I completely understand Rat Kiley's viewpoint in this chapter.
Rat Kiley starts to lose his sanity on the troops night missions, insisting that the bugs were genetically fucked-up and that they would call out his name. He constantly scratches at his skin, even ripping apart scabs and scratching at the raw sores underneath. Rat starts to envision everyone dead as well, and starts seeing his own body parts.
Rat ends up shooting himself in the foot after doping himself up to get out of the war, and the guys don't call him a coward about the situation.
If I was Rat, I would've abandoned my pride if it meant saving what was left of my sanity. You can't control the insane things that go on inside your head, and you can't escape them. So it was best for Rat to leave the war.
Monday, May 9, 2011
The Ghost Soldiers
This chapter was confusing, but very interesting.
O'Brien actually becomes a character I like now, because he shows a part of his character that doesn't sit and reflect on everything in the past with such reverence, and has no other side to him. He becomes human, and expresses human emotions, like anger and embarrassment and a thirst for revenge.
O'Brien wants to get revenge on Jorgenson, because when O'Brien got shot, Jorgenson did an awful job of nursing O'Brien to health, and got him infected with gangrene. He felt as if that was something avoidable, so he is incredibly angry with Jorgenson, and wants to cause him as much shock as he felt. Only Azar wants to help O'Brien scare Jorgenson (because Azar is practically Satan), so they come up with a plan. They scare JOrgenson a good deal, but Azar wants to continue. However, when they continue, Jorgenson keeps his calm, so Azar kicks O'Brien in the head and walks away.
I really dislike Azar.
O'Brien actually becomes a character I like now, because he shows a part of his character that doesn't sit and reflect on everything in the past with such reverence, and has no other side to him. He becomes human, and expresses human emotions, like anger and embarrassment and a thirst for revenge.
O'Brien wants to get revenge on Jorgenson, because when O'Brien got shot, Jorgenson did an awful job of nursing O'Brien to health, and got him infected with gangrene. He felt as if that was something avoidable, so he is incredibly angry with Jorgenson, and wants to cause him as much shock as he felt. Only Azar wants to help O'Brien scare Jorgenson (because Azar is practically Satan), so they come up with a plan. They scare JOrgenson a good deal, but Azar wants to continue. However, when they continue, Jorgenson keeps his calm, so Azar kicks O'Brien in the head and walks away.
I really dislike Azar.
Field Trip
O'Brien takes his daughter to the spot where Kiowa's body was retrieved, and leave Kiowas moccasins in a commemorative spot. He feels at rest with Kiowa and as if he did his memory a good justice.
I still don't know how to feel about O'Brien as a character. He's a man with good morals, but I don't find him a likeable character. He just seems like a veteran cliche.
I still don't know how to feel about O'Brien as a character. He's a man with good morals, but I don't find him a likeable character. He just seems like a veteran cliche.
Good Form
Tim O'Brien goes back to his story of killing the man with the star-shaped hole where his eye should have been, and how he isn't sure if he killed him, but being present made him guilty. So he think that he can be truthful in saying that he never killed anyone, but also be truthful in saying he did.
How many chapters are going to be dedicated to Tim O'Brien and the man he killed?
How many chapters are going to be dedicated to Tim O'Brien and the man he killed?
In The Field
Jimmy Cross is another character I have no real liking or hatred towards, but in a different way then Tim O'Brien. I feel as if Jimmy is so focused on life back home, he can't focus on the issues at hand, and then blames himself for the death of his men, but doesn't seem to learn anything.
Jimmy is leading the troops into the shit fields to find Kiowa's body, and Jimmy is thinking that he'll write a letter to Kiowa's father about how admirable a person his son was, and how he was a person that any parent would be proud of.
Azar just exacerbates my dislike for him by being incredibly detached and heartless about the situation, making jokes about Kiowa "eating shit" (ha.) and other ignorant comments, which Norman tells him to stop with.
Jimmy is still thinking about how guilty he feels about Kiowa' death, and how he is going to include that in the letter to Kiowa's father.
They unearth Kiowa's body from the shit field, and clean it off so it can be sent to the military base. It seems as a pride thing, to rescue the body, but I wouldn't want my body to rot under the defecation of countless nameless people, so I find that completely understandable.
The chapter ends with Jimmy contemplating not writing the letter, and instead staying in his safe world of golf, where you only lose the ball, not lives.
Jimmy is leading the troops into the shit fields to find Kiowa's body, and Jimmy is thinking that he'll write a letter to Kiowa's father about how admirable a person his son was, and how he was a person that any parent would be proud of.
