The film, ‘Saving Private Ryan’ is known to be one of the best war films ever created. The replication of the Normandy Beach storming from World War II left many viewers, including me in awe. I noticed the first several minutes of the film to be very intense as well as engaging. The depiction of those initially landing on the shores caught me off guard. The reason being is because the soldiers, who are stereotypically portrayed as tough, seemed to be confused and somewhat scared in this specific example. This sense of emotion that was displayed was irreplaceable. At an instant as harsh as this, it was acceptable to be scared. Beyond this point though, American society found it to be unacceptable to share emotions. Discussion about a war for veterans is an especially challenging topic to talk about due to the amount of emotion that comes with it. Generally speaking, soldiers are known to be ‘tough guys’ and do not show their emotions. In relation to Huntington’s beliefs, this ideology was apart of the culture during the World War II era. Being an American at this time, especially a male soldier included highly different expectations as to how one should hold him or herself than today. Part of having an American identity meant being ‘hard’ and rolling with the punches. The movie, ‘Saving Private Ryan’ does a very good job in making this claim come to light as it played into favor for both ends of the spectrum.
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