In the chapter "Speaking of Courage" Norman Bowker returns to Iowa and reminiscences about his old high school girlfriend who is now married and thinks a lot about his father who wanted nothing more than for Norman to bring home a medal. Bowker then thinks about his failed attempt to get the medal Silver star.
“He wished he could’ve explained some of this. How he had been braver than he ever thought possible, but how he had not been so brave as he wanted to be. The distinction was important.”
This quote explains why Bowker failed. He didnt have the courage to stay those last few minutes in the field to win the silver star so he has to live with the guilt and disappointment for the rest of his life.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
The Things They Carried "Style" pg 129-130
In the chapter "Style" A girl is found with most of her village has burned to the ground and her family has been burned to death by the American soldiers, a Vietnamese girl of fourteen dances through the wreckage. The men of the platoon cannot understand why she is dancing.
"All right then, dance right."
This quote came from one of the soldiers who saw Azar mocking the little girl who was dancing in the rubble. He got pulled aside and the solider told him that line because he was flailing his arms and kicking the girls dancing.
"All right then, dance right."
This quote came from one of the soldiers who saw Azar mocking the little girl who was dancing in the rubble. He got pulled aside and the solider told him that line because he was flailing his arms and kicking the girls dancing.
The Things They Carried "Ambush" pg 125-128
In the chapter "Ambush" O'Brian's daughter Kathleen asks if he had killed anyone in the war. However he insists he has never killed anyone and later on thought about and decided she was an adult and he may tell her the story later on.
"He was a short, slender young man of about twenty. I was afraid of him—afraid of something—and as he passed me on the trail I threw a grenade that exploded at his feet and killed him"
This Quote explains how O'Brian killed the man and why along with his feelings towards the man before the death.
"He was a short, slender young man of about twenty. I was afraid of him—afraid of something—and as he passed me on the trail I threw a grenade that exploded at his feet and killed him"
This Quote explains how O'Brian killed the man and why along with his feelings towards the man before the death.
The Things They Carried "The Man I Killed" pg 118-124
In the chapter “The Man I Killed” begins with a list of physical attributes and possible characteristics of the man whom O’Brien killed with a grenade in My Khe. O’Brien describes the wounds that he inflicted.
This quote explains the damage O'Brian had inflicted on the man he killed and the physical attributes of the man. This quote proves that any man can kill however not every man can't feel guilt when he does.
''He was a slim, dead, almost dainty young man of about twenty. He lay with one leg bent beneath him, his jaw in his throat, his face neither expressive nor inexpressive. One eye was shut. The other was a star-shaped hole.''
This quote explains the damage O'Brian had inflicted on the man he killed and the physical attributes of the man. This quote proves that any man can kill however not every man can't feel guilt when he does.
The Things They Carried "Church" pg 113-117
In the Chapter "Church" the platoon comes across the pagoda and several soldiers think about joining the church because of the kind caring villagers surrounding the area. Dobbins wanted to join the church and Kiowa carries around a bible and wants to join the church as well.
"Dobbins shrugged his shoulders. 'What's serious? I was a kid. The thing is, I believed in God and all that, but it wasn't the religious part that interested me. Just being nice to people, that's all. Being decent."
This quote explains Dobbins interest in joining the church and his urge to always be nice to people no matter the circumstance. He explains his interest in religion was not god or heaven but love and kindness.
"Dobbins shrugged his shoulders. 'What's serious? I was a kid. The thing is, I believed in God and all that, but it wasn't the religious part that interested me. Just being nice to people, that's all. Being decent."
This quote explains Dobbins interest in joining the church and his urge to always be nice to people no matter the circumstance. He explains his interest in religion was not god or heaven but love and kindness.
The Things They Carried "Stockings" pg 111-112
In the chapter "Stockings" they explain why Henry Dobbins wears his girlfriend’s pantyhose around his neck. Superstitions are prevalent in Vietnam, and the pantyhose are Dobbins’s good luck charm.
"Henry Dobbins, though a good man and a good soldier, is not a smart man, and is sometimes driven by superstition. He carries his girlfriend's pantyhose around his neck, and sometimes sleeps with them against his face. He thinks they are a good luck charm. And they seem to work: he never gets injured. The other men, who used to make fun of him about it, now believe in the power of those pantyhose. Then his girlfriend dumps him. He thinks about it for a while, then ties the pantyhose around his neck once more and says, "No sweat. The magic doesn't go away."
"Henry Dobbins, though a good man and a good soldier, is not a smart man, and is sometimes driven by superstition. He carries his girlfriend's pantyhose around his neck, and sometimes sleeps with them against his face. He thinks they are a good luck charm. And they seem to work: he never gets injured. The other men, who used to make fun of him about it, now believe in the power of those pantyhose. Then his girlfriend dumps him. He thinks about it for a while, then ties the pantyhose around his neck once more and says, "No sweat. The magic doesn't go away."
The Things They Carried "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" pg 85-110
In chapter “The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” Rat Kiley, a soldier with a reputation for telling tall tales claims to have witnessed the transformation of Mary Anne Bell a typical American girl who visits her fiancé, Mark Fossie in Vietnam into a wild jungle beast.
"It wasn't a question of deceit. Just the opposite; he wanted to heat up the truth, to make it burn so hot that you would feel exactly what he felt."
Rat Kiley wasn't known for telling the truth so when he did it came across as a surprise and surprised all the soldiers. This explains why he doesn't always tell the truth as a story teller Rat wants to spice up the truth to make it more interesting.
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