gabriellew07

In class when we read George Patton’s speech I was intrigued and yet my heart went out to the soldiers who were the actual audience of such a speech and the fear that they must have encountered at that very moment. I for one could not imagine being in the audience and hearing this speech and feeling any kind of ease about my choosing to enter war, or in the case of many being drafted into this war and being forced to put my life on the line. However, upon reading this we don’t exactly get a sense of atmosphere and find parts of the speech funny as I doubt it was intended to be. We are introduced to a rather uncensored read and are shocked at the language and laugh at some of the literal absurdities. However, upon watching the modified speech we are quiet and get a sense of the fear of the soldiers and as I watched, I almost wished to see the faces of the soldiers and hear some of the thoughts going through their minds. It was dead silent as Patton delivered his speech, not a sound could be heard and even after the speech there was no usual applause perhaps for the purpose of drama. However, there was something about seeing the seriousness in Patton’s face and seeing his demeanor and his stature that made the sarcastic remarks less hysterical. There was a sense of compassion that was “army strong” of course, from Patton. Although we know that he is a well-respected general and must be held to a certain standard he talks to the soldiers in a way of trying to let them know that they are not alone in feeling uncertain and afraid, and in fact, your neighbor is just as scared as you are in a sense easing the pain that they must feel being placed in such a situation. I also would like to compare George Patton the general in Full Metal Jacket. I find it interesting how we laugh at this movie and his rather raunchy remarks but make no noise during the visualization of Patton’s speech. Perhaps it was the fact that it was a movie meant for entertainment. Personally I think the degree of seriousness in both visualizations were on different levels therefore perceived differently by the audience. Many times when watching these movies I try to put myself in the shoes of those who are on the opposite end of the scrutiny and believe that unless you are in that situation it simply just can’t be done. When watching the Patton speech the audience is immersed in the speech and almost feel as though we are one of those soldiers prepping to put our lives in danger. However, in Full Metal Jacket we are taken out of the atmosphere and put in the seat of the audience and are onlookers viewing the life and the journey of the soldier making it more comical in the sense. Nevertheless, although both are different visualizations of some of the same sarcastic humor the level of seriousness presented in the visualizations seem to make all the difference with perception.