"Platoon" (1986) directed by Oliver Stone

2/25/2015

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)

2/27/2015 04:13:35 am

I would choose Sgt. Elias if I were in this situation. Elias is the kind of guy who cared about his men and followed orders. He did not get into trouble or have any intentions to do wrong. Elias might be the obvious good guy in the situation because he did whatever he had to to protect his men. Elias wanted to fight in the war and go through with a good plan of action to take out the enemy. Elias most of the time, did not listen Sgt. Barnes because he believed that the choices he was going to make would be the right choice. The two groups of men each with Sgt. Barnes and Sgt. Elias ended up walking right into the enemy’s set up, killing some of their own men. Chris followed both Sgt. Elias and Sgt. Barnes with the intention of only following and looking up to Elias.
I think that it is the best choice to follow Elias in this situation because he would not kill one of his own men and he only wanted to do good. Elias was a fighter with a heart. He cared for others and listened as well as putting others first. He did have intentions to win the war, but not to win the war alone. I think that by following in Elias’s actions, someone like Chris will help new soldiers that enter the war, to learn and live longer. I think by taking after Elias, I would be a good role model and show younger soldiers a good way to handle different events that may happen. (270 words)

2/27/2015 04:27:35 am

You have a point there. Elias does have intentions on winning the war with his men, but does he have good or any experience in the war? He was like the New Testament for the men. He was like their Jesus. And they were the followers that listened. Barnes would have good, but he would have tormented the men for forever.

2/27/2015 09:24:58 am

I agree! Sgt. Elias would be the best to follow because like you said p, he's a fighter but with a good heart,mind he didn't deserve to die like he did.

3/1/2015 07:56:44 am

I agree because Sgt. Elias actaully fought for his men and his country. While Sgt. Barnes fought just for the thrill . Sgt. Barnes is more of an assassin than a soldier. He doesn't use his brain he uses instinct and a mindset that he can't get killed. Elias on the other hand analyzes everything to see what is best for his men.

3/1/2015 09:12:31 am

I agree with you on the fact that you would be on Elia's side because he actually was the good soldier who actually followed orders and went by the rules. Barnes on the other hand betrayed his own men by killing Elias at the end of the movie.

3/1/2015 03:08:40 pm

I totally agree, Elias cared about many things and getting the job done right was one of them. He did what he had to the right way without cutting corners and made sure that people kept their composure and acted like human beings instead of animals. He made sure that the men were following the objective and the orders that
they received and that they had some humanity in order to make the right decisions. Sgt showed that he really did care about the men by the way he participate in the enjoyment of them living life and smoking weed.

2/27/2015 04:17:45 am

If I was to be a soldier in WWII and had to choose between Sgt. Elias and Sgt. Barnes, I would definitely side with Elias. When you evaluate the type of people these Sgts are, you realize their views on the soldiers in the war and how to go about things differentiate. Sgt. Elias is laid back and truly cares about his men, while Sgt. Barnes is simply the eye of a killer. His ability to survive is admirable, however it has turned him into this angry, ruthless warrior who will do ANYTHING in order to stay alive and win the war, even if it means putting his soldiers at risk. Elias protects his soldiers and certainly takes the stress of war to heart. He supports the soldiers’ choice to smoke marijuana on their down time to help control the stress and keep them at bay in difficult times. You also notice his voice is usually calm and monotone which from a psychological view, keeps people calm and reassures them that things will be okay. You can tell Elias is first to put his life at risk in order to protect his soldiers and the innocent village people during the My Lai massacre. During the time, Barnes was having his soldiers slaughter all of the villagers, women and children of all ages, while Elias attacked Barnes and started a fist fight in an attempt to convince Barnes (through physical aggression) that the choice to kill these people was not only illegal, but morally wrong. Elias thought of the proper way to do things regardless what it took and left an amazing impression on Chris (played by Charlie Sheen). Barnes wasn’t concerned with how people thought of him, he was confident in what he does and the killing machine he was, with this came fear, not respect. As a soldier I would want to have the ability to respect and not have to fear my Sgt. Therefore I would follow Elias. Also, as a soldier I would want to minimize the stress as much as possible, be reassured that I’ll make it through, and have faith that I am in the care of someone who actually does care and keeps track of who’s who and who feels what. Granted, no one is pure and no one is surely evil, but Elias is not only leaning more to the good side, but his name seems to be a symbol of goodness from the bible, which impacts me the most.

(417 words)

2/27/2015 04:19:58 am

The person that I would follow Sgt. Barnes. I choose Barnes because I would want to live and not die because I need someone like him to keep me alive and not dead. He was the one that survived and he does have more experience than Elias. He, in the movie, gave some good advice to the men that were terrified on the first day. Even though Elias didn’t want to do what Barnes was doing and thought that he was doing the wrong thing, he did save some of the men form being killed. But, Barnes couldn’t have been killed during the days he was at war in another place. He was shot 7 times and still was there. Chris had not liked him because of Barnes killed Elias. He is no good as well. Barnes could get food from the woods that they are at. He has good survival skills that can keep everyone alive. The movie, Barnes is strong but, his weakness is that he cares too much about his men and he does break down when there is nobody around to witness it. He also gets angry too fast to know that there are enemies approaching them. (202words)

