Writing Prompts for Doubt

The event that took place that changed my view on how the world works was 9/11. I never really thought about our world being unsafe until then. We have great leadership in our country and this event was really a shock. The questions that went through my mind were how this could happen when our intelligence service is top notch. Now our country lives of fear of the next move. Will there be another attack? Are we safe? The fact that the events that lead up to this attack were known but never relayed is really puzzling to me. I guess my biggest question is how could to happen in America? Aren’t we the land of the free?

What color are your mother’s eyes? My mother’s eyes are green. I conclude this with direct observation. I am sure of my answer because I love to look at her eye’s when she wears brown eye shadow. It accentuates the green color of her eyes.

Whom do you trust? I trust more often than I should. I trust my family, but not many other people. I have been taken advantage of before, as many people have, and that feeling of distrust causes me to doubt most people’s intentions now.

What color is the ocean? The ocean is blue; sometimes it is gray. I have observed this with my own eyes. I am sure the water is bluer in some areas than others. This all depends on what coast or body of water is being observed.

Is there life after death? I like to feel that I will someday see my family and friends that I have lost. You hear about this at church about seeing our loved ones in heaven. I live my life according to God’s will in hopes of one day being joined with them on those streets of gold.

Is it always wrong to steal? Yes! It is very wrong to steal. If you have to steal something instead of obtaining it the right way by purchasing it yourself then I have no use for you. That is one of the three things that I despise the most; a liar, a thief, and a cheater. These three reasons are why I do not trust so easily anymore.

Is there life on other planets? Life on other planets is heresay. Scientist say there is life on other planets, but why don’t we know more about them? I believe that is all science fiction. I may be wrong.

Inferences

"The Ghost Soldiers"

1. The narrator thinks highly of Rat Kiley. After he was shot twice, Rat came to his rescue and tied on a compress, and Rat went back to fighting. The narrator is thankful for Kiley. "Thank God for Rat Kiley. Every so often, maybe four times altogether, he trotted back to check me out. Which took courage. It was a wild fight, guys running and laying down fire and regrouping and running again, lots of noise, but Rat Kiley took the risks."



2. The narrator talks about he should have pride when he got shot. Instead he was embarrassed and humiliated. "Getting shot should be an experience from which you can draw some small pride. " "Pride isn't the right word. I don't know the right word. All I know is, you shouldn't feel embarrassed. Humiliation shouldn't be part of it."

3. The narrator is pissed at Jorgenson for bungling the patch job. He couldn't walk or sit. He was borderline gangrene. "After the rot cleared up, once I could think straight, I devoted a lot of time to figuring ways to get back at him."

"On the Rainy River"
1. The narrator had to deal with internal conflicts regarding his decision about going to war. "I was drafted to fight a war I hated." "I was too good for this war. Too smart, too compassionate, too everything. It couldn't happen. I was above it."

2. The narrator did not want to let his family down. He was afraid of this whole decision, but only decided to go because he didn't want people to see him as a coward. "I feared losing the respect of my parents. I feared the law. I feared ridicule and censure."

3. The narrator had no self respect. Throughout all the internal conflicts and doing what he thought society would want him to do, he was still not happy with himself. "... and then to Vietnam, where I was a soldier, and then home again. I survived, but it's not a happy ending. I was a coward. I went to the war."

Agree or Disagree?

I agree with the statement, “ . . . this too is true: stories can save us” (223). I personally feel that if something is a part of your life, and you tell the story over and over, it keeps the moment alive; if only in your own mind. These stories may not be therapy to help one forget, but rather by telling it helps one to cope.

“I want you to know why story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth” (179). O'Brien is trying to relay the message that happening-truth is real, but it is the story-truth of how the actions taken place affect the lives of those experiencing the moment. To say there was gunfire all around me is happening-truth. To say for instance, from less than 200 meters away the sound of the gunfire was deafening, and this noise was a distraction all I wanted to do was make the right move without getting killed. That second statement was more about emotions, and was also true quoted by my cousin currently deployed over in Afghanistan. This was his quote on Facebook and it totally wrecked my soul. My first thought was pray for him!

In "The Lives of The Dead", O'Brien includes this story to show how important the intimate relationship between life and death is. This story poses a broader perspective than just a story about war. These stories were about remembering, and remembering keeps the dead alive.

Linda was O'Brien first love. He was in the fourth grade, and Linda was his love. Linda had a brain tumor and died. O'Brien had a hard time dealing with her untimely death. He was afraid to sleep, and often dreamed of Linda. These dreams kept her close to him and kept her alive in his mind. This was important for O'Brien as an adult. When asked by Kiowa if this was the first time he has seen a dead person, O'Brien says no. Linda was his first experience. Linda was different from the death he experienced in Vietnam. Linda was innocent and never asked for any danger unlike the war did for Lemon, Lavender, and the others. His experience in losing Linda helped him to cope by telling stories. These stories get him through life to keep the dead alive.

