made it out alive. He was a true leader and was always the one to lead his crew of soldiers in the right direction safe and sound. Sgt. Elias was a calm go to person, who would be there if any soldier was having a hard time with something. Unlike Barnes, who was selfish and would kill anyone in his path. It was his way or the highway for Sgt. Barnes. Barnes just wants to win the war for his self more than anything. He doesn’t care if his team makes it out alive or not he just wants to do it for him. I would trust Sgt. Elias more than Barnes because he seems to understand the concept of war better. Harassing and killing the townspeople showed that Barnes was a careless soldier and had no respect for the rights of others. Being in combat is psychological and physically difficult. Men are torn between decisions to make. Following someone you know you trust can make you feel a lot better and confident fighting for your country. (203)
student 11
3/31/2014 03:42:11 pm
I do agree with you that you should pick Elias because he was more for everybody and showed that he cared for everyone. He was an excellent soldier and knew how to communicate with everyone. He made life a little easier and showed that you can still have people with morals in the war. But that doesn't mean that Barnes didn't want his soldiers to be home. He just didn't want you to be weak because when you're weak it's a good chance of dying. So if he though that you might be a reason for making everyone soft he would make sure that you were no longer a factor
thirteeen(:
3/30/2014 03:06:29 pm
If I were a soldier in this platoon, I would definitely choose to follow Sgt. Elias. he had good intentions and wanted his men to get out alive. Sargent Elias had good morals and died for his men. To me that showed a lot of respect. Elias was a good leader and wanted the best for his men, and had them all kept safe. He led them in the right direction and was like a father figure to them. I feel like that's really important in the war, to have someone you can look up to as a role model to do the right things and to them the right way. Sgt. Barnes on the other hand did go through a lot and made it out alive through everything he's been through, but I don't think he's in it to keep his men safe. I think he's just there to get it over with and keep himself alive. in my opinion, following Sgt. Elias would make life a little less stressful and intense compared to Barnes. Watching this movie, Barnes was the more serious one and Elias was more of the father figure because he led his guys into a positive mindset and gave them the advice they needed.
student 11
3/31/2014 03:50:08 pm
I think you are totally correct and would most likely pick the same person to follow. Like you said he was a great leader and you need someone like that, a father figure to help guide and teach you things. He did look out for his soldiers and looked for their best interest which is very important. But they could also slack and get to be too comfortable and not have someone on their back. Make sure they're on their toes and always ready, prepared and have that aggressiveness to survive; cut no slack to the enemy. You also need this tangibles to win a war
Student #6
3/30/2014 03:06:48 pm
The platoon is divided between Cpl. Elias and Sgt. Barnes. Given what we’ve been through I’ve grown a strong bond with Elias over Barnes. Barnes may have spent more years in the bush then Elias but he’s not human. He’s emotionless, and a complete hard-ass. When I first arrived I felt that he wouldn’t care if I ended up lost or wounded, hell I still feel like if I just miss hear him and ask him to repeat himself help frag me in my sleep, but Elias is different. I trust him to cover my back. He’s the type of man to search the entire jungle, turn over every rock and leaf to find a lost man, even in these gook infested jungles.
Student 11
3/30/2014 03:13:26 pm
If I was a soldier I Would pick Sgt Elias because he was such a father figure to the men which the other soldiers needed. The reason why I say this is because many of the men was young and come from struggling families or their life wasn’t that well before they entered the war. So they still need guidance because they don’t have that much experience in life, not to mention what to do in the war. Elias helped guide you on what to do and what not to do and was the only soldier that didn’t lose his sanity and still knew what morals. He was trying to teach his men to be the same but Barnes was in the way of that. Also Elias new how to kill and knew how to survive just as good as Barnes did he just had another way of showing it. He gave hope to his soldiers and showed that everything could be okay even if at times it didn’t look like that. You can trust Sgt Elias to look out for your best interest and to care for you like you’re a human being. Unlike Barnes where he killed or thought he killed Elias because he thought he would make the men weak and die
student 11
3/30/2014 03:14:52 pm
word count 215
7
3/30/2014 03:17:56 pm
If I was a soldier in the movie Platoon, I would most likely follow Sgt. Elias because he demonstrates great leadership and trust. He believes in fighting the war and making sure his men are protected. He always does everything in a good manner. He reached out to his men; he always gave them a hand in a time of need. He didn’t believe in ruining the villages or killing innocent civilians. He believes that if he shows the men that it is ok to kill innocent people then that his men will go insane and he doesn’t need that. Unlike Sgt Barnes, Sgt Elias does not portray to be tough. When you are across the world in a different country, it can start to be lonely. So sometimes the troops need advice and I feel like Sgt. Elias is the best at doing that. Also, sometimes I feel like in the movie that Sgt. Barnes is confused and does not know which way to go and that can be detrimental when you are at war. Sgt. Elias is equal in skill with Barnes, but Elias just have the intangibles that can not be taught such as great leadership and trustworthiness.