2/27/2015 04:30:31 am

you made some interesting arguments regarding following sgt, Barnes, however, you must remember he put his soldiers at risk often and was the leader in the My Lai massacre. He let his anger get the best of him and didn't necessarily care about his soldiers on a level Elias had. Yes, Barnes was strong and smart, but he didn't care for the emotions of his soldiers or their mental health state or physical injuries as you saw in the movie. I'm referring to the scene where they soldier had bites on his feet and couldn't walk, and all Barnes did was yell at him and delegate him to a task he wasn't prepared to do nor wanted to. Elias is the person I would rather follow

2/27/2015 04:31:42 am

I would disagree because Barnes is a little too far gone. His mind is set on winning this war and killing every Viet Cong in his wake. He would want to do it at any cost so if you are with Barnes then you are easily considered Expendable. With Elias you don't have to worry about having to be shot by your commanding officer. If you remember the scene before Elias died you saw him in combat and how he was more than able to survive in combat and is very capable to take care of his own man physically and mentally.

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2/27/2015 04:52:38 am

Some of your arguments are true but you also have to remember the only reason why Barnes lived longer that Elias is because Barnes killed Elias. If Elias was still alive, he would have lasted just as long as Barnes. Also Barnes may be strong and may have the "Eye of a Warrior" but he only cared about winning the war not the safety of the men.

2/27/2015 05:15:26 am

I guess you do make a point about Barnes having 'good survival skills' and keeping everyone alive. But I mean you're not really in the war to stay alive. You're really there to serve your country and to fight for the independence from the Viet Cong. There were a bunch of men that followed Barnes that ended up dying anyways, so really it isn't about survival. Barnes has good techniques of keeping HIMSELF alive, but I would say otherwise if he was in charge of other men.

2/27/2015 09:29:23 am

I disagree, Sgt Barnes didn't care about one of his soldiers because, why would he try to kill Chris Taylor? Why? Chris was a newbie and Barnes didn't help Chris when no one wanted to help Chris out. That's not caring about your soldiers. And the other thing is that, he has no morals. Why did he have to kill Sgt Elias? He did it because he wanted to take over, pure jealousy.

2/27/2015 04:13:02 pm

Just because Sgt. Barnes was shot 7 times and did not die, doesnt guarantee you life if you were to get shot in war. You say "I would choose Barnes because I would want to live and not die because i need someone like him to keep me alive and not dead" when in actualtiy it is you yourself and the mean fighting around you that must make sure you stay alive. Many times during the film where the soldiers were at figthing, their sargent was close by, but not close enough to protect them if something were to happen. Also, Barnes only cares about himself, we saw it ourselves in the film when he killed Elias, simply because Elias did not agree with Barnes and was very much close to killing Chris in order to have his way and that way to have the men he wants on his platoon.

3/1/2015 07:59:30 am

I disagree because if you don't follow Barbes or can't keep up he might turn on you . He doesn't really strategize the situation like Elias. He does everything off instinct and sometimes that not best way to go. He can get himself and his men through the war but he kills innocent people and shows no mercy and that's not what the United States Military is about.

3/1/2015 09:27:56 am

I understand what you mean when you say that Barnes does have good survival skills , however how can you support Barnes actions? Barnes killed his own men and he is a terrible person for that . Also, he killed innocent people in the villege which was against the law so he killed Elias so that he wouldn't turn him in. I wouldn't be on a persons side who I can't trust and Barnes is a sneaky traitor .

3/1/2015 12:52:15 pm

I disagree because in the war, if you were considered to be a lost cause in Barnes point of view then he would have no problem cutting you loose or let you die because his goal is to win no matter the outcome maybe. In one scene, he was willing to kill Elias because of the way they see the war and how they should do things.

3/1/2015 03:10:11 pm

I agree with the statement you made about Sgt. Barnes having more knowledge in the art of warfare than Sgt. Elias. However the fact that you think he could help you stay alive in the Vietnam War is not likely. We saw in the film that he killed the Vietnamese woman in the village and burned the entire village to ashes. When Sgt. Elias threatened to report this heinous act Barnes shot him in the jungle and left him for dead. Keeping this in mind how could you think that he wouldn’t do the same to you if you stood in the way or decided to challenge his authority? I would not want to fear the person who is supposed to lead us to victory.
word count: 125

3/1/2015 03:22:41 pm

You do have a point that you just made me realize. Sgt Barnes does come undone when he isn't around anyone, he turns into this different person like he need the men to be around to keep him grounded, but even that isn't enough because he killed an innocent women while the men were present and didn't even blink and eye. However, the part that you added about Barnes being shot several times and that fact being that made you sway to being on team Barnes is simply idealistic. You believe that one man can possibly cheat death so many times that you think of that quality of them being some kind of "Survival aid" just doesn't add up.

3/2/2015 02:04:32 am

I think that you make a good point and choice by following Barnes. What I didn’t realise or think about before is that Barnes has no sympathy because having sympathy and making his men feel scared isn’t going to make them stronger. I think that by following Barnes you might have a better chance at living because your goal is to win and you might make smart or not so smart decisions when the time is right. Barnes didn’t care about his men as much as Elias did but he did have the end goal of winning the war and not dying in the end. He had been shot, and had experience which he taught to his other men. (120 words)

3/2/2015 10:20:12 am

So your willing to hurt everybody else just so you can live? like I understand where your coming from but I also think Alias is doing good by his men and keeping other people safe.So i dont blame you for thinking like that but I do think you need to look at both sides of the story also.

