Johnny Trinh

UWRT 1104-007
October 22, 2015
Assignment Two
Introduction
The world bleak and desolate through one mans eyes. Him having no purpose in living anymore
looks at a figure made completely of ashes holding a young child. In an instant, his whole life
flashes before his eyes, the remembrance of his dearly beloved along with his children. In one
swift glance, the figure is destroyed by the ones who cold heartedly took her from his grasp.
Through his cold and hopeless eyes, he is ready to accept his fate. However, coming out of
nowhere, his comrades show up and through silent communication and looks of discernment,
convinces him to drudge on with his life. Through this small gesture, he finds in within himself
his will of fire once more. His eyes rekindled with a small passionate flame to eradicate the ones
who took his life away from him, to gain retribution, and to gain a sense of his purpose in life
once more.
Grief is a very controversial topic to discuss. Many of the discussions takes the form about loss.
People will think of a multitude of ways in order to deal with grief such as filling up the void
with something else. They will also try to drown out the feeling that nothing else can fill. They
fall into a dark void that they think they cannot recover from. Depending on the person, it may
seem bleak and hopeless to help the person out. Everyone wants to be reached out and helped
upon even if they constantly refuse it. No one wants to feel as if they are going through a crisis
alone. They want to know that people are there for them through thick and thin. Many people
will reject all signs of help and all signs of sympathy due to them trying to get through the
situations by themselves. What they do not realize is that by doing so, they are pushing away the
people that care for them the most. When someone is hurt, the people who truly care for them
will be there for them. They will devote their time and attention to them. They wont be the type
to simply ask is there something I can do for you? or Everything is going to be okay. They
will be the ones who go out of their way to ensure that the person who is grieving to feel as
comfortable and to be as lax as possible.
Literature Review
Throughout the Gears of War franchise, there are numerous deaths that are recorded
through the series. Some notable deaths within the franchise are Tais and Dominics. There is
also a recurring trend throughout all of the franchise as well. There is a family called the
Carmines. As far as the game shows, there are three out of the four Carmine brothers that make
an appearance. In order of appearances through the saga, the names goes as follows: Anthony
Carmine, Benjamin (Ben) Carmine, and Clayton (Clay) Carmine. Anthony Carmine in Gears of
War One was shot down through the head by a Locust sniper. His gun jammed in the process and
he was trying to fix the jam. He exposed his head and in the end, he ultimately was sniped and
killed instantly. This was one of the comical relief deaths within the game. No one expected it
and everyone thought he was a complete idiot for being killed by such a method. Then in Gears
of War Two, Ben died when Delta Squad goes inside a massive worm. When Delta Squad
regains consciousness, everyone was split up. Marcus and Dom were together while Baird, Cole,
and Ben were all split apart. Marcus and Dom met up with both Baird and Cole. They then were
in search for Ben Carmine. When they found him he was being eaten by a bunch of smaller
insectoids in the worm. When they finally reached him, his lower half was torn apart from his

Commented [1]: I really like the way you started off

your introduction to the paper. It is very descriptive and
catches the readers attention with a dramatic way of
describing the purpose of the game. I would go back
however and add what your are adding to the research
because that is the main idea of the paper.

Commented [2]: It's an excellent introduction. It really

portrays a violent game like Gears of War in a very
different light. The only problems are you didn't really
specify your stance on the topic, why you decided to do
this topic, and also a brief intro to what you want to say
or do to move the topic of your research forward. I
would recommend looking at the rubric one more time
and also professor Ashlyn's example paper for ideas on
how to fix this.

Commented [3]: I really like how thorough you were

with the literature review portion of your paper. You
really reemphasized what the game is really all about
and what it is portraying. You might want to include
more about each characters purpose in the game as it
relates to the cause.

