Struggling with Realities
As I read the post by Ken Mahoy called “The Fog of Life” I was so deeply moved by the way he told his story about missing his family. Stanford mentions how he is “struggling” with being a soldier and being away from his family. This made me think of so many things. It made me think if what it would be like to be in his position. I recall our class discussion on themes of text that we have read throughout the semester and I think of heroism, the impact of war on families, and the impact of visualization as it relates to Mahoy post.
In class we discussed heroism as “self sacrifice for others.” I think that Mahoy and other soldiers have made the sacrifice for family, which is the most painful element of going to war. Leaving a family to go to war reflects some element of heroism. I am a believer that heroism can mean so much, including sacrificing your family.
Mahoy mentions the realities of war and how they have impacted his life. His experience seems to have made him aware of how important family is, especially children. He also discusses how change sets in and at some point it all seems to be over as reality sets in. He writes that there is “no more patriotic propaganda or pep rallies” and how you “can’t just push past the pain of missing your kids.”
Mahoy’s post meant so much more than some of the other posts I have read because he added something; visualization. He writes about his kids but he also placed photographs of them in his post. The photographs allowed me, and I’m sure others, to look at the children that he misses so much and see exactly what they look like. Pictures can mean more than words. Just like the graphic novel Maus the author is able to use visuals as an emphasis of ideas. Visualization also adds expressions, emphasis, and details that words cannot. Mahoy is emphasizing his children and his love for them. War imposes the realities that one might not visualize in everyday life, which makes me feel a sense of guilt for taking everyday I get to see my family for granted.
Ken Mahoy
The Fog of Life
3/14/08
The Sandbox
March 20th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
I agree with what you are saying about the sacrifice that soldiers make so they can serve their country. I would not ever be able to imagine what they have to go through, not just having to be in another country and fight because someone tells them to, but also because they are away from their families for so long, and have such little communication with them. It must be hard for them to have to get through their day knowing that they do not have much attachment to all of the people that they love because of the war that they are fighting, and they just have to hope that the people back home are able to keep them in their thoughts. Ken’s post also hit home with me with the way that he presented his problems, and the photos that he included of his children so that everyone that read his post could see exactly who he was thinking of. The pictures especially helped to bring some reality and emotion to his post. allowing everyone to visualize what he is talking about. His emotions that he shares can be understood by almost anyone, even those who haven’t served in the military. Feeling the sense of loss when you are away from loved ones is a universal emotion, one that soldiers especially have to deal with.
March 25th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I just submitted a blog a minute ago which featured the same blog from Mahoy that you found of the Sandbox. I also thought that this was so different from many of the other blogs that I’ve read, and I also think that the other posts to his website are very interesting and give a fresh perspective. Putting the pictures of his family on the post also made me feel like it was closer to home, and how sacrificing the time he could be spending with them (without the guarantee of ever coming home) brings to Mahoy many of the characteristics of heroism that we discussed in class.
April 16th, 2008 at 10:12 am
[...] 3.) David T. [...]