Azar just exacerbates my dislike for him by being incredibly detached and heartless about the situation, making jokes about Kiowa "eating shit" (ha.) and other ignorant comments, which Norman tells him to stop with.
Jimmy is still thinking about how guilty he feels about Kiowa' death, and how he is going to include that in the letter to Kiowa's father.
They unearth Kiowa's body from the shit field, and clean it off so it can be sent to the military base. It seems as a pride thing, to rescue the body, but I wouldn't want my body to rot under the defecation of countless nameless people, so I find that completely understandable.
The chapter ends with Jimmy contemplating not writing the letter, and instead staying in his safe world of golf, where you only lose the ball, not lives.
Notes
This chapter made me very sad, knowing the Norman Bowker wasn't as content as he was portrayed in the preceding chapter. Also, I find the concept of suicide very intriguing and saddening. How you can control your own destiny is prevalent in the concept of suicide, where you can tell yourself you're ready to leave this world when YOU want. Man has the knowledge to take their own life, so we can control our destiny.
Tim O'Brien (who is a character that I feel neither here nor there about. He seems like the pessimistic, morose vet who just talks about life lessons that I imagine veterans to be like) is telling us about how three years after "Speaking of Courage" was written, Norman Bowker hung himself in a YMCA locker room in his hometown. O'Brien says how Norman wrote him a 17-page letter on how he wants O'Brien to write about the experience of Kiowa's death in the shit fields. When O'Brien includes a chapter about it in the book, it has to be omitted because it does not fit. Norman calls him about it, sounding bitter. And 8 months later, he kills himself.
I felt so bad that Norman wasn't really content with his life, and with the death of Kiowa. This chapter made me feel weird. Like sad, but that different kind of sad. A grief that you don't realize how it makes sense to you, but somehow it does.
Tim O'Brien (who is a character that I feel neither here nor there about. He seems like the pessimistic, morose vet who just talks about life lessons that I imagine veterans to be like) is telling us about how three years after "Speaking of Courage" was written, Norman Bowker hung himself in a YMCA locker room in his hometown. O'Brien says how Norman wrote him a 17-page letter on how he wants O'Brien to write about the experience of Kiowa's death in the shit fields. When O'Brien includes a chapter about it in the book, it has to be omitted because it does not fit. Norman calls him about it, sounding bitter. And 8 months later, he kills himself.
I felt so bad that Norman wasn't really content with his life, and with the death of Kiowa. This chapter made me feel weird. Like sad, but that different kind of sad. A grief that you don't realize how it makes sense to you, but somehow it does.
Speaking of Courage
This story is following Norman Bowker after the war when he's at home, and he's driving around in his dad's car on July the 4th, thinking about a girl he used to love named Sally Kramer, and how she's married now and her last name is now Gustafon. He talks about how his father is proud of him for the seven medals he earned in Vietnam, and thinks about the Silver Star he almost earned, but didn't. He imagines himself telling his father the story.
He imagines telling a story about the night they camped in a field near the Song Tra Bong river. The field they were camping in tuns out to be a shit field (a literal field full of shit). The story takes breaks and goes to the present Norman Bowker, thinking about his father and Sally's reactions to the stories so far. This kind of made the story slow down, which built up some suspense while making sure you remember where Norman Bowker is now. He continues talking about being in the shit fields and hearing Kiowa scream, and seeing Kiowa sinking in the shit. He tries to save Kiowa, but Kiowa has sunken so low, and the smell is swallowing Norman, so Norman loses Kiowa.
He flashes back to the present, where he's eating his food, and he goes to a park, watching the fireworks with contentment.
I thought Norman was an admirable guy, and that his experience with the death of Kiowa is completely forgivable. If I'd had been in his situation, I'd have probably done the same thing.
He imagines telling a story about the night they camped in a field near the Song Tra Bong river. The field they were camping in tuns out to be a shit field (a literal field full of shit). The story takes breaks and goes to the present Norman Bowker, thinking about his father and Sally's reactions to the stories so far. This kind of made the story slow down, which built up some suspense while making sure you remember where Norman Bowker is now. He continues talking about being in the shit fields and hearing Kiowa scream, and seeing Kiowa sinking in the shit. He tries to save Kiowa, but Kiowa has sunken so low, and the smell is swallowing Norman, so Norman loses Kiowa.
He flashes back to the present, where he's eating his food, and he goes to a park, watching the fireworks with contentment.
I thought Norman was an admirable guy, and that his experience with the death of Kiowa is completely forgivable. If I'd had been in his situation, I'd have probably done the same thing.
