AGENDA:
View more of Soldier's Sweetheart
Work on stories.
Post answer to questions on blog.
Group One (Speaking
of Courage):
(1) To begin with, why is this story called "Speaking
of Courage"? Assume the title does NOT hold any irony. In what sense does
this story speak of courage?
(2) Why does Norman Bowker still feel
inadequate with seven metals? And why is Norman's father such a presence in his
mental life? Would it really change Norman's life if he had eight metals, the
silver star, etc.?
(3) What is the more difficult problem
for Norman--the lack of the silver star or the death of Kiowa? Which does he
consider more and why?
(4) Why is Norman unable to relate to
anyone at home? More importantly, why doesn't he even try?
Group Two (Notes):
(1) In "Notes," Tim O'Brien receives a letter from
Norman Bowker, the main character in "Speaking of Courage." Why does
O'Brien choose to include excerpts of this seventeen page letter in this book
?
What does it accomplish?
(2) Consider for a moment that the letter
might be made-up, a work of fiction. Why include it then?
(3) In "Notes," Tim O'Brien
says, "You start sometimes with an incident that truly happened, like the
night in the shit field, and you carry it forward by inventing incidents that
did not in fact occur but that nonetheless help to clarify and explain
it." What does this tell you about O'Brien's understanding of the way
fiction relates to real life?
(4)
Compare and contrast possible versions of Kiowa's death in "Speaking of
Courage" and the end of "Notes". Who is responsible?
1. I think it's literally just speaking of courage, seeing as how that's a theme of the vignette. It speaks of Norman and his expectations for himself and bravery.
ReplyDelete2. The high expectations of his father drives him to strive for the very best due to his rough relationship with him. I don't think it would change ever unless his father's approval was earned.
3. The lack of the star, since it acts as a sign of his perceived inadequacy.
4. His psyche is so warped that he can't really relate to people. It's pointless to try because no one would ever understand him.
5. It shows the reader what became of Norman and gives further context to his chapter.
6. Maybe to give the reader something to think about when it comes to Norman's story? I don't really know. Or maybe it just builds on the illusion.
7. It says that whether or not something is reality doesn't really matter. As long as it helps to clarify or explain a true story, it's fine.
1- The story is called speaking of courage because Norman Bowker was in the war, he left with his medals. His medals signify the hard work and courage he put in while being there.
ReplyDelete2- I’d say that he feels inadequate because a large part of him did it to make his father proud. He wanted to tell his father about all of the medals he had won. Losing the silver medal made him feel inadequate because he felt that to make his father proud, he needed to win them all.
3- I’d say that the loss of the silver medal and Kiowa both blend together. They both signify how he didn’t try his harder, how he could’ve done more. In his head both Kiowa and the Silver medal make his other medals and accomplishments seem useless. Losing Kiowa only made him lose his value as a good friend and a good soldier.
4- Norman can’t relate to anyone at home because it’s been a long while since he was there. Everyone has changed and grown while he was away. Not only that but losing a friend and feeling at fault is very traumatic. He went to serve and help all, he saw his worth as what he did in the war. His medals became his push to do good and that got to him once he lost a friend and the silver medal as well.
Group two questions:
ReplyDelete1) He uses the 17 page letter to give us a little bit of background knowledge on what’s going on.
2) So it can explain the events that took place a bit.
3) He sees it as a way of explaining the events that he experienced.
4) I think O’Brien was trying to say that he was responsible for Kiowa’s death.
NOTES
ReplyDelete1. Norman Bowker commits suicide after returning from the war and the letter he writes after. O'Brien includes excerpts to show the affect the war had on returning soldiers and the struggle they had in adjusting and coping with their surroundings.
2.If the letter is made up then it adds to O'Brien's explanation of a true war story. The letter is made up but it may also be true looking at the definition of a true war story.
3.This quote tells us that O'Brien knows fiction is fiction but there is also an element of truth to the story.
4.Speaking of Courage and Notes are both closely related and O'Brien talks about writing Speaking of Courage being written before Normans death and changing the characters name to Normans real name.
1- The story shows courage and bravery with Norman's hard work and determination throughout the war on serving the country.
ReplyDelete2- Norman still feels inadequate because his father expects more of him that he can handle, which makes him worried, that he should do better than he can. When he lose the silver medal, he thought that he did the worst thing in his life and knew that his father would be disappointed.