3/2/2015 11:15:12 am

I disagree Barnes has good survival skills for himself he keeps the men alive so they can get shot and not him yes you can say he puts on a show as if he cares for his men but thats all a lie he knows what it take to survive in the war hes been there before he understands that if other people are getting killed and hes not then hes fine if the men dont die and end up alive yes hes happy for them but they were just his shelled

2/27/2015 04:23:05 am

If I had to decide between Elias and Barnes I would have to chose Elias. I would chose Elias because he cares about his soldiers. In a war that affects your mind more than anything, a little bit of concern from your commanding officer can go a long way. Barnes only concern was to win the war but what's the point of winning the war if you don't care about your soldiers and just let them die? I believe Elias was well equipped as much as Barnes to win this war its just that Barnes was a little more rough around the edges but I wouldn't follow someone who doesn't value morals like Elias and I wouldn't follow Barnes because I feel like he would make me feel expendable. If I was going to fight a war I would want the person in charge to make me feel safe but also comfortable at the same time. With Barnes it was hard to feel safe because he threatened his own soldiers and even killed off his own towards the end and just watched him suffer. Elais on the other hand would bond with his soldiers and even smoke with them and not be so blunt like Barnes was when he walked in on the guys after Elias’s death and challenged chris knowing he can easily kill him then and even tried to kill him before the explosion. Knowing that you're in a jungle with no visibility and surrounded by everything that wants to kill you, knowing that Barnes would kill me if I was there would drive my stress level to immense levels and would drive me to kill him for my safety eventually.

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2/27/2015 04:33:23 am

Elias did care about his men, but that became his weakness. His undoing at the end. Barnes did care, but he did it so privately and made sure that no one could see him grieve about it. Elias was a good solider through out the whole movie, but he sometimes did act alone so that his men could be more safe than sorry.

2/27/2015 09:43:10 am

I agree! Sgt Elias cared a lot for his men and also provided them with comfortability. He would be the type of Sargent I would want to be lead from because it's better to know you're with someone who cares if you die than someone like Barnes that doesn't care whether you die or not. Elias was an amazing leader and I would have wanted him to be the one to make it. Barnes was just a bad leader because he just wanted to go on and attack the Viet cong, like you can't go along with NO plan. But Elias had it all planned out, except for when Barnes would get in the way of situations and just make them worse.

2/27/2015 09:52:35 am

WC: 122

3/1/2015 01:02:01 pm

I agree with what you said about Elias caring for his soldiers. The reason why is because he managed to get Chris more comfortable around the fighting and the surrounds so that Chris doesn't get nervous or afraid of what might happen in certain situations. It is important to care for your soldiers because it will allow them to be more adaptable and have confidence which is very useful during stress full times in the war.

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2/27/2015 04:24:30 am

If I was to be a soldier in WWII and had to choose between Sgt. Elias and Sgt. Barnes, I would definitely side with Elias. When you evaluate the type of people these Sgts are, you realize their views on the soldiers in the war and how to go about things differentiate. Sgt. Elias is laid back and truly cares about his men, while Sgt. Barnes is simply the eye of a killer. His ability to survive is admirable, however it has turned him into this angry, ruthless warrior who will do ANYTHING in order to stay alive and win the war, even if it means putting his soldiers at risk. Elias protects his soldiers and certainly takes the stress of war to heart. He supports the soldiers’ choice to smoke marijuana on their down time to help control the stress and keep them at bay in difficult times. You also notice his voice is usually calm and monotone which from a psychological view, keeps people calm and reassures them that things will be okay. You can tell Elias is first to put his life at risk in order to protect his soldiers and the innocent village people during the My Lai massacre. During the time, Barnes was having his soldiers slaughter all of the villagers, women and children of all ages, while Elias attacked Barnes and started a fist fight in an attempt to convince Barnes (through physical aggression) that the choice to kill these people was not only illegal, but morally wrong. Elias thought of the proper way to do things regardless what it took and left an amazing impression on Chris (played by Charlie Sheen). Barnes wasn’t concerned with how people thought of him, he was confident in what he does and the killing machine he was, with this came fear, not respect. As a soldier I would want to have the ability to respect and not have to fear my Sgt. Therefore I would follow Elias. Also, as a soldier I would want to minimize the stress as much as possible, be reassured that I’ll make it through, and have faith that I am in the care of someone who actually does care and keeps track of who’s who and who feels what. Granted, no one is pure and no one is surely evil, but Elias is not only leaning more to the good side, and his name seems to be a symbol of goodness from the bible, which impacts me the most.

(417 words)

2/27/2015 09:49:55 am

I totally agree with all you're saying because really Elias just wanted his men to be safe, when they were at war at the woods, who was the only one out there attacking the Viet Cong when the rest of the men were injured? Elias, so it's pretty obvious that Sgt. Elias, was more than okay with risking his life by protecting his men. Like you said, both Sgt’s had a way of speaking, Barnes had a ruthless and cold hearted person who only blamed his men for not doing the right thing, but Sgt. Elias had a warming way of talking to his men which made his men feel comfortable and protected. This is why as a newbie Chris Taylor, followed Sgt. Eliasp because, he knew that he was the one who was making the right choices.

