Reading #1, Question #4

[Hannah Baran (Louisa HS)]

Based on what you've read so far, what were the dangers of caring too
much about fellow soldiers? Of caring too little?

[Jarrett Talley]

The dangers for caring too much and too little are both just as
dangerous. When Ted Lavender is killed Kiowa cannot get a grip on
himself. He constantly talks of watching Lavender die saying, "it was
like watching a rock fall, or a big sandbag. . . just boom" (O'Brien
6) As Kiowa is constantly talking of watching Lavender fall he is not
focused on protecting himself or the platoon. Lt. Cross realizes that
Martha had blurred his vision, keeping his eyes off of his men caused
the death of Ted Lavender. "Now Ted Lavender was dead because he loved
her so much and couldn't stop thinking about her" (Obrien 7) . The
dangers are all the same, caring too much will cause a soldier to
potentially endanger himself or the platoon, but caring too little can
cause the guilt for a soldiers death on your conscience.

On Jan 20, 1:42 pm, "Hannah Baran (Louisa HS)"

[Megan]

I agree with Jarrett that the dangers of both are equal. As Kiowa and
Norman Bowker are laying in the dark, Kiowa constantly talks about Ted
Lavender's death and how he fell to the ground with a "boom, down. Not
a word" (O'Brien 17). Kiowa's thoughts are stuck on the horror he
witnessed as his fellow soldier died. The fear of the soldier's death
and the closeness he had with Lavender kept his mind busy; Kiowa
wasn't focused on his safety or the safety of his platoon. Bowker
tells Kiowa to shut up, but soon asks him to replay the event over
when sleep does not come to him. Lt. Cross is heard crying and Kiowa
says "the lieutenant's in some deep hurt ... the man cares" (O'Brien
17). Crying is seen as a weakness which could effect the way the men
respect the lieutenant. Too much caring can alter the vision of a
soldier; it can keep them off task and put them in danger. Caring too
less can lead to careless mistakes and guilty consciences.

On Jan 20, 1:42 pm, "Hannah Baran (Louisa HS)"
<hannah.ka...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Shelly]

I agree with Megan in that caring too much can take a soldier's eyes
off of his men and lead to the possibility of death. With the feelings
that the soldiers may begin to feel for each other, it seems as though
the reality of what is going on around them begins to become numbed
and their emotions take over. But, on the other hand, if they don't
care enough it would seem like a death means nothing, almost the equal
of a death on the enemy side. The soldiers have to learn how to
balance out their emotions so that they care not too much, but also
not too little. It is obvious that the men feel some sort of sympathy
when their fellow soldiers are killed, but none of them will openly
admit or discuss it. "As they waited, the men smoked and drank Kool-
Aid, not talking much, feeling sympathy for Lee Strunk but also
feeling the luck of the draw" (O'Brien 10). In caring too much, the
loss of another man has a greater impact than can be dealt with, but
in caring too little, soldiers start to blame themselves and feel
guilty.

On Jan 20, 1:42 pm, "Hannah Baran (Louisa HS)"
<hannah.ka...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Andre]

I agree with Shelly it is dangerous to too much and also dangerous to
care little. Caring too much is far more dangerous because not only do
you put yourself at risk but you jeopardize the safety of those around
you. "...he sat at the bottom of his foxhole and wept" (O'brien 17).
Lt. Cross was grieving the loss of Ted Lavender but he also cries
because he cannot be with Martha. Compassion is what makes us human
but in the circumstances of war it must be controlled. Lt. Cross'
leadership ability is lacking because his emotions are getting the
best of him causing him to daydream and wallow in self pity rather
than stay alert, keep focus, and ensure the safety of his troops. On
the other he can't afford to be a complete rock and shut out his
emotions entirely, it is what makes us human. Showing a little emotion
will reassure his troops without showing weakness. Kiowa understands
Lt. Cross but not all troops gave that capability. " One things for
sure, he said. The lieutenant is in some deep hurt....the man
cares" (O'brien 17). Kiowa is understanding and he realizes the
lieutenants pain while Norman Bowker seems like he doesn't care at
all; continuously telling Kiowa to shut up or giving him short,
sarcastic replies like "sure." There is a contrast between coming too
much amd caring too little and none of the soldiers have found the
middle ground, they either hande no emotion or show too much emotion.

[Kevin]

I agree with Jarrett, caring too much or too little both has
resonating consequences. By caring too much the soldiers could
endanger themselves and everyone just to save one person. Evidence is
presented in how Kiowa is unable to erase the death of Lavender from
his mind. "I swear to God- boom, down. Not a word" (O'Brien,17). By
caring too little a soldier could also endanger one of their own.
Cross blames himself for Lavender's death because he cared too little
about Lavender and too much about Martha. "He felt shame. He hated
himself. He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence
Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry
like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war" (O'Brien,16). So
caring more or less have the same effect, only death and despair.

