"Press hard, don't worry about the baby." Rat Kiley told this to Tim O'Brien when he got shot in the side. Rat was a good, quick, efficient medic who knew how to treat this wound without any consequences to O'Brien. Rat made this a joke because it relieves the tension in the air that he just got shot. It is like the M & M's and comic books he gave to people who had been seriously hurt. To give them something else to think about instead of the pain.
"It was anger, partly, but it was also a sense of pure and total loss: I didn't fit anymore. They were soldiers, I wasn't."
This quote is significant because now, O'Brian doesn't have his "family" anymore. As a foot soldier, he and his platoon members are family. They live together, they carry each other when they need to. Being away from their actual families in the war forces them to make new families with the people they spend the most time with. When O'Brian loses this family because of a gunshot wound, he is completely lost. All of the sudden, the people that meant the most to him were disowning him. All of the sudden, he is all alone. They are still soldiers, going out for their new orders, into the danger, while O'Brian has to stay on the base, with a small amount of safety.
I agree with Stefanie about what he said about her quote. It was his way of trying to make things a little better for the men that were hurt. He tries to get their mind off the bad stuff and remind them of home and the good things.
"It's a mystery, I guess. I don't know." After Kathleen asked O'Brien about why he went to war in the first place, he still doesn't know. He still went just because. When she asked him about what he wanted in the war, he also didn't know. He just wanted to stay alive. This is ironic because if that was all that he really wanted, why wouldn't he just stay back home? Why wouldn't he just run away to Canada like he originally thought of. If he TRULY wanted to JUST stay alive, he wouldn't have gone to the war in the first place...
Kristine "Thats how I felt-like a civilian-and it made me sad." P194 When his group visits it feels good to sit around and tell war stories again, but something is missing. He feels like an outsider almost like a traitor for not being out there with the guys fighting. Even before the men came he said,"there were times when I missed the adventure, even the danger, of the real war out in the boonies." He misses the fighting and dangerous part of the war simply because of the thrill, but it doesnt take the men coming back to realize this, but when they do it become reality. He misses it even more. He wants to fit in.
Ethan "Getting shot should be an experience from which you can draw some small pride. I don't mean the macho stuff. All I mean is that you should be able to talk about it" In this quote O'Brien is summing up how he feels about his encounter of being shot in the rear and having a terrible patch up job. He has no pride from getting shot. He doesn't even want to mention what happened to him. He feels embarassed and when the nurses start calling his wound "diaper rash" that takes all the pride and dignity O'Brien has.
matt maranto Page 212 "Out here, at night, I almost feel like a kid again. The Vietnam experience. I mean, wow, I love this shit."
This reminds Azar of back home, about being a kid again before he had to worry about losing his life to the war. It give him a sense that there is something to know besides this war. Playing the joke they did on Jorgenson is a poor way to reflect to home, but it is the way Azar acts "It's my own character flaw. I just like to finish things"
In addition to Kristine's quote, I believe it is curious how after all the time contemplating about trying to esacpe the fate of going to Vietnam by running to Canada. Nearly all the soldiers dont want to be in Vietnam, but from being there a closeness, a bond was formed between the different members of the platoon. Even though O'Brien ultimately got what he wanted by being away from the war for a period of time, he now feels full of shame and like an outsider with his men for missing time in action. It is an extreme example of how war changes an individuals personality.
Is an excellent statment aboput how people will read the book and what he has had to do to write it. It ties back into whether or not the events in the book are factually true or not.
Pattie Olson I also think that Azar's quote was significant. It shows how many of the soldiers view luck, that it has a limit and that it shouldn't be wasted. They think that if they "save" it up it will help them in a crisis, which isn't always the case. I don't think that luck has a limit, just like I don't think that if you save it, it will help you when you need it most.
Pattie Olson I also think that Nolan's quote of Azar is significant. I think that this quote shows how the soldiers feel about luck. They think that luck has its limits, and that you can "save" it up for special occasions when you might need it. I don't think that luck is limited and I also think luck is by chance, you cannot "save" it when you need it, and there is no probability it will help you.
Stefanie Bartoli
ReplyDelete"Press hard, don't worry about the baby." Rat Kiley told this to Tim O'Brien when he got shot in the side. Rat was a good, quick, efficient medic who knew how to treat this wound without any consequences to O'Brien. Rat made this a joke because it relieves the tension in the air that he just got shot. It is like the M & M's and comic books he gave to people who had been seriously hurt. To give them something else to think about instead of the pain.
