The War Essay

     
     Humans have always had two choices in life; to make peace or have war. The War attempts to see why people have a war and then try to make peace. This film describes the effects war has on people, the men and women who go to war and also there families.  Lidia is the daughter of a Vietnam veteran who has now been home for a while. Lidia doesn't like her dad  after he returns because she thinks he uses he's a low life who can't get a job and uses his wife. Stephen, the dad, can't hold a job because he always get fired when they find out he's been in a mental hospital. Stu, Lidia's older brother, is always getting into fights with other kids. Stephen tries to teach his kids not to fight back but he thinks he is a hypocrite since hes killed people in war. 
     
    Stu is always getting into trouble and fighting with the Lipnicki kids for all kinds of reasons. Stephen tries to teach Stu to control himself but he always seems to come home with a bloody nose. The dad tries to fix this when he and Stu were at the market and the Lipnicki's got behind them in there truck and started running into the back of the Simmon's car. Stephen wasnt fighting back but once the father of the Lipnicki's got out and started talking bad to Stu, Stephen got out of the car and took the Lipnicki down in a chock hold. Stephen set him straight got him up and sent him on his way. The father of Stu shows him that only use force when necessary. When they got out of the market the kids of Mr. Lipnicki were making fun of Stu. Stephen held Stu back as he was trying to get fight them and Stephen went over to them and instead of beating them he gave them cotton candy. Stu asks in the car why he did that and the dad said because it looked like they hadn't been given anything in a long time. Stephen was trying to show Stu that you can be compassionate to your enemies. 

    Stephen couldn't hold a job because of what happened in Vietnam. He had PTSD and after he was honorably discharged with a purple heart and a bronze star. He had to go to a mental after he kept having bad dreams about what had happened in Vietnam. He couldn't hold a job because of his PTSD not because he was some low life who was to lazy to get a job. He was a very compassionate person, especially after Vietnam. He showed kindness to others and almost never picked a fight.

Stu and Lidia's goal over the summer was to build a tree fort. But the parts they needed were at the Lipnicki's junk yard. After a while the Lipnicki kids catch them and it was an all out war. The smallest Lipnicki, Billy got up on top of the water tower and fell in. So Stu and one of the older Lipnicki's help him out of the water and when Stu saved Billy's life everything changed. After that the Simmons didn't see much of the Lipnickis except Billy. This proves that with war can come peace. And so after that the Simmons were not bullied anymore and lived on happily.