Question

How do Herr and Caputo use imagery to show the conflicting emotions that people face when they are at war?

Answer 1

Philip Caputo wanted the romance of war, bayonet charges, and desperate battles against impossible odds during the Vietnam War. hilip Caputo imagined himself charging up a beachhead, like John Wayne in Sands of Iwo Jima (1949), and this led him to join the Marines to fight in Vietnam. Michael Herr commented on the performance of `grunts' when they knew that there was a camera crew nearby and how they imitated the stars of war movies. So powerful were cinematic images of battle that soldiers acted as though they were on the screen according to Herr.

Answer 2

Here is what is needed in your answer:

Both authors use contradictions in their imagery.

Herr describes deadly weapons beautifully to show people’s conflicting feelings.

Caputo describes boredom followed by sudden chaos.

Both authors describe scenes using emotional language.