War can be unforgiving and relentless. It can put soldiers in situations were both their physical and emotional strengths are tested. These tests can either bring out the best or the worst of a soldier. The text " The Things They Carried" showed that the margin between courage and cowardice could sometimes be very thin. `Sometimes the difference between courage and cowardice was something small and stupid.' Although both aspects of courage and cowardice are explored in great detail, courage was explored in many ways, such as emotional, psychological and moral.

It takes courage just to wake up each morning, knowing that as soon as your platoon sets out, you are in danger of losing your life, or the life of your close comrade beside you. There was a great example of psychological courage in the text, which was very evident. An `old poppa-san' was enlisted to guide...