torso. He was being eaten alive by the acid from the insectoids. Ben Carmines last words were
Sarge, I hurt Sarge tell my folks I love em. The recurring trend is that the Carmine family
would all die in some sort of unexplainable death. Before the release of Gears of War Three,
EPIC held a contest. The contest would determine whether or not to let Clayton Carmine, the
oldest of the four, to live or to die. Ultimately, the votes were counted and the majority wanted
Clayton to survive. He did not serve a big purpose in the game. This might be because Cliff
Bleszinski himself wanted Carmine to die. One death that struck some people was Doms death.
No one expected for him to commit suicide. Everyone was disheartened to see Dom go. Heflick
defines that when someone you hold dear to your heart and when you lose them, people go to
great lengths to numb the feeling (2012). It is very common for people to deny that something
happened and to even try to numb the pain. However over time everyone has to accept the fact
that a trauma has happened to them and has caused them to fall into a deep dark void. The only
way to come back from the void in their life is to finally accept that the trauma has happened and
to slowly move on.
Entering the Conversation
How does one go on through life when all is lost? When their whole world is broken?
When they are no longer able to think straight and function properly when any and everything
reminds them of their past life? Everyone will try to philosophize the answers to these questions
by utilizing phrases such as the old clich saying, Time will heal all wounds. However, the
answer is simple and there is no need to philosophize any sort of answer. Without over
philosophizing or over simplifying anything, the answer is that there is no definite one. The
reason why there is no definite answer is that no two individuals are the same. For example, one
person might have gone through a serious trauma and within a couple of months was able to gain
momentum once more and face life and all of its obstacles. On the other hand, the same trauma
might have happened to another person but that person has yet to face reality and it has been
years since anyone has seen an ounce of happiness in that individuals life. Over the years, the
Gears of War franchise has taken its toll on gamers hearts everywhere, even if the characters
who have died are fictional. Through the comical relief of some of the deaths to the heart
stricken deaths of others, death and loss is evident throughout the series. With each new death
that is introduced within the game, the player learns to readjust and persevere through the game.
Whether fictional or not, the game teaches one how to deal with the loss of something, whether
minute or substantial. This is just like how the game of life is dealt with as well. The game
provides an example on how certain characters act depending on the relativity of the one who is
gone. The same goes for people within the real world. Throughout this paper, we will inquire on
how to deal with the losses of others no matter how insignificant or how important the loss was
to us.
Whenever someone goes through a major trauma, they tend to seclude themselves back
into their inner sanctum. Depending on the individual, their inner sanctum can range from a
multitude of things such as they may only confide in themselves for a period of time while
another might draw back to their inner circle of close friends and/or family members. Every
person goes through trauma a different way than the next person. The idea of losing someone or
going through something that causes deep guilt, hate, trauma, shock, numbness,etc. can be very
detrimental to a persons health. Some people even go to great lengths to hurt themselves so the
pain from the experience can stop. Some even go as far as committing suicide because they felt
as if there was no other way to stop the strenuous torture on their soul. Everyone has a different
outlet when it comes to their emotions. However, the emotional levels can vary based on the

Commented [4]: Very good summary about your topic.

The only two things to watch out for is adding more of
your personal perspective as well as in text citation.
You can use your assignment one as a resource so
when you do add your own perspectives you can do an
in text cite of your assignment one.
Commented [5]: I like that you opened up the entering
the conversation part of the paper with several
questions. This give the reader a chance to think more
and make connections to the outside world. I would
however try to incorporate more cited into these
paragraphs rather than using your personal perspective
because this could create bias.

Commented [6]: This is a very good line however, I

feel like it should belong in your introduction. Its
something that should be elaborated more throughout
the paper but a solid straight to the point line
regardless. Also in the entering your conversation, it is
a very big section of the paper and for sure you should
include in text citations.

Commented [7]: I like how you added this part in the

paper because it adds more of a dramatic effect. It
really shows the darkness and reality of the game
which is the main theme. You should try to connect
some of these events to real life to help non gamers
get a perspective.

