Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong

"It was as if she had come up on the edge of something, as if she were caught in that no-man"s-land between Cleveland Heights and deep jungle. Seventeen years old. Just a child, blond and innocent, but then weren't they all?" (page 100second paragraph)This was one of my favorite chapters. I really wonder if this story has any truth to it, like if a girl really did fly over and stay in the army camp for a period of time and what truly happened. I also thought it was interesting that this girl was about the same age as me. She must have had alot of guts to travel over seas to a country were people were being killed brutally. and the same goes for all the Young men that were forced to go over seas. as the quote above says weren't they all Young and innocent and they have that innocents brutally taken when they kill and make war etc. I'm not sure if I could do something like that. This book is about the closest I ever want to get to war.

A True War Story

The chapter entitled, How to tell a true war story, really explains alot in this book. As I wrote in a previous post I've found it challenging to understand what is true, symbolic, or simply exaggeration. However after reading this chapter I think the author explains that those types of questions are beside the point. The details make the story come to life, they add emotion and scenery for the reader. that's what the author wants. He wants the reader to understand how these men felt and what the real motivation for certain actions were and how the soldiers felt after doing these things. "a true war story is never about war. It's about sunlight. It's about the special way the dawn spreads out on a river when you know you must cross the river and march into the mountains and do the things you are afraid to do. It's about love and memory. Its about sorrow" (page81 last paragraph) This paragraph really puts what he is saying into perspective. these stories are memories, not just facts, so they have the emotions and exaggerations that the men felt at that time.

Motivation

-The reason for a character's behavior.
O'Brien's reason for choosing to go to war and not run away to Canada surprised me. He says on page 57,"I couldn't make myself be brave. It had nothing to do with morality. Embarrassment, that's all it was...I would for to the war-I would kill and maybe die- because I was embarrassed not to." I thought this was interesting. Even though O'Brien thinks this is a wrong war and maybe his family agrees we don't know he still feels they would be disappointed in him if he avoided the draft. I personally think my family would be relieved if I would have been drafted and ran away. He wouldn't have been killed in Canada however, he would have been running away from his problems. Its a difficult decision either way but i found his motivation for deciding to go to war interesting.

Internal Conflict

- a Conflict invloving opposing forces with in a person's mind.
In the chapter "ON The Rainy River" O'Brien presents us with a visual aspect of internal conflict. On page 55, O'Brien is on a fishing boating debating weather or not to run away to canada while a huge group of people stand on the shore and encourage him to choose one way or the other. These people are the ones that mean something to him. They represent both lives he could have lead and the life he chose to lead. This is his internal conflict; Will he run away and leave his family and dreams behind and disapoint the ones he loves or will he go to war and put his plans on hold but he might be killed? Its a tough decision and the internal conflict is very obviouse.

On the rainy river

I personally found this chapter easy to relate to. O'Brien is at a point in his life where he has just graduated from high school and has made plans for college and a successful career. I am also making plans for college and major decisions about what i will do with the rest of my life. It would be so difficult to put those plans on hold, leave everyone you knew behind, and travel across the world where you may die at any moment. We also learn that while they are away at war the people at home continue on with their lives. Jimmy Cross tells us in the chapter "Love" that when he meets up with Martha again she is no longer interested and has moved on with different plans. Also Norman Bowker tells us In "Speaking of Courage" that Sally Kramer, a girl he used to date, has moved on as well and married. It would be so difficult at the age of eighteen to put your life on hold while everyone around you progressed.

mood

-The atmosphere created by a writer's diction and the details selected.
This is an important aspect of O'Brien's book because the mood he sets for the reader allows them to get involved with the characters. O'Brien mentions more than once how these soldiers were little more than children because they were so Young. He describes the land and climate they endured and their everyday struggles. When this is done the reader can more fully emphasize with the characters. For example in the chapter On the rainy River, O'Brien tells how he had had so many plans for his future and how being drafted would change his entire life. This is something most Americans can relate to in one way or another. The atmosphere and mood O'Brien creates in this book allows the reader to emphasize and become more involved with the characters.

The things they carried

In the first chapter O'Brien tells us the material things the men carried during the war as well as the emotional bagage they had. among the material things were weapons, food, bug spray, and other essentials to war life. Yet the men also carry things that have significance to themselves such as pictures, pantie-hoes, a pebble, letters, ect. each of these items have a story behind them and connect the soldiers to the lives they once led at home and the men they actually are. They also carry the responsibility of protecting each other. They carry the constant fear of death and the fear of cowardice. They carry dreams and hope for their lives when the war is over. I thought the first chapter was a good introduction of all of the things these men had to deal with. This chapter allows the author to flow into the meaning of the things they carried and the story behind it all.