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> - Show quoted text -

[Madison Stanley]

I agree with Jarett that caring too much or too little about
soldiers in the feild leads to dangerous situations. Both can lead to
death and an extra emotional toll for the soldiers. Those who care too
much about fellow soldiers risk their own saftey by overprotecting
their friends on the field, or just simply not being able to handle
the deaths of someone they deeply care for. Also, if soldiers care too
much for one another, they risk the saftey of their mission and fellow
comrades if they try to go out of their way to save someone, when they
need to be left or later retreived. After it is too late, Jimmy Cross
realizes that he did care about Lavender, and that his lack of caring
at the time, led to Lavenders death. Cross' caring had an emotional
toll on him, and filled him with quilt and despair. Cross' soldiers
even saw just how upset their lieutenant was over the whole situation.
"The lieutenant's in some deep hurt. I mean that crying jag--the way
he was carrying on--it wasn't fake or anything, it was real heavy-duty
hurt. The man cares" (O'Brien 17).
Those who care too little have the tendancy to not pay attention
to those fighting around them and to let them die unneccessarily.
Those who care too little, are also endangering themselves and those
around them because they are not letting themselves become fully
engaged in the war; they are not letting themselves become a
successful fighting unit of soldiers, working toward the same goal of
killing the enemy. The soldiers who do not care enough also sometimes
have to live with the crushing quilt that it is their fault that
someone died. Because Cross did not care enough when Lavender went to
pee, his soldier died, and he had to live with the quilt after that.

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[Conley]

As Jarrett said, caring too much or too little can be dangerous to
your life or other lives. If a soldier cares to much about a fallen
comrad this burden will stick with them on missions weighing them down
along with other physical and emotional problems. This extra weight
can cause them to be unfocused on their task before them which may
lead to death. Cross was shooken up badly after Lavender was killed;
"...while Kiowa explained how Lavender dies, Lieutenant Cross found
himself trembling" (O'Brien 15-16). The burden of Lavender's death
kept him unfocused on his other soldiers and what needed to be done.
On the other hand, if a soldier cares to little about his comrads he
might not go out of his way to help or save them when they are in
trouble. There needs to be a balance on how much a soldier cares about
his fellow comrads so he can be focused on the mission before them and
help them if needed.

On Jan 20, 12:42 pm, "Hannah Baran (Louisa HS)"

[carla downs]

I agree with Jarrett that caring too much or too little can be
dangerous to you and everyone around you. If you care too much, you
end up feeling responsible for everyone around you. If you care too
little then you aren't as aware when in the line of duty. If you
aren't aware then men can die on your watch. Cross took
responsibility for Lavender's death. "Lieutenant Cross felt the
pain. He blamed himself" (O'Brien 6).Cross didn't care that much and
at his expense he lost one of his men. He didn't go out of his way to
help Lavender because he already knew he was dead. If he cared to
much he could have tried to save him and then been shot in the
progress. They all need to care about each other equally and make
smart decisions.

[Lindsey]

Caring too much can put a soldier in a depression and caring too
little gives the impression that the soldier isn't into his work.
Multiple men die everyday in war so the soldiers that care too much
about their friends and get too involved will crack. Like Carla says,
Lieutenant Cross is one of those men that doesn't care too much, he
barely cares at all. The only time he feels pain is when he is
responsible for the death of one of his men, like in the instance of
Ted Lavender: "He felt shame. He hated himself. He had loved Martha

more than his men, and as a consequence Lavender was now dead, and
this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach

for the rest of the war" (O'Brien 16). In conclusion, the soldiers
should only care too much when a bad occurrence happens because of
their mistakes.

[Emily Barnes]

When a soldier cares too cares too much about his fellow soldies, they
are unable to function when one of them dies, which is granted in war.
After Ted Laverder died, Cross was only able "he sat at the bottom of
his foxhole and wept" (O'Brian 16) Because of Cross's deep caring he
was only able to cry after the death of one of his men. On the other
side of the coin, not caring enough can also be dangerous. After Ted
Lavender's death, Kiowa "wished that he could find some sadness...but
the emotion wasn't there and he couldn't make it happen" (O'Brian 17).
kiowa tried to care for a fellow soldier, but he couldn't find the
emotion in him. If one doesn't care for another soldier, thenmaybe he
won't be fast enough to save another soldier. Death in war is
expected, but it doesn't always have to happen if there is a soldier
near by to help.

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[Mesa]

I agree with Jarrett that caring too much or too little are both
dangerous. When Ted Lavender gets shot, Lt. Cross blames himself for
being distracted by Martha and not paying attention to his platoon and
their surroundings. "He felt shame. He hated himself. He had loved
Martha more than his men and as a consequence Lavender was now dead,

and this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his

stomach for the rest of the war" (O' Brien 16.) Kiowa gets obsessed
with Lavender dying, he keeps replaying the scenario in his head and
out loud. " Like cement, Kiowa whispered in the dark. I swear to God-
boom, boom, down" (O' Brien 16) Kiowa gets so wrapped up in how
Lavender died, he loses focus on protecting himself, therefore putting
himself and others at risk. Caring too much or too little have the
same amount of danger to them. Caring too much might cause distraction
from reality and caring too little might result in a guilty
conscience.

On Jan 20, 1:42 pm, "Hannah Baran (Louisa HS)"