event that caused the emotions to occur in the first place. If it was miniscule, then the emotions
wont be as severe. The same goes for whether or not the event was drastic and possibly, life
changing.
It is a tendency in human nature to call anyone who has overcome the tortures of the loss of
someone dear to them as strong. However, anyone who has committed suicide because they
could not bear the pain of the event they witnessed or experienced themselves as selfish and
that the person was only thinking of themselves. There are some exceptions to the whole suicidal
idea. The exception that most might think of is in the case of a famous person. One notable that
most might be familiar with was the death of Robin Williams not too long ago. The whole world
was in shock when they learned that Robin Williams could not handle it anymore and decided to
end his life. He was cried over, not called selfish, but rather seen in sympathetic eyes. The whole
world mourned and went as far as honoring him by running a marathon of shows/movies he
starred in.
Many people go through the same event as another. The major differences is how the
people react, the significance of the person, and the persons personality. All of these are factors
in how a person griefs, mourns, and how long the effect lingers on the individual. Two people
who are foils of each other when it comes to grief are Marcus and Dom. The reason being is that
Marcus is portrayed as someone who seldom shows his emotions, while Dom shows a range of
emotions. Marcus, when he defied commands in order to try and save his father (which he
ultimately failed in doing so), let out a burst of emotions for a small amount of time. After the
outburst, he does not show emotions about his fathers loss as much but it is still evident. Dom,
on the other hand when he lost Maria, went on a tangent and was an empty shell of his former
past. He gave up all reasons to live and it was evident. The biggest variation from these two is
that while Marcus lost his father, it was not permanent. They were reunited only to have his
father die right in front of his very eyes. Dom had to put down Maria and was bleak from the
moment since. He felt as if he could not recover and decided to opt out (he committed suicide in
the end).
Personally, the biggest factor in determining how one goes through grief and how long they are
subjected to the grieving process is personality. The reason why is because some people express
their emotions more willingly because of their personality traits. There is a multitude of
personalities out in the world. Some might be bubbly, open minded, awkward, caring, secluded,
shy, and there are an infinitude out there. Depending on the persons personality, it will result in
how long they go through the process and show how it has affected them as a person. For
example, a kind and caring person will out right express that they are grieving and show their
emotions. They will cry out in public, wail, and bawl their eyes out, no matter where they are.
However, when it comes to someone who isnt known to express their emotions as well or at all,
when they go through something traumatic they rarely show any emotions as is. They seclude
themselves into solitude where they can freely express their emotions. These people seldom
show emotions at all and when they do, it is very little.
People who show too much emotion are casted as too caring and can be taken advantage of.
While on the other hand, people who shows little emotion are deemed as cold hearted and seen
as someone with very little sympathy. The truth is, that is just how that person functions. There is
no right or wrong way to grief or to deal with a loss. Every person in the world will go through
trauma, go through grief, and go through losses within their lives. How they react and deal with
it does not define them as a person. No two people are exactly the same. How they might react
might be very similar in terms of emotions and reactions, but one factor is always in

Commented [8]: Very nice reference to a famous icon.

It truly helps to exemplify what you are trying to say. It
is also a good way to sum up your idea of a
sympathetic death through suicide.

Commented [9]: You never once used and in text

citation in your paper. It is highly encouraged that you
do this because we need to know where your are
getting your information from. You also use a lot of
information based off of what you think versus what the
research say.

consideration. They are not the same and will never be the same. Grief is a very broad topic and
no one can give the perfect advice to someone who is grieving over a loss. The only person who
can help them is the person themselves.
Conclusion
Throughout the paper, the topic of grieving was touched upon. The grieving process does
not exist because not everyone goes through it at the same pace or in the same exact steps as
described in the process. This paper goes to the extent saying that no two people are the same
and goes as far as to prove how two people who go through the same experience will not go
through the same steps as defined as The Grieving Process. When described, the grieving
process has stages that everyone will go through but this paper proves that individuals will not go
through the process as the next. One person might go through it normally while another might
fully accept it right away and have no sorts of repercussions afterwards. Without disproving the
grieving process, most people would just try to follow the steps it describes and when they do try
to follow it, some people might be confused because they will be overwhelmed with the constant
battling of different emotions that are flooding them. The reason why this is so important is
because no one is the same. No one acts the same exact way when they are in the exact situation.
This paper however does not tell people what to do and how to act. This is just a mere guideline
stating that the typical things do not work on everyone. Everyone has a different response to a
certain event and everyone needs a different solution or a different outlet to let their emotions
out. There are some very general things people will typically say or do to try and comfort
someone such as simply being there for them. However the true people who are there will go
above and beyond and devote their time to being there for that individual. Some further areas of
research that people might look into are things such as, does the brain and how a person is,
personality wise, affect how the grief. Another might be will there be a universal code on how
people deal with grief. The grieving process, personally, is more of a theory and does not pertain
to every single person.
Work Cited
Heflick, N. How We Cope With Death. Psychology Today, (accessed 2015).
Smith, M.; Segal, J. Coping with Grief and Loss. : Understanding the Grieving
Process, (accessed 2015).
Coping with Loss: Bereavement and Grief. Mental Health America, (accessed 2015).
Nordal, K. Grief: Coping With the Loss of Your Loved Ones. Grief: Coping With
the Loss of Your Loved Ones, (accessed 2015).
The Grieving Process: Coping with Death. YouTube, (accessed 2015).
Coping With the Loss of a Loved One. Coping With the Loss of a Loved One,
(accessed 2015).
Trinh, G.-H. T. Assignment One. Assignment One,
End of life. Grief: Coping with reminders after a loss, (accessed 2015).

Commented [10]: I like how you gave explicit areas of

further studies. It is a good way to end off the paper,
but you can also end off with something a bit more
broad. Something that summarizes everything into one
or two sentences but leaves the audience hanging to
figure something out for them selves or to ponder upon.
But overall good conclusion.