2/27/2015 09:54:02 am

WC: 138

2/27/2015 04:29:57 am

I would follow in the footsteps of Sgt. Elias because he used his experience to help his soldiers. He followed the rules and had the right idea for him and his soldiers. He examines everything, like the environment, the way the enemy is coming. He also thinks about the simplest way to get the job done. He puts himself before his soldiers. Sgt. Elias weakness is that he doesn’t go out and fight on the dot. He likes to analyze everything and makes sure that his plan would be the best plan. Sgt. Barnes broke all the rules, shot innocent people, and shot and killed his own soldier. He uses tactics that can or cannot be safe for him and his men. He looks out for his men, but he doesn’t use the experience that he had and what he’s been through to help his men. Sgt. Barnes strength is that he isn’t scared of anything and does anything in his will that he thinks that would protect him and his men. I wouldn’t follow Sgt. Barnes because he does not think about everyone else, not everyone has the same type of mindset like him. Not everyone can just go out and fight without fear. The word about Barnes is that no one could kill Barnes, but Barnes…well not everyone is Barnes.

2/27/2015 05:11:08 am

I strongly agree with what you said. I haven't really thought about it the way you have. I completely forgot about the fact that Elias examines the environment to sense things. But, he also does get the job done, and does the job right following the rules that was set up for the job too.

3/1/2015 03:21:02 pm

Completely agree with everything that you said about Barnes, he abuses his power just to get whatever he wants. Barnes is not a team player and in this world especially in the military, you have to work as a group in order to get the job done. I like what you said about how Elias "examines everything(environment)" before making a decision. Overall, Elias leadership was far superior than Barnes because he cared about his soldiers problems whiles Barnes only cared about Barnes.

3/2/2015 01:57:27 am

I agree with you about following Elias. He wanted to protect his men and keep them safe while at the same time following orders and the rules. Barnes just wanted to win, he would risk men if he needed to but he fought to stay alive. As soon as Barnes gave up he would be dead but he fought anyway. Elias cared about his men and was in no way selfish about winning the war. I would have followed Elias because I agree that not everyone is as brave or risky as Barnes is. I think that depending on the person, a lot of people would without a second thought, follow Elias. (112 words)

2/27/2015 04:32:08 am

In the movie Platoon, there are two characters that have a big meaning in this movie. There’s Sgt. Barnes and Sgt. Elias. In the movie, the platoons were basically split up into two sides, Elias’s side and Barnes side. If I was a soldier in the Platoon I would honestly follow Elias. I would follow Elias because he knows what he’s doing. He has experience in many different wars. Barnes on the other hand just wants to go out and kill. He doesn’t follow any of the directions that were given to him. I would also follow Elias because he knows what he’s doing. He listens to what he’s told and he also makes strategies from what he was told. Barnes may have the “Eye of a Warrior” and he may want to win the war like everyone else but Elias wants to stay alive and keep his men safe. He wants to win the war but he wants every man in the platoon alive to witness them winning the war. This leads me to my next reason as to why I would follow Elias. He cares about every single person he looks after. Barnes doesn’t care if anyone died or not. In the movie Barnes actually says “Everyone’s gotta die sometime”. But Elias on the other hand cares about everyone. Elias has that “No Man Left Behind” mentality. That’s why I would follow Elias instead of Barnes.

2/27/2015 04:54:44 am

Word Count: 238

2/27/2015 04:33:37 am

If I were a soldier in this platoon, I would personally follow Barnes. Barnes has a side to him that is very questionable. He does things that are illegal and hurtful to others that shouldn’t be done to them. Although, Barnes knows the reality of the war. He lives by the day because he knows we all are going to have to die someday or somehow especially now that they’re at war. Barnes has the mentality of a fighter, and a survivor which is why I would personally follow Barnes. If I was in the platoon I would want to fight and win, but I would also want survival in the end. Sgt. Barnes is very intimidating to most of the soldiers and has selfish ways about him because he only cares about himself and him surviving. Example from the film, he killed Sgt. Elias which was wrong of him to do because he is killing one of his team members, a soldier that was also fighting in the war with him against the enemy. Barnes shows ways of him, to not be trusted by anyone, but he also shows qualities of a fighter and someone that is willing to keep going through the war until it’s his time to go. Even though Barnes is about himself, he is a fighter and will keep going which shows a lot of integrity that he just wants to fight; he shows the actions of a lion. Very rowdy and going! Barnes may have done a lot wrong in the platoon towards his team members who shouldn’t have been done, but apart from the negativity that was done, Barnes shows a lot of heart and no fear while he is in the war fighting.
(291)

2/27/2015 05:06:49 am

Although Barnes may have the mentality of a fighter and a survivor, Barnes only cares about 2 things, His self and winning the war. Barnes doesn't care about the safety of the men. Because say he was the only solider that survived all of the fault and the guilt would fall on Barnes. Then Barnes would of thought twice about not caring about the men or killing Elias.

