Speaking of Courage

The chapter Speaking of Courage talks about the personal strength and will it takes to live during war. its climax is the death of the moral Kiowa. He is the prominent character throughout the book, who is soft spoken, kind and religious. the fact that he dies in a pile of manure, is a symbol of the theme O'Brien is expressing. O'Brien is avidly expressing hid disdain for everything that courage stands for; everyday the men have to get up and face their fears as soldiers and prepare to die or survive at all cost. Just the mental state that that places them in is an example of the credence and perseverance of thier internal will power. The chapter can also be seen as a way for the soldiers to cope and deal with the guilt of fighting in a war. Since it is set up as a post war story, it also compiles the analizationof two different symbols of characters. While Kiowa is religious and has a set of morals that are held high he dies honorableness, and its ironic that he doesn't survive while others who are "less moral" than he is live on. it also can be seen as a way to force people to deal with the things they generally run from. Fighting as patriots should be an honor for the men, yet they despise the not only the war but everything it stands for. Courage is seen as a macho thing and the fact that the men aren't always in control drives them to personal insanity. O'Brien doesn't like the way courage is portrayed, i feel that he believes that expressing yourself should be a natural part of life. I personally agree but I do feel that if they lost their composure the results would be drastic. Their is a thin line between cowardice and courage and the line is separated based on situations. You can be a coward and still be courageous. Speaking of courage speaks to the truth of the lies hidden within courage.