3- The loss of the silver medal because he felt that he had a missing part of himself and that his goals were not completed. Since his father would be disappointed at him, he would also be disappointed at himself.
4. Everyone has changed and has grown up since the time he was serving in the war. He doesn't want to feel humiliated because none of them would understand him.
5- It allows the reader to understand what happens the day after we know of Norman's coming back. It also adds on to Norman's story and helps the reader understand him as a character more.
6- If the story is made-up, probably to show what Tim thought was going on to him. Tim is probably having a memory of the way that he used to talk with Norman and that adds to it.
7- Tim sees fiction as a way to clarify a few details that actually happened in real-life. Some fiction things have a moral story that explains the real situations in life.
8- Tim was trying to make it seem as Norman was responsible for Kiowa's death because he was worrying about himself and his success and it was the most important thing in his mind.
Group Two
ReplyDelete1. Including excerpts from the letter allows the reader to get a first hand look into Norman's experience after the war. With the excerpts the reader gets a well rounded view of what came of Norman.
2. It could be just to better explain what happened to the reader or maybe it is another aspect to O'Brien coping with the was and these letters are what he is grateful to not of been consumed by guilt.
3. O'Brien doesn't think that adding in fiction to a non fiction story is lying if it simply better explains the reality. Some things are necessary to add because the reader was not there personally.
4. In "Speaking of Courage" Norman blames himself for Kiowa’s death because he let go of him and did not try hard enough to pull him out. In "Notes" though O'Brien states that Norman was "in no way responsible" and thinks that Kiowa's death was more complicated then Norman letting Kiowa die. O'Brien also feels that he is partially responsible for what happened and it was not fair for Norman to hold all the blame.
1. "Speaking of courage" in-capsules a close literal sense of speaking of courage. It goes over individual ideals of courage through Norman.
ReplyDelete2. The high expectations of his father which fulfills the symbolic quest of a son to gain the content of their father or besting them.
3. The medal because it was something that made him closer to his expectation he wanted to achieve.
4. By going to war he disconnected sense of morality or normalcy and has seen otherwise disturbing and heart wrenching things that he knows his family wouldn't really understand.
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1. it expands on Normans change
2. to make the reader question what his true thoughts were and though it my be made it it may be real to him.
3. it builds on the foggy line between reality and fiction causing the reader to think more about the "truths" of war.
4. The three all speak of non existent Truth that helps the reader to understand reality though it may be fiction.
1)The excerpts help the audience understand and get a deeper insight to exactly who Norman was. These expercepts bring us closer to the character as we hear directly from him. We also got a first look at how war has taken a toll on these soldiers and the struggles they may be facing as a result of it.
ReplyDelete2)Although, if the letters were made up it would change things just not dramatically. It would change the authenticity of it all and create a bit more disconnect. However, even if the letter itself was not real it still very much so resembles the struggles soldiers faced.
3) This reveals that he takes a story and then adds to it. He takes a fiction story and has elements of truth that carry the story along.
1. The person telling the story doesn't want to talk about war, but he does want to tell the story on how he almost won the silver star.
ReplyDelete2. Norman feels his seven medals were for "common valor" and not for uncommon valor. He feels that if he was actually brave he would've won the silver star.
3. I believe that the death of Kiowa was a more difficult problem for Norman. If Norman would have won the silver star it would've meant he saved Kiowa's life.
4. No one knows the awful things that happened during the war and they congratulate him, which he doesn't like. He doesn't even try because they never will understand.
1) the story is called "Speaking of Courage" because the narrator doesn't want to talk about the war.
ReplyDelete2) Norman still feels inadequate and his father is a presence in his mentality because of his father's high exceptions. If he did win all eight it would've made a difference because Norman feels unaccomplished with only 7.
3) The lack of the silver star because it shows that he didn't try hard enough, Kiowa's death also shows that but he says everyone is to be blamed for that.
4) He isn't able to relate to anyone because they don't know what he has been through.
1. The story is called "Speaking of Courage" because the narrator doesn't seem comfortable talking about the war and the memories.
ReplyDelete2. Norman feels like he has failed because he was expected to do more and better things. He feels like he didn't meet his father's expectations and didn't make him proud.
3. The lack of the silver star because that made him feel like he was not doing his best.
4. Norman isn't able to relate to anyone at home because he has seen and done things no one else at home has and also the things he has seen with his own eyes that will be in the back of his mind for the rest of his life.