2/27/2015 04:02:00 pm

I dont totally agree with what youre saying, mainly because you are writing about how sargent Barnes does plently of illegal things and knows that ones day everyone must die, but when you fighting a war for your country you want to live to the day to tell your story. Also i feel like you should really go deeper and put yourself in the shoes of a solider who would be in Barnes platoon because if you did do that, you would want to trust your sargent and have faith in him and you would want him to value your life, but if he can easily kill another sargent, which is both illegal and morally incorrect, there is no way you would honestly want to be on somones side like that.

3/1/2015 03:02:32 pm

I agree with the point you made about Sgt. Barnes having the mentality of a warrior and a survivor. These are qualities a man of war should have. However I don’t agree with the choice to follow him. Sgt. Barnes is too vindictive and impulsive. Someone with such an extensive background in warfare knows right from wrong and killing the woman in the village was done out of impulse. Sgt. Barnes killing Sgt. Elias was out of spite for Elias wanting to report the cruel act that took place at the village. I could not let a person who rules by fear lead me through a war.
word count: 113

3/3/2015 12:56:01 am

I disagree with you because barnes will kill innocent people, he isn't loyal and he doesn't care about any of his men. Yea I understand you said he knows how to win and people will die anyways but the main thing to win a war is stick together and fight together and that was Elias is about.

2/27/2015 04:34:48 am

If I was on the platoon I would be on Elia’s side because Elia’s is a better person and he knew what was fair and what was unfair. Barnes on the other hand is a bad guy who has bad intentions and doesn’t care about anyone but himself. For example, Barnes and his men went to the village and decided to shoot a women in front of her daughter without consideration. When Elias came to the village he noticed what was going on and he spoke up to Barnes and told him that what he did wasn’t right. I feel like I would follow the better person who keeps things fair and goes by the rules. Barnes is a traitor, for killing Elias just because he didn’t want Elias to testify against him and he wanted to be the leader. He felt like killing him would be the easy way of getting rid of him and being able to do as he pleases. Elias was a good man who had morals and respect for others around him which is why I would have been on his side. Also, I feel like Elias is a leader and sets a good example because he lets everyone do their own thing without having a problem with it. Even though Barnes was a tough person and was so determined to win the war, I would of definitely followed Elias because he actually went by the rules and cared about his men.
Word count: 250

3/1/2015 01:14:11 pm

I would also agree that Elias was a good person and that he cared about his men. some may argue and say that Barnes did to but I would disagree as well. He was indeed a traitor in a way for killing his own men which is a crime worth death. Elias and his morals where in good standing as well. In a war where innocents are dying well, I would hope that morals are a number one concern and Barnes had none. Why follow a man who can kill an old lady with a bullet to the head? ya know?

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3/4/2015 03:33:20 am

Elias does have a good heart and is someone who would be a good role model towards the war. It's all about working hard and fighting in the war. Being a team working together rather than choosing sides can help one another and can contribute to have one leader and being more together as a team throughout the war.

2/27/2015 04:35:19 am

In this platoon, the person that I would follow would be Sgt. Elias because of his moral code and the ways he treat his soldiers in the war. Sgt. Elias’s moral code would be the reason why I would follow him because he doesn’t make decisions that would be considered wrong in society. An example from the movie that shows how his moral code is a reason to follow him would be when the soldiers had gone into the village and Barnes decided to threaten the lives of all the villagers for information on the Viet Cong’s location at the village when he had pulled a gun to the little girl’s head saying that he will shoot her if the man did not tell them where the Viet Cong were. Soon after Elias had stopped Barnes from shooting the girl because he knew that it was wrong to kill anybody who were innocent and threaten their lives for information. The way how Elias would treat his soldiers is another reason of why I would follow him in the war because unlike Barnes who would cut anybody loose just to win and achieve the goal of the war, Elias would see to it that each soldier are able to do what they are supposed and he would never betray or say that they would be a lost cause. An example of this would be when Chris went into the bunker after the ambush, Elias had made sure that everything is going fine and he wanted Chris to be comfortable around the soldiers and the war. These would be the reasons why I would follow Elias because of the moral code that he has and the way he treats each of the soldiers during the war. (294)

2/27/2015 05:08:19 am

If I were a soldier in the Vietnam War and I was in a position where I had to choose between whom to follow between Sgt. Barnes or Sgt. Elias, I would choose to follow Sgt. Elias for several reasons. For one, Sgt. Elias has a lot of experience being in war and he has good morals. Although both Barnes and Elias have great techniques when it comes to survival, Elias just has better strategies. For example, in the film when the soldiers found one of their colleagues dead, everyone was filled with rage. However, Barnes and those who follow him, decided to kill innocent people who were just in a bad situation at a bad time. Whereas Elias knew that these people were innocent and did not want to harm them and just wanted to try to talk to them to see if they knew anything. Therefore, Elias wanted to report this situation since they were not allowed to kill innocent people since it’s basically considered murder. But Barnes did not want to do so because he wanted to win the war. Elias was the kind of guy that would basically sacrifice himself for the team, but Barnes wants the men to go out and fight on their own. Even though Elias is not as strict as Barnes, he does have his limits and follows the rules. Whereas, in terms of just being a leader Elias has more qualities of being in charge of those group of men than Barnes does. Therefore, I would follow Sgt. Elias during the Vietnam War.