7
3/30/2014 03:18:14 pm
201
Student22
3/30/2014 03:44:03 pm
Recently everyone has been talking about Elias and Barnes lately and which one would get us out of here alive. I’m not too sure for most of the others but I trust Elias more than I do Barnes. I Feel like Elias actually care about us, he has fun with us and he’s just like us, human. Elias isn’t a machine like Barnes is. Barnes just seems like he wants to survive and we’re resources he need to do that. It seems like he’s just being pointed at where to go and it’s up to him to get the job done by himself or with us and who ever dies was just a causality that wasn’t him, and unlike Barnes Elias looks out for us. During the first ambush we were placed on Barnes didn’t care how new we were, he sent us out. The only person who was willing to teach us anything was Elias. He felt like a real brother to me while Barnes, if anything just felt like a spiteful father. I think if not for Elias I wouldn’t just lose my life in this war but who I am as a person. I don’t want to be a machine like Barnes, if anything I feel that being a machine can be worse than death.
Student 12
3/30/2014 04:15:35 pm
If I was soldier in the platoon I would choose to follow Sgt. Barnes. Sgt. Barnes knows that in war there must be sacrifices. War would not be war without losses. Sgt. Barnes knows how to survive. Sgt. Elias is weak and would let emotions get in the way of war. As a solider I would want to follow the strong so I will be strong. No one wants a pot head running an army Sgt. Elias is really irresponsible and inconsiderate. Sgt. Barnes is the one that will win the war. He will when the war and try to bring all his men back. He knows a simple show of emotion will get him killed. Sgt. Elias cares about morals and in the battle field you must do anything to get the mission done. Barnes would challenge me while Elias would just smoke weed and not care. Barnes has discipline and would make his troops ready for battle and make sure that everyone is ready. Sgt. Elias would not get any question if he is nice and shows that he will not get his hands dirty. Sgt. Barnes is smart he killed Elias so he would bring all his men home.
19 i think
3/31/2014 04:17:44 pm
all right i have to respond to a blog so here it is.. uhmm yeah i get what ur saying about Elias and letting hi emotions get in the way and that and actually that got me thinking twice about my pick but yet again what if you were the soldier like Elias ?? i think trust is more important and that is something Barnes does not have
student 21
3/30/2014 04:28:15 pm
If i were to be in that platoon with Elias and Barnes i would choose Barnes method, even thought its not a moral way but its going to keep me alive, and teach me how to be a hard ass. Even thought he might be killing innocent people he is just trying to maintain his men save, from an ambush, or any traps. He is respected by me because he is a bad ass, when there was a booming, he just walked in like it was nothing. I admire his because he is not scare of nothing, and because he would do everything to maintain his men alive even if it means killing his own solders (Elias). He is all about survival and win the war with all his men alive. He might not have morality, but his excuse for that is to win and help his men survive. The reality of the war environment is that, they want to win it, they need to win it, and if killing a innocent woman would bring some answers to them, that they would localize their enemy, so be it, if that means lees of his men would die, a woman's sacrifice should be done, so that the other people would start talking. This could bring a lot of psychological damage to some solders but they could live with it they are solders not a bunch of Pu**y's. The solders are in extreme stress right now, and always solders are in extreme stress, the war is a horrible place to be, following orders, digging holes, wanting to leave, seeing people die, killing people, they are in so much stress. Those are some reasons why i would follow Sgt. Barnes, the bad ass solder.
Student 12
3/30/2014 04:50:02 pm
Finally someone agrees with Sgt. Barnes. Sgt. Barnes is a strong commander and he knows what needs to be done. Sgt. Barnes killed these people to get answers and make his statement. The Vietnam War was very dirty war. The translations and even culture challenge the soldiers. Sgt. Barnes knows that violence was a language that everyone knows. Sgt. Barnes has his morals but, when it comes to war his go out the window and he’s goal is only to save his men no matter what happens. He is not weak like Elis which is just a pot head.