Ambush and Style
Ambush -- In this chapter, Tim O'Brien is still upset about the guy he killed, telling his daughter when she asks if he killed anyone that he never killed anyone. He flashes back to the scene of the young man he did kill and how he panicked and pulled the pin on the grenade and killed him. Seemed like a repeat of of the last chapter, just emphasizing O'Brien's guilt again.
Style -- In Style, there's a Vietnamese girl dancing around a bunt down village, dancing with her hands covering her ears and moving her hips and taking minute steps while she dances. In the house she is dancing in front of, her family is in it, dead from the fire. Azar starts to mock her dancing, and Henry Dobbins threatens to throw him in the well if he continues mocking the girl, telling him to "dance right." THis chapter just made me like Henry Dobbins more and realize that I absolutely cannot like Azar, because I cannot see the good in him.
Style -- In Style, there's a Vietnamese girl dancing around a bunt down village, dancing with her hands covering her ears and moving her hips and taking minute steps while she dances. In the house she is dancing in front of, her family is in it, dead from the fire. Azar starts to mock her dancing, and Henry Dobbins threatens to throw him in the well if he continues mocking the girl, telling him to "dance right." THis chapter just made me like Henry Dobbins more and realize that I absolutely cannot like Azar, because I cannot see the good in him.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
The Man I Killed
The visual imagery in this chapter kind of disturbed me, and also confused me a little bit.
This chapter starts with the explicit visual description of what is assumed to be the man "he" killed, narrated by Tim O'Brien. It tells how his jaw was in his throat, how his one eye was shut and the other eye was a star-shaped hole (this was the imagery that confused me. I couldn't imagine a hole being shaped like a star by mere accident, so I'm sure this didn't have the desired effect on me.). It describes the miniscule details, like his earlobes and fingernails. Then it lapses into a description of what his life might have been like, what his interests might have been. Then it flashes to the same descriptions of his body again, emphasizing how his jaw was in his throat and that star-shaped hole where his eye should have been. It repeats this pattern, with some dialogue by Anzar and Kiowa, and the repetition of how the dead man looks, still talking about the star-shaped hole where his eye should be.
I like that Tim O'Brien had remorse over killing somebody, and thought about him as having an outside life and loves and interests and fears and little idiosyncrasies that everyone has. If we had everyone think about everyone they're killing in the war and how they're people too, we could probably avoid war as a whole.
This chapter starts with the explicit visual description of what is assumed to be the man "he" killed, narrated by Tim O'Brien. It tells how his jaw was in his throat, how his one eye was shut and the other eye was a star-shaped hole (this was the imagery that confused me. I couldn't imagine a hole being shaped like a star by mere accident, so I'm sure this didn't have the desired effect on me.). It describes the miniscule details, like his earlobes and fingernails. Then it lapses into a description of what his life might have been like, what his interests might have been. Then it flashes to the same descriptions of his body again, emphasizing how his jaw was in his throat and that star-shaped hole where his eye should have been. It repeats this pattern, with some dialogue by Anzar and Kiowa, and the repetition of how the dead man looks, still talking about the star-shaped hole where his eye should be.
I like that Tim O'Brien had remorse over killing somebody, and thought about him as having an outside life and loves and interests and fears and little idiosyncrasies that everyone has. If we had everyone think about everyone they're killing in the war and how they're people too, we could probably avoid war as a whole.
Stockings and Church
Stockings tells us about Henry Dobbins and how Henry is a sentimental person. He carries his girlfriends stockings with him in the war everywhere. He uses them as a sort of gas mask, and sleeps with the stockings over his face. I feel like other people would have found this fact sort of creepy, but for some reason, I found it kind of sweet. Mostly due to the situation he was in. And when his girlfriend broke up with him, I was so happy that he ended up taking it well. Whenever the soldiers go through anything tough, I get scared there's going to be a suicide.
Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong
In this story, Rat Kiley is telling a story (a story within a story, but I forgot what that's called) about Mark Fossie bringing his girlfriend, Mary Anne Belle into the war with him. Mary Anne is described as attractive, although she's "too wide" in the shoulders, and she seems cute and bubbly, which is very contrasting to the scene they're in, full of violence and filth. She starts to become more into the war, and her old habits are left behind. She stops wearing makeup, stops tending to her fingernails, cuts her hair short and wears a dark green bandana around it (Why is it that in stories and movies, when a woman cuts her hair short, it's always this symbol of her tossing out femininity or becoming more masculine, or showing that she stops caring about her apperance. I have short hair, because I want to. It doesn't make me less of a woman because of it. Is it that society can only understand symbols of femininity through shallow things, like hair and makeup? I'm letting my emotions get into this too much. Sorry.)
