Journal entry 5-8

Journal 5:
“How to Tell a True War Story” (pp. 67-85)
Directions: Answer the following questions
1. Return to the short story, “How to Tell a True War Story.” Find and list as many elements of a true war story as possible. Look for the following phrases for prompts:
• “A true war story…..”
• “You can tell a true war story by… ”
• “True war stories do/do not…”
2. Now re-read and think about the list of elements of a true war story. How do these elements affect and influence your responses, as a reader, to the stories in this chapter and in this book?
3. According to O’Brien, why are stories important?
4. What is more disturbing to you, the death of Curt Lemon or the killing of the baby water buffalo? Explain your reasons.
5. On the last page of the story, O’Brien says this story was “not a war story. It was a love story.” What does he mean by this? In what sense was “How to Tell a True War Story” a love story?

A war story has many different elements. However, some of these war stories aren’t true. Some elements of a true war story is that is isn’t moral. If the war story seems moral to you, then it should be trusted and believed in. Also, a true war story cannot be believed because some of the most unbearable parts are true, while some of the normal parts are not. O’Brien says that 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. A true war story can be identified by asking questions.
After reading this chapter and these elements of a true war story my response to this chapter has changed. I thought that this story that he was telling was true. But then he reveals that is isn’t a true war story but a love story. I don’t really understand how it is a love story, I thought from the beginning that it was a war story and to find out now that it was a love story confuses me.
To me, the death of Curt Lemon was more disturbing because he was having fun running around and bam his life is over. He didn’t need to die, he was enjoying himself making the best of a bad situation and he gets killed for it. He wasn’t even fighting at the time he as killed, he was at camp where someone should feel somewhat safe there.
I really don’t understand that “How to tell a True War Story” is a love story. I really don’t get that it is. It might be because I went into the reading thinking it was a true War story, and then to find out that it was a love story confuses me.


Journal 6:
“The Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong” (pp. 89-116)
Psychology – the study of mind and behavior
DID MARY ANNE GO MAD?????????????????????
Mary Anne Bell underwent drastic changes in behavior and personality while visiting her boyfriend in Vietnam. Perhaps Mary Anne “went crazy” …or… perhaps the behaviors and characteristics Mary exhibited in Vietnam were there all along, waiting to be ignited. What do you think?
Write a psychological analysis of Mary Anne Bell. Consider and explain what the reader knows of Mary Anne before she came to Vietnam, her gradual changes in personality and behavior, and her concluding actions and state of mind. Make connections between what is possibly going on in her mind and how it is revealing itself through action. Ultimately, answer the question: Has Mary Anne gone insane or has she found her true self?
Become a psychologist! Get into the mind of Mary Anne; analyze and try to explain her behavior. Be conclusive…although we are not certified psychologists, we can come to conclusions and have fun with this. Your analysis should be at least one page in length

I think that she had these feelings inside but just seeing what Vietnam was like and everything that was happening ignited theses feeling inside of her.
Mary Anne started off as a loving well groomed woman. Then when she started seeing what was going on and happening in Vietnam something changed in her. She because obsessed with Vietnam. She didn’t want to leave this place, and wanted to stay and do everything for it. She seems not to have gone mad, but to be in love with Vietnam. I think that Mary Anne had these feelings inside of her, and when she went there and actually saw what was going on, she found herself, she found her calling. Therefore, in conclusion Mary Anne has not gone mad at all. She has truly found herself while experiencing different events. People might think that she has gone mad, but through her changed in the past couple of weeks, I can see that she is enjoying herself and has found herself and her calling in life.


Journal 7:
“Stockings” “Church” “The Man I Killed” (pp. 117-130)
For this journal, you will choose 1 of the above stories as the inspiration for your writing. Before completing this journal, you should reread the story in its entirety:
• If you choose “Stockings,” your entry should be about some aspect of superstitions (superstitions in general, why people have them, your superstitions, or some other related topic).
• If you choose “Church,” you should choose 1 quote from the story as the springboard for your entry. There are lots of good quotes and questions about religion, God, why bad things happen to good people, etc. Please state the quote first.
• If you choose “The Man I Killed,” your journal should be about a life-changing moment or event. How did this moment or event change you, your outlooks, beliefs, how you see yourself and/or the world around you? Try and be as specific as possible when describing this person or incident, like O’Brien is describing the man he killed.

Superstitions is defined as a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation. People have different superstitions for many different reasons. I watched a television show where this girl used to perform superstitions because she thought if she didn’t perform them, then her mother would die. This is an example of why people do them. Another reason people have superstitions is because it makes them feel comfortable in uncomfortable situations. I have some superstitions when it comes to sports. During football season, I would get dressed the same way and wear the same things for every game. I also have superstitions during baseball as well. Just like football I get dressed the same way and wear the same things for every game. Also, I warm up the same way when I bat.
I feel that people perform superstitions to make themselves feel better and to feel more comfortable. In the girl’s situation from the television, she performs superstitions to make herself feel more comfortable about her mother dying. I perform superstitions to make myself feel more comfortable about the game.

Journal 8:
“Speaking of Courage” and “Notes” (pp. 137-161)
Metafiction – writing that refers to the process of writing. Often it explores the relationship between fiction and reality, memory and consciousness. Metafiction is self-reflexive and introspective in nature.
Task: Write a meta-fictitious journal entry. Explore your own writing processes. How do you approach different types of writing (creative, poetry, essay, journal, etc.)? What do you like or dislike about writing and WHY? Can you remember your first writing experiences…how your writing has developed?

I wouldn’t say that I have a writing style or I have a single writing process. Sometimes I make a chart on different topics and list the pros and cons of those topics. Other times, I write my topic and try to develop the body paragraphs by using information and opinions. I like being given a picture and creating my own story to it and having no guidelines. I like this creative type of writing because I feel free to write about what I want to. I also, feel free because I get to go any direction by mind wants to take me. With an essay or a journal topic I have a set task to complete. But, with these creative picture prompts I can think of a task and just go with the flow of my mind. I can’t say I remember my first writing experiences, but it was probably during school some time in elementary school. I feel my writing has developed because I have a bigger vocabulary which makes my writing broader. Also, I have learned the correct ways to write essays and other writing tasks.