Homework

Well here i am 2nd post in less than a month! Yes, unexpected i know but i guess this will make up slightly for the gap i had in my previous 2 posts, anyway onto what we were supposed to do.

Okay well the text that i will be comparing The Ghost Road to is the famous Apocalypse Now. Obviously anyone who was in my class last year or has seen the movie knows what its about but for those who don't...

Basically, its a about a crazed chap named Willard who is essentially a secret service agent, but a like a war one not a spy one, who is sent on a mission to 'terminate' another crazed chap this being called Kurtz. Set during the Vietnam War Willard travels upriver revealing to us many of the sight and sounds that made the Vietnam War one of the most insane and incomprehensible wars known to man.

First things first, in both texts the war is portrayed in a negative light where 'no-ones in control' where 'no-one knows who's in charge', its being fought because the generals and commanders have started it for a reason which at the time seemed good and legitimate but as time has gone on the reason has been lost in the confusion and mayhem which the war created. Examples of this include the Du-Long bridge in Apocalypse Now and the final battle scene of The Ghost Road, all the fighting and death is just senseless in both of them. They're are only really fighting because 'they lost [their] bearings in the night'.

Next comes the characters, (thankfully this is not an essay so i can just do the main character). Willard and Prior are both alike in the sense, war is the only thing that both of them really know and understand and now that they have witnessed the 'horror' they can never go back to society the same person they left it as. They both are detached from their comrades however we glimpse acts of compassion and courage from both us indicating that a piece of there humanity still remains. They are both classless, they move in and out of upper and lower classes with ease and regularity, taking full advantage of what each others to them. Both masters of exploitation and getting what they want.

That's it for now, possibly more to come if inspiration hits but dinners up....