Mary Anne also starts to change her life plans with Mark Fossie. They're introduced as this couple who knows exactly what they want to do with their life when they get older, but Mary Anne now has some "what if's" and "maybe's" about their future together. Their relationships start to suffer when they get engaged. Their smiles are described as "too intense" and they held hands "as if they were afraid to let go." This part made me so incredibly sad, to see this couple who was so in love before the war have their love destroyed BY the war.
The end of the story wraps up with Mary Anne turning into this entirely new person, wearing a necklace of human tounges and wanting to eat Vietnam, and swallow it whole. She is corrupted fully, and after this encounter that Mark Fossie has with her, she's never seen again.
Mary Anne also starts to change her life plans with Mark Fossie. They're introduced as this couple who knows exactly what they want to do with their life when they get older, but Mary Anne now has some "what if's" and "maybe's" about their future together. Their relationships start to suffer when they get engaged. Their smiles are described as "too intense" and they held hands "as if they were afraid to let go." This part made me so incredibly sad, to see this couple who was so in love before the war have their love destroyed BY the war.
The end of the story wraps up with Mary Anne turning into this entirely new person, wearing a necklace of human tounges and wanting to eat Vietnam, and swallow it whole. She is corrupted fully, and after this encounter that Mark Fossie has with her, she's never seen again.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
How To Tell A True War Story
The story starts off with "this is true," which leads me to be believe that the story that is about to be told is probably outlandish and unbelievable, otherwise why would their be such a need for a disclaimer at the very beginner.
I found that this story really touched me, and I really liked it. I liked Rat Kiley.
Anyways, the narrator lapses into a story about Rat Kiley being in the war, and his best friend, whose also fighting in the war, gets killed. He writes a letter to his friends sister, and pours his heart out into it, saying how much he loved him, and how they were best friends. Rat mails the letter, and waits two months for the girl to write back, but she never does. And he gets upset and calls her a cooze (which I didn't know what that meant until it was explained to me).
I was thinking about the perspective of Curt Lemons sister, and if she realized whether or not that would affect Rat Kiley by not writing back. Or if she didn't ever receive the letter. Or possibly, she read it and thought it was touching, but was too caught up in the death of her brother to send a response. She'll never realize how the fact that she didn't respoond could affect Rat Kiley. I doubt she'd be a "cooze" on purpose and not respond out of bitterness.
Anyways, the narrator is telling the reader the requirements of telling a true war story. How a true story never ends, how it's difficult to believe, how there is no virtue or sense of upliftment when you tell a true war story. I really liked the narrators description of how to tell a true war story, although I can't really seem to figure out why. Possibly because he throws out all the other few war stories I've ever read out of the window, because they don't meet the requirements of his idea of a war story.
I found that this story really touched me, and I really liked it. I liked Rat Kiley.
Anyways, the narrator lapses into a story about Rat Kiley being in the war, and his best friend, whose also fighting in the war, gets killed. He writes a letter to his friends sister, and pours his heart out into it, saying how much he loved him, and how they were best friends. Rat mails the letter, and waits two months for the girl to write back, but she never does. And he gets upset and calls her a cooze (which I didn't know what that meant until it was explained to me).
I was thinking about the perspective of Curt Lemons sister, and if she realized whether or not that would affect Rat Kiley by not writing back. Or if she didn't ever receive the letter. Or possibly, she read it and thought it was touching, but was too caught up in the death of her brother to send a response. She'll never realize how the fact that she didn't respoond could affect Rat Kiley. I doubt she'd be a "cooze" on purpose and not respond out of bitterness.
Anyways, the narrator is telling the reader the requirements of telling a true war story. How a true story never ends, how it's difficult to believe, how there is no virtue or sense of upliftment when you tell a true war story. I really liked the narrators description of how to tell a true war story, although I can't really seem to figure out why. Possibly because he throws out all the other few war stories I've ever read out of the window, because they don't meet the requirements of his idea of a war story.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Friends and Enemies
Let's talk about Enemies first.
So these guys Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk get into a fist fight over a missing jack knife, and Dave is huge, so he ends up "winning" the fight, breaking Strunks' nose. But then Dave gets all paranoid about Lee's whereabouts and actions, I presume, and ends up going into a fit of passion and breaks his own nose, so that they'll be even, deleting the need for Lee to end up getting Dave back.
