"This is not Vietnam, Jesse. Life is not a war. 'It's not?' answered Jesse, a look of surprise on his face. Don't we live in a free-fire zone? There are seventy-five wars going on in this world right now, and only one of them matches the homicide rate in this country. Didn't Skelley call himself a soldier? Listen, doc, I can't stand the bastard, but I will do something that he and his kind could never do. I will stand up for him in a court of law, and I will do my best." (Vea, 63)Explanation:
The passage is significant because it shows how Jesse believes the United States is in a state of war. Jesse believes this country is just like a war and not only that but one of the most deadliest. Of all the "seventy-five wars"(Vea, 63) that are going on in the world, "only one"(Vea, 63) of those has the most deaths as this country. Jesse believes we live in a "free-fire zone"(Vea,63) in which thousands of people die each year. I would have to agree with Jesse because thousands of people do die in the world every year and these murders, don't really follow any rules when they kill. The murders are actually unexpected and usually its one person against another without teams, just like a free for all. The passage is meaningful because it reveals how the war impacted Jesse mentally and changed his views of this country. It also shows Jesse's dedication as a defense lawyer, even though he hates the Bernard he is going to defend him as much as possible and to the best of his ability.
Questions:
(1) Why does get so angry at Bernard? After this conflict would you still defend a person like Bernard?
(2) Describe the two dreams Jesse encounters during his sleep? Why do you think he looks forward to having these dreams?
(1) Jesse gets so mad at Bernard because all Jesse really wants to do is help this guy get out of jail or help him with his troubles but Bernard goes ahead and insults him to the point where Jesse didn't take any of his comments and set him straight.
ReplyDelete(2)One of the dreams that Jesse encounter not only in his sleep was with the war, when he saw Bernard coming towards him he went through a flashback, but Jesse only recognized his face and the tattoos Bernard had.