(Word Count: 262)

3/4/2015 03:35:35 am

Sgt. Barnes can have a lot of experience through out the war but so does many of the other soldiers. It's all about survival throughout this war and being a team. Their techniques may be different but rather than choosing sides Becoming one team and fighting together having eachothers back would be a better outcome towards the war.

3/5/2015 02:37:50 am

You right when it comes to someone who has experiences and good moral because Sgt. Barnes only cared about survival and the about who had been in war longer.

2/27/2015 06:12:50 am

If I choose between Sgt. Elias and Sgt. Barnes I would follow Sgt. Elias. I would pick Sgt. Elias because he has experience with war and he knows what he is doing. He wouldn’t put his men at risk, he cares about his men and would do anything to not put them in harms way. Yes, Barnes has been shot 7 times and he is tough with his men which is an advantage because he didn’t have soft men and they were ready for war. That goes a long way though, Elias had the strategy and didn’t cause stress to his men. He helped them with their stress by smoking weed with them to make them think he wasn’t stresses about the war but all of them were stressed from all the men that were killed during the war. Another reason why I would pick Elias because he didn’t break any rules while being in war. Unlike Barnes, Elias was trying to get information from the villagers unlike Barnes who was treating them wrong and killing them. Barnes wasn’t a good role model because he killed his own men so that he can have all the power but at the end he was killed.

2/27/2015 06:13:34 am

Word Count:204

2/27/2015 02:11:38 pm

I agree with you that Sgt. Elias had the experience and skills to survive. Just before he was killed, he killed a lot of Japanese showing off his skill when he was alone. I did connect with his men through smoking. That bond looked real and strong creating that special moment. I agree that Barnes wasn't a good role model, killing his own men shows what type of person he is.

3/1/2015 03:38:55 pm

Great insight on Elias leadership skills. Elias was the rock that all of the soldiers can lean on during their darkest time during the war. Elias was tough on his men because he wanted them to be mentally and physically strong in the battle, while Barnes just put fear in each one of them. At some point in the movie, Barnes shot Elias multiple times in an attempt to kill him and become main leader of the squad. Even though Elias died, his positive impact on his men will be cherished by everyone especially Chris Taylor.

3/2/2015 11:05:17 am

Yes even though i would pick Elias what you said made me think, yes he gave his men a way to kind of escape the war by smoking but by doing that doesn't prepare them for whats out there what they are fighting for they are there to fight for their country yes thats a get away but its not always they best thing because once they get out there they are not mentally prepared and they might b the first ones to die .

2/27/2015 09:34:06 am

If I had to choose between Barnes and Elias, I would choose to follow Sgt Elias because he cares about what mistakes his soldiers might do and he doesn’t want them to do anything that they’ll regret or get them killed. Survival wise, Sgt Elias like I said, he makes sure his soldiers always do the right thing and they don’t do anything that they’ll regret, for example, he stopped Sgt Barnes from killing a little girl from the village but also because Barnes wants to keep his men alive and also to kill the VC that killed most of his men. Most of the soldiers from “Platoon” followed Sgt Elias mentally because they knew that he was a good guy and did what was for the best of his men. Barnes seems to have what it takes like he wants to keep his men safe and also himself, he's all about winning, but that isn't all it takes to be a good Sargent. Sgt. Elias on the other hand knows how to keep his men safe, make them do the right thing, and how to lead them whether they die or live. He goes by the rules. Sgt. Barnes seems to believe that in order to live, he has to kill anyone who gets in his way or appear as a threat to him, for example, when he tried to kill Chris Taylor. And Sgt Elias didn't feel threatened by his own men. Sgt Elias was a fighter but knew his limits, he had a good heart and only wanted to get through the enemy with a good plan that would keep his men safe.
WC: 276

2/27/2015 11:47:48 am

If I were a soldier in this platoon and I had the option to follow a sergeant I would choose Sgt. Elias over Sgt. Barnes. Watching the movie made me realize who the two sergeants were. Sgt. Barnes was tough and had a strong mindset for his men. He had no mercy for the people who were against him and believed the worst of people. As for Sgt. Elias he was different from Barnes, expect they were both tough had strong beliefs. Sgt. Elias believed the war should be fought fair and played by the rules. He cared for his men and took them into consideration. Barnes, on the other hand, didn't really care much about his men expect if they were good enough to fight. He didn't hesitate to kill Elias when he was against him. Even though Elias was a tough ass he still had a heart for his men, even the innocents. For example, when they reached a village that was around for thousands of years the men decided to invade it and look for the men who ambushed them in the forest. There were only families and innocent people working, living their own lives. When the men went around looking for evidence, they found loads of guns. Sgt. Barnes believed the people there were the ones who ambushed them so he wanted to kill them all. Sgt. Elias believed the people were innocent and shouldn’t be punished for a crime they weren't involved in. This shows the reason why I would choose Sgt. Elias over Barnes because he cares and believe in what's best.

2/27/2015 11:48:26 am

WC: 268

2/27/2015 02:04:16 pm

I agree with everything you said. Sgt. Elias is the one to choose because he is good natured with a good heart. Yes the fact that he can kill Elias with no hesitation shows what type of person he really is. Sgt. Barnes knew that Sgt. Elias was strong and better than him this is probably another reason why he killed him so easily.

