How to tell a true war story text. The Things They Carried How to Tell a True War Story Summary & Analysis 2022-10-28

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In Tim O'Brien's "How to Tell a True War Story," the author grapples with the idea of what constitutes a true war story and how to effectively communicate the reality and consequences of war. O'Brien suggests that a true war story is never about war itself, but about the soldiers and their experiences.

One way to tell a true war story is to focus on the human element. O'Brien writes about a soldier named Curt Lemon who was killed by a booby trap, but instead of focusing on the details of Lemon's death, O'Brien writes about how Lemon's death affected those around him. This emphasis on the emotional impact of war on soldiers helps to convey the true reality of war and the toll it takes on those who experience it.

Another characteristic of a true war story is its ability to convey the chaotic and unpredictable nature of war. O'Brien writes about a soldier named Rat Kiley who was traumatized by the death of a young Vietnamese girl and how he struggled to cope with the randomness and brutality of war. This depiction of the mental and emotional toll of war helps to illustrate the true horror of conflict.

A true war story also often lacks a clear, neat resolution or lesson. O'Brien writes about a soldier named Mitchell Sanders who is tasked with finding the "moral" of a war story, but ultimately concludes that war stories do not have a moral because war itself is amoral. This refusal to provide a simple, tidy conclusion highlights the complexity and ambiguity of war and the difficulty of understanding and communicating its true nature.

In conclusion, a true war story is one that goes beyond the facts of a particular conflict and instead focuses on the human experiences and emotions of soldiers. It conveys the chaos and unpredictability of war and resists the urge to provide a neat resolution or lesson. By embracing these elements, a war story can provide a more honest and authentic portrayal of the reality and consequences of war.

How To Tell A True War Story Essay

how to tell a true war story text

The first similarity that I had encountered was that both stories gave the impression that previous to war the main characters had an enormous sense of patriotism. For example, he tells a story about how his friend Curt Lemon was killed. We twist war stories in to being something of valor and a clear right vs. Fictional truth is a story completely made up of things to make a story. The relationship between these the question of if the story matters or not. If its true you wont have words to describe what was just told. On the day Curt Lemon died, the platoon saw a baby water buffalo and captured it.

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How to Tell a True War Story

how to tell a true war story text

If a story seems moral, do not believe it. But through the excellence of war stories, a common-day person can not only learn about war, but also tune into the feelings that affect so many lives in our world today. The author is describing how a war story is not really about the story, but about the details, the little things, the things that make the story, or their war experience, memorable. However Vietnam was a very hard war because there was no clear wrong being done, yes they where fighting against communism but is was still very controversial war. If it was a moral, it isn't true.

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How do you tell a true war story is it true?

how to tell a true war story text

Kiowa and Mitchell Sanders don't shoot the animal to put it out of its misery, instead they throw it down the village well—which is menacing in its own way because the animal would drown and poison village's water. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. Another way of looking at the story is that there are lots of morals to it, that there are endless morals in it, that war contains everything and at such intensity it is beyond anyone's ability to directly communicate. The narrator says that a true war story does not suggest the models of proper human behavior. If you're telling the fictional truth then I don't believe it can be historical. In fact with every film today there is some shred of truth that they originated from.

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How to Tell a True War Story Summary

how to tell a true war story text

Grief, terror, love, longing — these were intangibles, but intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight. If a story seems moral, do not believe it. Which he states on pg. War is thrilling, war is drudgery. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior, nor restrain men from doing the things men have always done. Yes, I also did stand by and watched, but I never encouraged the boys on or laughed, because I was thought better by my parents. Then he told O'Brien that the quiet he was hearing was the moral.

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The Things They Carried How to Tell a True War Story Summary & Analysis

how to tell a true war story text

My family did not understand my reason for being distraught since I had not sustained any injuries. Not being able to hold it in any longer he did it his pants, and the situation became even worse. O'Brien claims in a true war story, if there is a moral, it's impossible to fully tease out. It isn't trying to teach you anything. It is a long, heartfelt letter.

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"How to tell a true war story"

how to tell a true war story text

Sanders keeps coming up with more morals for the story. Do you agree that fictional truth and historical truth do not need to be the same thing? He would come to the kids and ask them in such a nice and polite way if they wanted to play with him, and in response kids would say something nasty, no elementary kid should ever say. One day in particular, I remember Matthew needed to go to the bathroom during recess, and the immature boys decided to take advantage of this situation. Thanks to this, readers can learn about all the parts of the story, understanding what happened to each participant. How his friend dies and it looks beautiful, somewhat how is happened and then the true war story. He begged so much, I can still hear his voice so clearly in my head to let him go.

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Analysis of Tim O’Brien’s How to Tell a True War Story

how to tell a true war story text

. I understand this as O'Brien saying war sucks and so should the story's. There was a story that happened, and that story was told in different views and points. . Most people only lie to make their stories sound better. O'Brien makes Lemon's death seem almost beautiful, because that was how it seemed to him, that moment seared into his memory, and somehow the beauty makes it more horrible without becoming any less beautiful.

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"How to Tell a True War Story" by O'Brien

how to tell a true war story text

What does he mean when he says that true war stories are never about war? Philip Caputo is a young, bored man with his life in Westchester, Illinois decides to enlist in the Marines to prove himself, his manhood, and to satisfy his curiosity. War makes you a man; war makes you dead. True war stories are never about war, its usually about what happened when they were not in combat. Why did Rat Kiley shoot the water buffalo? Yet even if it did happen and maybe it did, anything's possible, even then you know it can't be true, because a true war story does not depend upon that sad kind of truth. If you do not put thought and insight into your answers and comment you will lose 5 points. He focuses in on many different characters, stories, and their specific feelings to help the reader get an actual feel of what he felt.

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How to Tell a True War Story by Tim O’Brien

how to tell a true war story text

I could still clearly remember the first day Matthew started going to my elementary school, and just because he looked different all of us decided he did not belong. If you believe it, be skeptical. Again the narration shifts to commentary. The story also deals with issues like the. It's truly hard to tell who is right or wrong during a war. See eNotes Ad-Free Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts.

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