Amber Janson
ReplyDelete"It was anger, partly, but it was also a sense of pure and total loss: I didn't fit anymore. They were soldiers, I wasn't."
This quote is significant because now, O'Brian doesn't have his "family" anymore. As a foot soldier, he and his platoon members are family. They live together, they carry each other when they need to. Being away from their actual families in the war forces them to make new families with the people they spend the most time with. When O'Brian loses this family because of a gunshot wound, he is completely lost. All of the sudden, the people that meant the most to him were disowning him. All of the sudden, he is all alone. They are still soldiers, going out for their new orders, into the danger, while O'Brian has to stay on the base, with a small amount of safety.
Shauna
ReplyDeleteI agree with Stefanie about what he said about her quote. It was his way of trying to make things a little better for the men that were hurt. He tries to get their mind off the bad stuff and remind them of home and the good things.
Excellent and important quote Amber.
ReplyDeleteAnthony
ReplyDelete"It's a mystery, I guess. I don't know." After Kathleen asked O'Brien about why he went to war in the first place, he still doesn't know. He still went just because. When she asked him about what he wanted in the war, he also didn't know. He just wanted to stay alive. This is ironic because if that was all that he really wanted, why wouldn't he just stay back home? Why wouldn't he just run away to Canada like he originally thought of. If he TRULY wanted to JUST stay alive, he wouldn't have gone to the war in the first place...
Kristine
ReplyDelete"Thats how I felt-like a civilian-and it made me sad." P194 When his group visits it feels good to sit around and tell war stories again, but something is missing. He feels like an outsider almost like a traitor for not being out there with the guys fighting. Even before the men came he said,"there were times when I missed the adventure, even the danger, of the real war out in the boonies." He misses the fighting and dangerous part of the war simply because of the thrill, but it doesnt take the men coming back to realize this, but when they do it become reality. He misses it even more. He wants to fit in.
Ethan
ReplyDelete"Getting shot should be an experience from which you can draw some small pride. I don't mean the macho stuff. All I mean is that you should be able to talk about it" In this quote O'Brien is summing up how he feels about his encounter of being shot in the rear and having a terrible patch up job. He has no pride from getting shot. He doesn't even want to mention what happened to him. He feels embarassed and when the nurses start calling his wound "diaper rash" that takes all the pride and dignity O'Brien has.
YEAH Kristine and Ethan. Your quotes are crucial to understanding why O'Brien is really angry with Jorgenson.
ReplyDeletematt maranto
ReplyDeletePage 212 "Out here, at night, I almost feel like a kid again. The Vietnam experience. I mean, wow, I love this shit."
This reminds Azar of back home, about being a kid again before he had to worry about losing his life to the war. It give him a sense that there is something to know besides this war. Playing the joke they did on Jorgenson is a poor way to reflect to home, but it is the way Azar acts "It's my own character flaw. I just like to finish things"
Joe Rietow
ReplyDeleteIn addition to Kristine's quote, I believe it is curious how after all the time contemplating about trying to esacpe the fate of going to Vietnam by running to Canada. Nearly all the soldiers dont want to be in Vietnam, but from being there a closeness, a bond was formed between the different members of the platoon. Even though O'Brien ultimately got what he wanted by being away from the war for a period of time, he now feels full of shame and like an outsider with his men for missing time in action. It is an extreme example of how war changes an individuals personality.
Derek
ReplyDeleteBottom of page 84 to bottom of 85
Is an excellent statment aboput how people will read the book and what he has had to do to write it. It ties back into whether or not the events in the book are factually true or not.
Pattie Olson
ReplyDeleteI also think that Azar's quote was significant. It shows how many of the soldiers view luck, that it has a limit and that it shouldn't be wasted. They think that if they "save" it up it will help them in a crisis, which isn't always the case. I don't think that luck has a limit, just like I don't think that if you save it, it will help you when you need it most.
Pattie Olson
ReplyDeleteI also think that Nolan's quote of Azar is significant. I think that this quote shows how the soldiers feel about luck. They think that luck has its limits, and that you can "save" it up for special occasions when you might need it. I don't think that luck is limited and I also think luck is by chance, you cannot "save" it when you need it, and there is no probability it will help you.