1. On page 56, O’Brien writes, “Even now, as I write this, I can still feel the tightness. And I want you to feel it—the wind coming off the river, the waves, the silence, the wooded frontier. You’re at the bow of the Rainy River. You’re twenty-one years old, you’re scared, and there’s a hard squeezing pressure in your chest. What would you do?” Was this technique—addressing you, putting you in his position—effective? Did it make you read about that crucial moment in a different way than you read about the rest of his time near the border? Was there an emotional difference in that paragraph? If so, explain why, and discuss whether you think it is an effective technique.
2. Interpret O’Brien’s vision on pages 57-59 as his life flashes before his eyes. Does anything strike you as strange about what he remembers as he stands there in that boat? Is this a mistake O’Brien is making as a storyteller, or is it something else? (If so, what do you think it is?)
3. Why do you think O’Brien includes two chapters about Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen? Why not just one? How or why is their relationship significant to the story, and why do you think O’Brien frames it like he does?
4. Choose five statements about stories and storytelling from “How to Tell a True War Story” and then point to specific examples from the book (you may take the examples from any of the chapters we have read so far) where O’Brien illustrates these principles in his own storytelling.
5. As you will have noticed, some of the sections in this book are longer than others. Just like an abnormally long line in a poem draws attention to itself and suggests a heightened significance, so do the longer chapters of this book. From a practical point of view, we spend more time in these sections, so there is more emotional interaction. “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” is the longest section in the book. What does it add to the book? How does it compare to the other sections? Is Mary Anne’s experience a metaphor of some kind? A juxtaposition of incongruent worlds? A comment on gender? A story about storytelling? I’m not looking for a specific response. Just tell me what the story means to you and the reasons you think O’Brien includes it/devotes so many pages to it. Be specific and use several examples.
Have a great weekend.
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ReplyDeleteThe Road After Rainy River
This passage and chapter truly mark a difference in O’Brien’s storytelling. Up until this point, most stories and images were presented on a television screen. There are actors, environments, scenes, and directions. He then brings interaction to the viewer. “You’re twenty-one years old, you’re scared, and there’s a hard squeezing pressure in your chest.” He wants you to imagine, or rather relate to his circumstances.
I feel it was very effective for his audience. Most people will come to a point in their lives where a choice of possibly great consequence arises. O’ Brien didn’t attempt to give direction to our choices, but he did want us to relate. Now, the book isn’t a bunch of war experiences, but rather the road he took on the rainy river. The chapter set a new tone for the book, a much more invested tone. You care about where O’Brien is because you might be there; you might have made the same choice on Rainy River sometime in your life.
As I read that, I connected it with my future. I am at that same age and I feel the time on Rainy River approaching. O’Brien used this chapter and this passage specifically very well to get an emotional response from the reader.
I was deeply moved by the chapter "On the Rainy River"; O'Brien became vulnerable and childlike to me. He was faced with whether to go or to stay, to put his thoughts and beliefs aside or to stay true to who he was. The moment with the flashbacks I took as a personal revelation.
ReplyDeleteHe remembered the simple things about his childhood, the places he had been, the things he had done, and all the people who were a part of his life, even if it was in a small way. Then he saw what was to come for him, wife, family, what he was to do in Vietnam. I felt like he summed up all of his most precious moments, thoughts, and the people he admired most, periods of time he was interested in, all of these things floating before in the water. In a way this moment simplified things.
I can't help but wonder if seeing all of the past and future made O'Brien realize that if he did not go there would be things, big life experiences that he would have to miss out on. Would he ever have the luxury of just living his life? without the worry of getting caught and fined or even imprisoned. Would he always be looking over his shoulder? Maybe he knew that he would regret going to Vietnam but he would regret the not going more!