D Vietnam free essay sample

While writing this letter, it triggers memories, and the audience is then thrown into Walters life growing up as a kid, showing the hard times of growing up as an African-American in a segregated Birmingham, Alabama. Throughout the book, you come upon a few scenario changes. Grooms could be explaining to you about the marches downtown in deep detail in one chapter, only to switch to a gun fight in the muddy jungles of Vietnam in the next. I can agree and somewhat disagree with the style Grooms choose to use. Starting out the book in Vietnam set up the whole entire story. Without the Vietnam stories, you wouldnt get a true sense of Walters personality, as well as his bad and good memories growing up as a child. Switching between Vietnam and his childhood showed you that Walter had had somewhat of a soft spot for talking about his childhood, and that it changed him as a person. We will write a custom essay sample on D Vietnam or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When reading this book, I appreciated the fact that Grooms wrote like this just because it made you develop a stronger relationship with Walter as a person, seeing that he was trying to be a good person and write to Haywoods parents, but at the same time be reminded of a troubled past. I can see why some people might be taken back by the style Grooms uses, just because it is so different. But the way that he wrote it showed the readers a different aspect of most civil rights stories or Vietnam stories. He explained the story as someone right there, experiencing it all, and telling the tale. Im sure Grooms could have taken a different approach to the story. But then again, if you actually got into the story, I dont feel like it should have been that big of a deal. Responsibility plays a big part in this book. Walter had many decisions to make at a very young age, and it helped shape is as a man. Grooms did an amazing job of showing how Walters decisions affected not only himself, but the people he loved the most. You almost want to choose sides while reading this book. I often found myself asking â€Å"Should Walter really do that? † Knowing how Walters family feels about the marches, and knowing that Walters mom, on her death bed, disagrees with them. This a lmost makes you want to question Walter and his decisions to march with Lamar. I think the reason that Walter decided to join Lamar on the marches was because he wanted to make a change in the world. He saw himself as just a person. Color didnt matter to him, as it did to the outside world. He knew his parents were against the marches, and I think him knowing why inspired him to be a part of the movement. He didnt want to sit back in the shadows, he wanted to embrace his race. Not live a life where he would always be looked down upon. He wanted change. At one point in the story, Lamar, Walter, and Josie get into an argument. Walter makes a statement saying â€Å"You have been living in the projects to long. Lamar kind of takes it to heart and responds back to him saying â€Å"Well, you are not as rich as you think you are,† and â€Å"yall Burkes think you are so much better than everyone else, but you are not, you are nothing but colored. † I personally felt like this was a very important argument. In a sense Lamar is right, they were not anything in their society at the time but â€Å"colored. † The Burke family lived in a nice segregated suburb. Walters mo m was an accountant. Walters dad was a high school science teacher. This sort of lifestyle that the Burke family lived made me think. Did the Burke family just try to fit in? Knowing the whole time they were looked down upon. Lamar and his mom embraced the way society treated them, and tried to make a difference, instead of sitting back, not knowing what would happen each day, like the Burkes. Living in the most segregated state in the country at the time could not have been easy for any African-American. Grooms explains this living experience from a different point then most books or articles you will read. He tells you about someone living in it first hand, letting you somewhat experience and reflect on their struggles.