Blog 5-representing the other

Shaun Mayberry
Blog #5
Representing the other

The human attraction to things morbid and gruesome is long established.

In the film, the generals and men consider death as the only way to prove to their country that they are loyal and willing to die for it. They understand the chances of survival are very low, but because of their passion and their attraction to death for a cause, they will do what is necessary. The world today, is extremely attracted to anything that is sacrificial or dangerous.

In the book ‘Regarding the Pain of Others’ Susan Sontag speaks about the human person becoming use to the idea of death and less and less afraid of sacrificing one’s life to prove themselves. “It is impossible to glance through a newspaper, no matter what the day…without finding on every line the most frightful traces of human perversity…and it is with this loathsome appetizer that civilized man daily washes down his morning repast” (Ch 7, pg 107). People today are becoming comfortable with the idea of death and suffering. The soldiers in the film ‘Iwo Gima’ have a sense of ease when thinking about death, because it is what is expected of them. They laid to rest their hopes, dreams, and future aspirations in order to die for the cause and loyalty of their country. As seen in the film through a flash back, one of the soldiers had to say goodbye to his wife who was pregnant. He took on his role with honor even though it was an extremely difficult task. As a human being we are becoming numb to the emotions and sentiments that are suppose to be present in the time of loss. We are recognizing that death is a part of life, and nothing is rare or unfair about it.