2/27/2015 01:57:33 pm

I have be a part of a unit that is strong and will powered. A leader that carries himself with dignity and pride, and being successful in every day challenges. I want to follow someone who has positive values, goals, and aspirations like me…someone who can bring their teammates to a victory. I am in the position of choosing who I want to follow, Sgt. Elias or Sgt. Barnes. By the look of things Sgt. Elias has everything I’m looking for. He is constantly giving words of encouragement and shows a lot of signs of altruism. He reminds me of a godly figure, “Walking water” is what Barnes called him because he refuses to hurt innocent people. I see no weakness in Sgt. Elias enough others may think so. He has a lot of experience and the skills for survival, he just does it in a noble way. Sgt. Barns on the other line has no restraint of killing innocent people; his motive was to win and survive. I think that life has more to it than just winning to survive and I know that Sgt. Elias believes this too. Having a good heart and being good natured means much more than winning a war. Word count= 207

2/27/2015 03:06:53 pm

In the movie, ‘Platoon’ it is clear that there is a divide between the men on Chris Taylor’s squad. There is a clear that there is a division among the men whether to follow the two sergeants Elias and Barnes. Elias throughout the movie was the sort of man who, though a sergeant in the war, did not really believe in the killings that they were committing in Vietnam. Barnes, on the other hand, was a resilient man who believed in what he was doing in order to win this war almost single handedly, if need be. As you watch the movie, you start to wonder who you would side with if you were a member of this squad. I would side with Elias for various reasons. Though not religious, Elias deems to want to maintain his sanity even after the war. Killing innocent people and doing unthinkable things in the war, though it is in an effort to win a war, does not help to personally relieve your stress throughout the war. Barnes wants to survive this war but even after surviving such a war you cannot live all your life knowing you had killed several people. Barnes may be a survivor but in the end I would rather keep my sanity after the war.

2/27/2015 03:10:19 pm

I would follow Elias because Elias was more calm about everything and knew what he was doing. Also because he tried to keep his people safe but not by hurting anybody else like Barnes was. Barnes would hurt anybody or do anything to try and keep his men safe. Like for an example when Elias took the kids away from the men when they were burning down the village and said "There people too" . Doesn't matter if there the enemies Elias wanted not to hurt anybody but also to keep his men safe.

2/27/2015 03:23:13 pm

If I was a soldier in the platoon, I will rather follow Elias than Barnes. Knowing how Elias is so sympathetic and caring, I would prefer to be under the wings of such person. Unlike Barnes, Elias is very protective of his men and would do almost anything in his power to make sure that they are safe physically and mentally strong. Barnes on the other hand cares solely about himself and eager to leave the war alive. Barnes intentionally shot Elias hoping to kill him in order to settle the feud between the two, and maybe to become the only sergeant. I will prefer to be under the leadership of Elias because he is a genuine person who knows how to fight the battle the right way without involving innocents. He fights to win for the whole team while Barnes just fights for himself, which is very selfish on his part. Elias also listens to his soldiers’ personal problems and encourages them to be strong. I think that positive impact on me will help me to become a great role model to the other soldiers just like Elias was. I will also ensure that every soldier would be treated fairly.
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2/27/2015 03:25:24 pm

If i was a soldier in the Platoon I would most likely follow Sgt.Elias instead of Sgt.Barnes. The reason of my choice being Sgt. Elias is because he has seen many things and done many things that he regrets and learns from it. He hasn't let the psychological effects of the war get to him and change him into something he isn't, he doesn't kill innocent people like Sgt.Barnes, or have a clouded view of what he can achieve without casualties. Sgt.Elias knows of the extreme stress of the war from his previous experience. He's the first to jump into action head first and still manages to
Survive. Sgt.Barnes on the other hand has no conscious. He becomes overly stressed and angry and that causes him to burst and do many things that isn't right like killing Elias, and an innocent women. He is beyond the borderline of psychological breakdown by the many situations that he endured and changed his view of life. Sgt.Elias's morals seem to be in place. He doesn't take part of anything that believes isn't right, he try's to everything the best way he can, and he hasn't let the war change him as a human being.

2/27/2015 03:42:49 pm

If I was a soldier in this platoon, I couldn’t help but follow Elias. I am a person who believes in always doing what’s right even if it means being alone. In my opinion Sgt. Elias was just a better leader overall. He showed compassion, love and loyalty to all of his soldiers even to Barnes. I could not imagine being under and following a man who did anything just to win something. Barne’s killed soldiers just to get what he wanted only thinking of himself even if that meant hurting others in his platoon. These are not characteristics of a true leader. Whenever Elias saw something that he knew was against their code, he voiced his opinion; he stood up for what was right. Barne’s is the type of man that has been through the tragedies and hard times of war, and has become cold hearted to any feeling or emotion. This makes it hard for men to be able to connect to him. He should be someone his men feel that they can freely go to and feel comfortable relying on him. If I were one of his men, I would be intimidated and more so afraid to need something from him. But I know I would always be able to go to Elias for anything
Word count: 218

