Born on the Fourth of July
History 76
April 27, 2009
Born on the Fourth of July
Analysis of Ron Kovic’s Autobiography Some of the most popular pictures are those of soldiers running up to their families right after getting off of the plane from a tour of duty, crying, and thankful that they are back home and safe. But how many of us actually care about those soldiers beyond knowing that they are home and safe? Ron Kovic’s autobiography, Born on the Fourth of July, is out to prove that going through a war has an affect beyond what most of the population sees; there are life-long effects, especially for those who come back injured and maimed. Every aspect of Ron Kovic’s life changed when he came back from the war and couldn’t move over half of his body and, for the most part, he had to deal with all of these changes on his own. On a larger scale, the world around him changes greatly from the time that he leaves for the war until the time he returns home after his stay in the hospital. When Ron leaves for the war, he has the love and support from his family, most of his friends, and his hometown. America is still really confident in the Vietnam War and they still have faith that they are fighting for a good reason and will come out of it with a victory. During his childhood it’s very similar, everyone is happy, life is good, life is simple; Ron and his friends only have to worry about what to do in the summer. However, when Ron returns home from the war, life is very different. He doesn’t realize it at first, but everything has changed. He knows from his time in the hospital that support for the war is waning, but it isn’t until he goes home and is face to face with the lack of support that he fully understands the extent of it. When he is first greeted by his family and they are so happy to have him back, and all of his neighbors gather around him he believes that they are supporting him fully and that they still believe in the war. While riding in a car at the Fourth of July
April 27, 2009
Born on the Fourth of July
Analysis of Ron Kovic’s Autobiography Some of the most popular pictures are those of soldiers running up to their families right after getting off of the plane from a tour of duty, crying, and thankful that they are back home and safe. But how many of us actually care about those soldiers beyond knowing that they are home and safe? Ron Kovic’s autobiography, Born on the Fourth of July, is out to prove that going through a war has an affect beyond what most of the population sees; there are life-long effects, especially for those who come back injured and maimed. Every aspect of Ron Kovic’s life changed when he came back from the war and couldn’t move over half of his body and, for the most part, he had to deal with all of these changes on his own. On a larger scale, the world around him changes greatly from the time that he leaves for the war until the time he returns home after his stay in the hospital. When Ron leaves for the war, he has the love and support from his family, most of his friends, and his hometown. America is still really confident in the Vietnam War and they still have faith that they are fighting for a good reason and will come out of it with a victory. During his childhood it’s very similar, everyone is happy, life is good, life is simple; Ron and his friends only have to worry about what to do in the summer. However, when Ron returns home from the war, life is very different. He doesn’t realize it at first, but everything has changed. He knows from his time in the hospital that support for the war is waning, but it isn’t until he goes home and is face to face with the lack of support that he fully understands the extent of it. When he is first greeted by his family and they are so happy to have him back, and all of his neighbors gather around him he believes that they are supporting him fully and that they still believe in the war. While riding in a car at the Fourth of July