Ambush/The Man I Killed: A Real Boy

           Like most of the stories, this story is narrated by Tim O'Brien. Throughout the story he tells us about the life of the man he killed. He adds intimate details like the man's feelings and relationships with his family. O'Brien imagines this man's life from every angle he narrates about the man's goals and dreams of going to college, how he is good at math, and an intellectual rather than a warrior. The narrator has no way of knowing all these details.

             O'Brien generates a story from his imagination and his guilt. He feels guilty for killing the man,a man he didn't know. He knows the man must have had dreams, a family, people that loved him, conflicts, and everything else a normal human being has on every part of the planet. By telling his story O'Brien humanizes the man and makes him real. You get the feeling as he tells the story that the details come from his own past because he realizes the man he killed was a boy just like him, that could have even had a similar story. We know O'Brien didn't want to go to war in the first place but went anyways so that he didn't let down his family.

Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong

         This story is strong and mysterious in some way. Mary Anne goes to Vietnam as girl; innocent—the epitome of America—but as the story goes on she is shaped and molded in to something completely different. In my opinion what transforms her is the experience in general, she goes from being in the bubble of white picket fenced America to immersing herself in to the Vietnamese culture and the war. Being a woman matters at the beginning of the story but slowly becomes less important as she becomes a figure of madness any soldier could turn into. In the end the story shows how the war could affect both men and women the same way, soldiers go to war as boys but return changed after having close experiences with death.

                 I think O'Brien lets Rat Kiley narrate a part of the story because of the very way he tells it. O'Brien tells us Rat Kiley's narrations are exaggerated and often unbelievable, he adds a feeling of intrigue to his stories. Also, Rat Kiley is the one who was there, this gives the story authenticity. Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong fits O'Briens criteria for a true war story, it has obscenity and evil, it is unbelievable, and there are parts to it that are merely rumors but seem to form part of the real story.

SPIN: Peace

            "All that peace man, it felt so good it hurt. I want to hurt it back" I personally, think this quote means that that soldier was so peaceful he felt almost guilty for leaving. He had to break the peace because he felt like he had escaped the war rather than ended it. I think this quote says that peace is appreciated when you don't have it.
            The Vietnam War had long periods of monotony and peace and short flashes of anarchy and action. The soldiers sat around  waiting for something to happen and when it did they didn't hesitate to act and fight. Maybe they needed peace in order to fight in the periods of chaos. This quote makes you think that they almost longed for the battles, since they spent so much time waiting for it.

War Letters: Please Don't Worry

Dear Mom and Dad,

        I miss you. I miss home. Everything is different here. Everything is raw and real, too raw, and too real. The ground is red and muddy, and it sticks to your clothes, to your boots, it smudges and stains. The landscape is green and beautiful. The people are strong, and rough, and resigned to whatever fate may bring. The deaths are short and quick, and irrelevant—day to day occurrences. People are shot, blown up, slaughtered. The reality of death seems tangible, because at home you know people die everyday but when they do they are mourned for and grieved for, and you weep because it was unexpected. But here we seem to carry expiration dates. The ground keeps smudging and the birds keep chirping, and after the body of your friend is picked up by the helicopter you and your buddies grab your things and keep on walking. The faces don't change, mission isn't cancelled, death is what it has always been: inevitable.

         You find yourself doing things you never thought you would. Things you never want to speak of again because when you flashback to that time and that place you get chills down your spine, and you are suddenly cold, and full of regrets, and find yourself grasping at anything that will take the memory away. This is not a battle we are fighting for our country, but for ourselves, for our loved ones, this a matter of survival. You shoot to scare the evils away, to keep yourself safe.

          I know the last two paragraphs have scared you, I know they have worried you. But I am asking you not to, not to worry, not to be frightened. I am fine, I'll make it out of here. I know I can. In a few months I'll go back home. I'll get on with my life, go to college... I don't know, but I'll make it, for you.

Love,

Maria Gabriela

 * I chose to write to my parents because of how important they are in my life, I'm an only child and I know that if I went to war I would write to them.

I chose to tell them what is really going on because I feel they should know

I may have exaggerated the hope I have in myself because I wouldn't want them to get too worried, the fact that I am scared wouldn't have helped them.

The Things I carry

           I carry around my backpack five days of the week. But it mostly holds items I am forced to carry for school: geometry notebook, biology notebook,history notebook, binder, textbooks, pencil case, and the list goes on, these items don't represent me, they are stuffed inside the backpack, and only used if strictly necessary. For me, and mostly during the weekends, I don't leave the house without my cell phone, Chapstick, I-pod, gum, extra hair ties, and sunglasses.

          It's funny how I carry sunglasses almost everywhere. I get it from my mom, she won't leave the house without her sunglasses... rain or shine. They are just needed with Panama City's climate and I find myself longing for them when I forget to take them. Sunglasses protect; not only from the sun, but from many other things, they can hide your emotions on a bad day, they can make you feel safe and secure. I don't like to share a lot of my feelings with others, you could say they are my security blanket.

            I also take my  I-pod with me everywhere I go. I love music and head-phones can save you from some very awkward silences. Plus, everything is better with background music. Having your I-pod with you also keeps you from looking like a loner, you can just pull it out while you are waiting and pretend you are doing something important. I am an awkward person, and talking to random strangers while I'm waiting is not something I look forward to, you could say that is antisocial,  but I have enough awkwardness in my life as it is. It's weird how both of the items I chose help me stay away from awkward moments.

The Vietnam War

         I didn't know much about the Vietnam War before this class. All I knew was that many people were against it and the United States was involved (I also knew it happened it Vietnam but that was kind of obvious). So, what do I know now?

         First of all the war was part of the United State's long running battle against communism.The "Domino Theory" stated that (like dominoes) if one more country became communist the rest were soon to follow. There were many reasons the war was so controversial. To begin with the men for the war were drafted and sent against their will.  Most of the men drafted were under twenty-one and 76% of them belonged to the lower or middle class. It was also the first living room war , which means it was the first time people were able to see what was really going on in the battle fields, the dying, hungry, and miserable people were documented and televised to families around the nation. People were able to see the horrors the war was bringing to others.