2/27/2015 03:44:48 pm

After watching the 1986 classic film “Platoon” I have realized both Sgt. Barnes and Sgt. Elias have flaws and affirmative attributes in their character. Sgt. Barnes is gung-ho and impulsive but also has an extensive involvement in warfare. Sgt. Elias is more precise, well planned and sympathetic than Barnes is. Keeping this in consideration if I had to be a solider in the Vietnam War I would have to follow the orders given by Sgt. Elias. Sgt. Elias has a very positive aura about him. This is something I feel is vital in such a high stress environment. He also handles moments of intense pressure with ease. Sgt. Barnes shot the Vietnamese lady in the head in front of their entire village due to frustration. This was a reckless and heinous act that was just plain unnecessary. I would not able to follow such an impulsive person. I believe that I would have a higher survival rate with Sgt. Elias than with Sgt. Barnes because like Barnes Elias will do anything to keep his men alive but the difference is he would do this in a more strategic manner way. I also couldn’t follow a man I did not fully trust. I would not have trusted Sgt. Barnes after he informed me that Sgt. Elias was shot and killed by the enemy but in reality it was him who shot Elias. This would make a high stress environment even worse because you can’t even trust your own leader. You would be constantly living in intimidation and fear from not only the enemy but your own Sergeant.
Word count: 266

3/1/2015 11:49:17 am

I never really thought of it this way. That the way either of these sergeants acts helps to relieve the stresses of the Vietnam War. That Elias’s calm demeanor helps to show other soldiers that death can hold on for now and they could still live life to its fullest. This is certainly what anybody would want in the face of death. For a person like me, I would certainly appreciate the fact that Elias is laid back and does not pressure you to do things that goes against your normal moral. I am glad that you thought of the reason why would follow Elias this way.

2/27/2015 03:53:09 pm

If I were a soldier fighting in the Vietnam war, I personally would side with Elias and his platoon because of his demeanor, personality, and thoughtfulness. My reasons for this is because even though Sargent Barnes is a tougher individual and will do anything to win the war at all cost, especially since that is the main goal of a war, the unfortunate part is he will do anything for the win, even if that means his mean dying. Compared to Elias who wants to win the war just as much as Barnes would, but would not sacrifice or put his men in any danger or harm to reach that goal.

The biggest factor that draws me toward Elias would have to be his energy and how he constantly remains positive and rubs that energy off on his mean. Especially Taylor, who is new to the Vietnam War and the platoon and just wants to earn respect from his Sargent and fellow soldiers, but finds it extremely hard to make such a huge shift from normal everyday life, to war life. Chris Taylor was beginning to form a friendship with Elias before his death because of Elias’ compassion with the war and his soldier’s in his platoon as well. He is able to connect with them on a personal level in both the war field and off the field, and because of that I would be more attracted to Elias’ platoon because he actually cares for you and does not believe that just because you are in a war means your life must be on the line. He respects you as a person and your feelings and is willing to do anything to make you feel at ease.

3/1/2015 11:32:02 am

I would agree with the fact that Elias is certainly trying to protect his men. He believes that the squad should tread lightly and not go into every single gunfight guns blazing at the orders of Barnes. I also think that the main difference between these two men is that Barnes is very willing to kill any innocents and really has no sense of moral. He does not have feeling that normal people would have. As a result, it would be logical to follow Elias to not lose your sense of moral and come out of the war sane as you went in.

3/2/2015 09:49:53 am

Being a soldier during this war i would have followed Sargent Elias because his morales i felt were the best when it came to fighting in the war. He had the best intrest of his men at heart. Unlike Sargent Barnes who it felt just wanted to win the war, despite the fact that many soldiers would loose their lives. Barnes didnt seem to take the others into consideration. For me being a soldier i would have wanted to follow someone who cherished me enough as a human being to go into a fight the best way possible. Barnes was a leader who just wanted to go all into a gun battle with the enemies not thinking about the outcome.

3/5/2015 02:34:18 am

I would agree with you because Elias did care for his solders. Barnes was the one who didn't care. I would also have followed someone you can trust.

3/3/2015 12:52:03 am

If I were a soldier fighting in the Vietnam war, I would choose Elias because of his personality and he knows what's right from wrong. Barnes is more tougher and he will do anything to win but I would still be on Elias side cause barnes wouldn't care if you died, he would probably just move on and only worry about his self. I feel like Elias is more loyal to his soldiers and wouldn't leave anyone behind. The biggest reason I would choose Elias is because Barnes will kill innocent people for no reason and wouldn't have a problem doing it.

3/5/2015 02:32:17 am

I can agree when you say that Elias was someone loyal and trustworthy. While Barnes was the one who would kill anyone just because.

3/5/2015 02:38:39 am

If I had to choose between Barnes and Elias, I would pick Sgt. Elias over Barnes because Elias cares about his soldiers and the mistakes they do. Sgt. Elias has been fighting in the war since the 1965. Back then he cared about winning the war now he just cares about getting back home with as many solders and being able to kill as many VC that killed most of there mans. Sgt. Elisa always did everything the right way and always wanted his solders to do the right thing as well. While, Sgt. Barnes on the other hand only wanted to win the war being selfish and not caring about the solders as he should be since they were apart of each other.
The difference between Sgt. Barnes and Sgt. Elias was that Sgt. Elias was always in favorite of this team not wanting to hurt anyone, making sure everybody was doing the right thing. While Sgt. Barnes would kills innocent people who didn’t know what was going on. Sgt. Elias had no weakness in him because he was strong about just being his solders back home. Sgt. Elias was someone you would trust and he had experiences in what he was doing.

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