Reaction to Dispatches

Although I knew I was about to read a Vietnam War piece, "Dispatches" by Michael Herr really caught me off guard. The heart wrenching story from the first hand perspective of a reporter in Vietnam was graphic, moving, and inspirational. It really caused me to put my "problems" in perspective, looking at the utter chaos that went on in Vietnam. The way that Herr described being around dead bodies of soldiers and friends, hearing of his friends deaths, and the overall psychological experience of Vietnam was outrageous. I cannot imagine fearing for my life in the way that Herr and the other people in Vietnam did. It was enlightening and so real. Throughout my childhood, I have read about the Vietnam war and the post traumatic stress disorder, but this was the first experience I have had with a first-hand narrative of written by someone that was really there. He was able to describe what went on inside the minds of the soldiers and the every day occurrences really helps me to understand why the war was protested to the extent that it was. Herr is an exceptional writer, and his use of foul language really helped the development of his voice as a narrator. He used elongated sentences that often sounded like rambling thoughts. It is clear that he wants every aspect of this piece of writing to be 100% real. He doesn't cover anything up, and doesn't fabricate the truth.