How can you tell if a war story is true?
You can tell if a war story is true by whether you’d feel cheated if it hadn’t happened. If you’d feel betrayed by its untruth, then it’s not true, even if it happened. If you wouldn’t feel betrayed, then it’s true, even if it didn’t happen.
How do I tell a true war story thesis?
In brief, the core thesis of “How to Tell a True War Story” is that to emphasize the truth of a true story, one might have to embellish or fictionalize it a bit.
What is the central idea of how do you tell a true war story?
By trying to characterize what constitutes a true war story, but never really achieving this feat, O’Brien introduces the most important themes of his book, including memory, imagination, episte-mology (the study of the nature of knowledge), and truth.
What does a true war story is never moral mean?
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. If a story seems moral, do not believe it.
What does Tim O’Brien say about telling a war story?
O’Brien says the moral of a true war story, like the thread that makes a cloth, cannot be separated from the story itself. A true war story cannot be made general or abstract, he says. The significance of the story is whether or not you believe it in your stomach.
How did Rat Kiley die?
As the nights remain black, Rat sinks further and further down to the point of real fear. Rat was afraid of himself, a much more terrifying enemy than any in Vietnam. He was afraid of what he might do if he truly lost it. Finally, he shoots himself in the foot.
Was Rat Kiley a medic?
Rat Kiley the Medic Bob ‘Rat’ Kiley is the 19-year-old medic in Tim’s platoon during the Vietnam War in The Things They Carried. He serves as an important character throughout much of the narrative.
Why did Rat Kiley shoot himself in the foot?
In The Things They Carried, Rat Kiley shoots himself in the foot order to get out of fighting. This way, he’ll be transferred out of the combat zone without causing himself any serious damage.
What is Rat Kiley real name?
Bob “Rat” Kiley.
Why does Rat Kiley kill the baby water buffalo?
In The Things They Carried, Rat Kiley shoots at and eventually kills the baby water buffalo because of his feelings of grief and anger at the death of his friend, Curt Lemon.
Who all died in the things they carried?
The collection is haunted by the deaths of O’Brien’s comrades—Ted Lavender, Curt Lemon, and Kiowa.
Why did Azar kill the puppy?
In The Things They Carried, Azar kills the puppy as a prank. He straps it to a Claymore antipersonnel and squeezes the firing device. Azar is a very immature young man who’s forever joking around. This is just another example of his general attitude.
What is ironic about Kiowa’s death?
What is ironic about Kiowa’s death in The Things They Carried is that he got “wasted in the waste.” He died “biting the dirt” as he drowned in a pool of sewage. Azar tries to deal with Kiowa’s death by pointing out its ironic qualities and saying that Kiowa himself would’ve appreciated the irony of his death.
Who killed the puppy in the things they carried?
Azar
Why does Tim hate Bobby Jorgenson?
Tim hates Bobby Jorgenson for many reasons. He almost lost his life because of him. Tim describes Bobby as green and incompetent, “When I got shot the second time, in the butt, along the Song Tra Bong, it took at son of a b*tch almost ten minutes to crawl over to me”. He was humiliated which made him hate Bobby more.
What did Tim have to do three times a day no matter what?
What did Tim have to do “three times a day no matter what”? He had to smear anti bacterial ointment on his butt.
Why did the narrator call himself a coward?
The narrator of The Things They Carried considers himself a coward because he went to Vietnam. He fought in the war.
What does the ghost soldiers add to the book?
“The Ghost Soldiers” adds a new perspective that is not much discussed throughout the book. It adds the accounts of O’Brien’s attitudes towards the other soldiers. O’Brien recalls that he was shot twice. During and after his treatment, O’Brien appreciates Kiley’s skill, courage, and ease.
Why does O’Brien want revenge on Jorgenson?
Jorgenson also didn’t do an effective job of treating O’Brien’s wound, so it developed partial gangrene. O’Brien carries a grudge about this and decides to get revenge on Jorgenson by scaring him while he’s in his tent. He “wanted to hurt Bobby Jorgenson the way he’d hurt [him].”
What was hard for the narrator to admit to himself?
What was hard for the narrator to admit to himself? That is was not right for him to be mad at bobby. What did it mean to “get spooked”? To die.
How do you feel about O Brien’s actions in the ghost soldiers?
He feels cruel, but he also laughs and feels powerful. As O’Brien and Azar prepare for the last of their tricks, O’Brien remembers getting shot and recalls his out-of-body experience. He wishes he could stop the prank but Azar takes over.
How does Morty die?
O’Brien sat around with his former comrades while they caught him up on what happened since he left. One soldier, Morty Phillips, had since died of a strange tropical disease he contracted swimming in a river.
How does O’Brien exact his revenge on Jorgenson?
How does O’Brien exact his revenge on Jorgenson? He beats him up. He gets him discharged.
What is the theme of ghost soldiers?
Jorgenson finally understood what it meant to be scared in war, how the fear robbed you of your humanity and sanity. This is the theme of “The Ghost Soldiers” in The Things They Carried. O’Brien asked Azar to stop, feeling that his need to psychologically balance the equation with Jorgenson had been met.
Why does Azar say O’Brien was pitiful?
He tells O’Brien he sort of feels like a kid again; that he loves Vietnam. Azar said it probably brought back memories for O’Brien for when he was a real soldier, except now he’s a “has-been” who just plays soldier. He calls O’Brien “pitiful,” and says he would rather die in battle than be him.
What do the soldiers mean by living the night life?
What do the soldiers mean by “living the night life”? The soldiers’ platoon is always out at night.
What chapter does Rat Kiley shoot himself?
TTTC Chapter 21 Questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How did Rat Kiley get out of active duty in Vietnam? | By shooting himself in the foot. |
Why does Rat Kiley carry M&Ms?
In The Things They Carried, Rat Kiley carries M&Ms to use as a placebo for seriously injured soldiers. If soldiers were badly wounded, receiving M&Ms would make them think that they were going to receive further medical treatment and would therefore stand a chance of survival.
How did Rat Kiley leave Vietnam?
How did Rat Kiley get out of active duty in the Vietnam? Rat Kiley got out of active duty in Vietnam as he “took off his boots and socks, laid out his medical kit, doped himself up, and put a round through his foot” (O’Brien 212). Specifically, prior to this, Rat couldn’t adjust to the shift in moving only at night.
Who was Rat Kiley’s best friend?
Curt Lemon