Student 4
3/31/2014 04:52:44 pm
I kind of disagree with you because there were some less violent ways in which he could of went about the situation at the village. They could have just confiscated the equipment and supplies that they were harboring to prevent them from aiding the Vietnamese soldiers. Killing the civilians isn't a good idea even if it does contribute to information because the opposing army will want to get revenge for the death of the innocent people. I know it's for the benefit of him and his men but if he were to do what he was going to do it would have to be a last resort.
Student 9
3/30/2014 04:34:29 pm
If I was a soldier in the platoon, I would follow Sgt. Barnes. I would want to follow Sgt. Barnes for the aspect of survival. I feel that Sgt. Elias is a leader that shows morality, but lacks the mindset of certain sacrifices war may need. Elias shows that he cares about his soldiers and wants to do the right thing when it comes to winning the war. Barnes gives a more hard core attitude towards war. Though both soldiers share different viewpoints, they both have one general goal: to win the war. Elias’ personality can be compared to a Christ like figure. Half of the soldiers in Platoon look up to Elias as the “Good guy” and Barnes as a “Bad guy”. In one scene in the movie, Barnes threatened the life of an Asian girl in order to protect fellow soldiers from grenades. Though this threatening act seemed unethical and wrong, I would assume it was for the best because it potentially saved my life. Barnes is the person who would be looked at in a negative way, but would later be appreciated for saving your life. Barnes seems like a better leader to follow, but I believe he’ll cause more traumatic memories in my mind after the war was completed. Elias is a person I would look at as a leader in an ordinary setting, but when it comes to being protected at war, I would follow Barnes.
#25
3/31/2014 01:34:00 pm
It is certainly difficult to choose between Sgnt Barnes and Sgt Elias but I would side with Sgnt Barnes. Though both Barnes and Elias would do anything to protect their men, Barnes would keep them alive. Sticking to the quote we were discussing in class that the ends justify the means, Barnes did what he needed to do to survive. Survival is key in war. I understand why people would side more with Elias, but the soldiers who survived have a duty to teach the new soldiers how to stay alive, which under Elias some of the men would possibly not have made it. Rhah told Taylor, that only Barnes can kill Barnes, which was exactly what happened. He told Taylor to shoot him. He controlled his own fate, he protected himself as we would protect himself and keep him and his men alive, no matter the cost. People want war to be black and white, simple, you defend yourself against your enemy but it isn’t so simple, its grey. I would do whatever was necessary to survive and to keep my men alive, even if it meant compromising my morals. To me, making sure my men returned safely to their families is above everything else, which is why I would follow Barnes. He did what was necessary to survive, even if it meant making enemies in his own platoon.
25
3/31/2014 01:37:34 pm
230
Student 4
3/31/2014 04:05:43 pm
If I were a soldier under the command of Sgt. Elias and Sgt. Barnes I believe that I would most likely side with Elias. Both had similar goals but had different approaches in reaching that specific goal. Elias cared for his men and used his morals in making his decisions where as Barnes would get rid of anything that he believed threatened the survival of his men. He cared for the people that he was in charge of and he made a connection with a bunch of the soldiers. Barnes knew what it would take to keep everyone safe and was a very experienced soldiers. He may have been a bit harsh with everyone but with him you would probably have a better chance of survival. Although both leaders have their benefits Elias still seems like the better leader because he is not cruel and does not think of himself as if he is above everyone else. He realizes that the war is a bad place to be but he doesn't want anything to happen that can have a negative effect on his men. If Barnes was allowed to kill the people in that village it may have scarred the soldiers but that was avoided due to Elias' morals not allowing him to do it. Either way they both would try their hardest to protect those that follow them. (229)
19 i think lol
3/31/2014 04:10:36 pm
if i was a soldier and part of the platoon i would most likely follow Elias reason being is because of Barnes. what do i mean by this .. well, as the story progressed we got a chance to see the personality of this two men. one who is a father like figured and the other who is a leader and does what he has to in order to stay alive. but that could be a problem sometimes. you see at war anything can happened and the last thing you need is to feel unsafe among your own allies. i feel that if i follow Elias he would do anything to protect me in case i got injured in battle. unlike Barnes i feel he would just get rid of me in order to survive his men and win the war because honestly Barnes does not give a damn about how the battle is won the whole point is winning it. so if i was a soldier in battle i would guide myself into trust and follow Elias Comments are closed.
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