HAMILL

This short story was very moving and powerful. I felt the passion that Sam Hamill felt

regarding the war, broken women, and the abusers. How true is the fact that abuse and death

happens all to often and it is silent. Our silence contributes to shame..misery..and deaths of

millions of unborn children”(Hamill 550). Our silence. That is a very strong idea. 4 or 5

generations ago, silence was the norm. What I mean is, mothers didn't talk about “that stuff”

with their daughters. Fathers would only nod to their sons'. Getting married was what you were

supposed to do. My mother was brought up to not speak up, not to question. There were 4

sisters in my moms house growing up. I am not sure how many are happy today.

No silence. No more. We are to speak up against attacks and attackers. Don't let them get

away. The prison is filled with men from back grounds in abuse. Beatings. Rapes. So that means

the abuse happened to their fathers and mothers and theirs before them. Why? Why does it

continue? To break the cycle. When will it stop. Is it possible? Men grow up and go into war for

their country. So, what if the men that go into war, were raised without violence in the home.

Would that make him any less stronger, tougher, able to kill? Could it be that violence is with

every creature on this planet? Lion cubs, they bite and tackle their brothers. Is that violence in

the home?We as human beings have a responsibility to one another. But I think that we don't

want to over step our bounds. To care for a stranger. To help an elderly woman to put groceries

in her car. Would it be to much if we drive her to her house? I think that trust and mistrust has

left us to not help on another, to be silent. Has media contributed to our idea of how we aren't

supposed to be towards another. Sam Hamill has made a great discussion. His story along with

“Song of Napalm” by Bruce Weigl has war woven in them. In Bruce's story a young girl runs

down her dirt street, flesh from her young body drips off her. The war had happened. Napalm

bomb. In Sam Hamill's story he discuss how bombs are 180,000 stronger than the one that hurt

the young girl in“Song of Napalm”.

I will reread this story of Sam Hamill, to remind myself of how tender we really are. To

remind myself of reality. Or do I just need to watch my local news?