Friends:
So now Dave and Lee from the previous chapter come to trust each other a great deal, and make a pact about how if the other person got "totally fucked up" (i.e. getting shot in a way that would make them wheelchair bound), they would end their life for them. But then Lee gets shot in the leg, and tells Jensen not to kill him, and makes him swear
So these guys Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk get into a fist fight over a missing jack knife, and Dave is huge, so he ends up "winning" the fight, breaking Strunks' nose. But then Dave gets all paranoid about Lee's whereabouts and actions, I presume, and ends up going into a fit of passion and breaks his own nose, so that they'll be even, deleting the need for Lee to end up getting Dave back.
Friends:
So now Dave and Lee from the previous chapter come to trust each other a great deal, and make a pact about how if the other person got "totally fucked up" (i.e. getting shot in a way that would make them wheelchair bound), they would end their life for them. But then Lee gets shot in the leg, and tells Jensen not to kill him, and makes him swear
On THE Rainy River
( ok, so the thing for the discussion questions says the title for this chapter is "On A Rainy River" but it's definitely "On THE Rainy River.")
The chapter starts off with the lines "This is one story I've never told before. Not to anyone. Not to my parents, not to my brother or sister, not even to my wife." I suppose that's supposed to make the reader more engaged and feel more "intimate" with the narrator of this story, as if he's telling you some deep secret and you get to pride yourself on being on the receiving end of this story. (Why yes, I am rolling my eyes.)
Anyways, this guy Tim O'Brien tells us this deep dark secret about how he got drafted or some nonsense to go to the army, and wanted to chicken out and jump ship to Canada (which I would've totally done) but decides to go to the war because he's too scared to look like a coward, which is essentially this giant oxymoron, or paradoxical statement.
NO, I do not know the significance of why he insists of telling about his dead-end, thankless job working cleaning out the viscera of dead pigs. It was hard for me to see any significance within this description, because I found it revolting, but I couldn't really find any deeper meaning within the laborious process of his job.
Anyways, he meets this old guy, and they chill for awhile while he's contemplating whether or not to go to Canada. In the end, O'Brien cries about it, but ends up going to war, because he couldn't bring himself to go through with the plan to tramp it to Canada.
POOR TIM.
The chapter starts off with the lines "This is one story I've never told before. Not to anyone. Not to my parents, not to my brother or sister, not even to my wife." I suppose that's supposed to make the reader more engaged and feel more "intimate" with the narrator of this story, as if he's telling you some deep secret and you get to pride yourself on being on the receiving end of this story. (Why yes, I am rolling my eyes.)
Anyways, this guy Tim O'Brien tells us this deep dark secret about how he got drafted or some nonsense to go to the army, and wanted to chicken out and jump ship to Canada (which I would've totally done) but decides to go to the war because he's too scared to look like a coward, which is essentially this giant oxymoron, or paradoxical statement.
NO, I do not know the significance of why he insists of telling about his dead-end, thankless job working cleaning out the viscera of dead pigs. It was hard for me to see any significance within this description, because I found it revolting, but I couldn't really find any deeper meaning within the laborious process of his job.
Anyways, he meets this old guy, and they chill for awhile while he's contemplating whether or not to go to Canada. In the end, O'Brien cries about it, but ends up going to war, because he couldn't bring himself to go through with the plan to tramp it to Canada.
POOR TIM.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
"Love" and "Spin"
The chapter "Love" is a very short chapter, told from the perspective of an unknown narrator(?), giving insight into the loved things and emotions of the soldiers, talking about the special objects that the soldiers carried to make them feel more at home, and brings more insight about Jimmy Cross's feelings about Martha. I found this chapter to be insightful, although it didn't serve much purpose to me.
"Spin" puts a new perspective, or "spin" on the war as a whole, telling stories of peace. I also found it was a chapter that lacked substance, besides some more background information into the soldiers lives.
"Spin" puts a new perspective, or "spin" on the war as a whole, telling stories of peace. I also found it was a chapter that lacked substance, besides some more background information into the soldiers lives.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
The Things They Carried
The first chapter in The Things They Carried tells the story of men in the Vietnam War, following the inner thoughts and back story specifically of Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. I enjoyed how they brought insight into the characters so that it seemed as if they were people with feelings, and not defined as soldiers.
Jimmy's view of Martha is not a view that I find flattering. It seems as if Jimmy loves a girl who does not love him back, which seems very sad and he says that it cost the life of Ted Lavender.
The concept of weight in the story did have an impact, as I imagined carrying the tangible weight they were carrying as well as empathizing with the emotional and mental weight they also carried.
Jimmy's view of Martha is not a view that I find flattering. It seems as if Jimmy loves a girl who does not love him back, which seems very sad and he says that it cost the life of Ted Lavender.
The concept of weight in the story did have an impact, as I imagined carrying the tangible weight they were carrying as well as empathizing with the emotional and mental weight they also carried.
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