New thoughts about truth?

After reading this novel I will be more skeptical of stories I may hear. I will listen with great interest and draw my own conclusions whether it is true or not. As with any story that is passed along from person to person, each time it is told someone adds their own twist. If the story were to ever get back to the original storyteller, I'm sure they would be shocked at the changes.

I believe that this story is "true" in the sense that the feelings associated with war are that real. These stories themselves may not have been true, but their impact was real. These stories could have taken place. They were not that far fetched to be unbelievable. At times while reading this book, I was shocked when O'Brien stated this story was not true. But it was my "stomach belief" that made them true. I felt as if I could relate and share their feelings.

I would definitely recommend this book. As a matter of fact, once we are done with this book in class, I am passing it on to a couple of coworkers that are interested in reading it. I am an emotional reader. I like to feel what the character is feeling. This was a great book to associate feelings with.

My Favorite Story

My favorite story was "How to Tell a True War Story". To me, it was not about how to tell a story exactly, but more about the feelings of the storyteller. When Rat Kiley wrote Curt Lemon's sister a letter, and she never answered; you could feel his hurt and pain. Kiley poured his heart out in a letter to show Lemon's sister what a true friend her brother was. The fact that there was no reply only deepened the pain and sadness for Kiley. Although this story may not have been true, the sense of loneliness, depression, and pain of missing home was evident in all the stories throughout the book. Once they were over in Vietnam, those young boys were now men. Their lives will be affected forever.

The character that I did not like was Azar. He was mean, cruel, and stupid. His actions portrayed may have been in response to all the emotions going on. The way he tortured the Vietnamese people, and made fun of the girl dancing. He seemed destructive; however, as discussed in class, he may not have been that way before the war. To harm anything because your are bored or depressed, is just plain sick. Azar definitely had issues.

"Based on a true story"

A white family adopts a homeless black kid, Mike. The Tuohy family provides him shelter, food, clothes, and tutoring. This family sees to it that Mike gets his grades up so that he may play sports. The Tuohy family persuades Mike to succeed. Now Mike, through all the love and support from the Tuohy family, is a right tackle for the Baltimore Ravens.
I have not personally seen this move; however, I have read the book. It makes you feel good to read or see this act of kindness from a stranger; how this love and compassion positively affected the life of someone not so fortunate.
I believe this would have been a good story even if it had not been "based on a true story". This positive attitude toward complete strangers is what we all should possess. Although not everyone can be saved, the simple act of love and kindness is rewarding. To not care what others think, because of skin color or ethnicity, and to turn someones life around for the good, that is awesome. The fact that this story is true, makes it even more powerful. There are good people left in the world. There is a special place in heaven for this family.

The Heart in Conflict

Taking the opportunity to revisit a great book that I read last semester, The Kite Runner. In this book, Amir was the protagonist. The whole book centered around his friendship with a poor boy named Hassan; who later he found out was his brother.

In the story, Amir witnessed Hassan being raped. The guilt of not going to Hassan's rescue was more than Amir could handle. He set Hassan up to look like a thief and ultimately Hassan and his father moved away. Amir lived with this guilt all his life and never could find happiness. One day Amir was confronted by his father's best friend, Rahil Khan. Khan wanted Amir to go and look for Hassan's son. Amir struggled with this request, as he did not want to bring those bad memories back to life. He wanted so much to forget about Hassan and all that happened that day. The thought of going back to Kabul, finding Hassan's kid, and reliving those horrible memories that took place so long ago. This was an internal conflict for Amir to consider. Did he want to make things right? Did he want to cause himself more pain?

Eventually, Amir went looking for Sohrab and found him. Amir brought Sohrab back to America to live with him and his wife. This was possibly a healing process for Amir to release some of the guilt he has carried on his shoulders. Raising Sohrab was part of making things right between Hassan and Amir.

Interview

I have chosen to interview my good friend and coworker, Bill Horne. Bill is a Vietnam veteran, and was enlisted in the Army as an Engineer. His tour lasted for 13 months. The most controversial issue recalled was the Vietnam War was the first war that had TV coverage. All of the people back home could see live footage of what was going on over there, even though it was a day later. The media coverage in other wars was available via newsprint; which was reported a week later. Therefore, there was immediate news to be learned by all of America and Bill felt this is why when the troops came back home, it is not like it is today. The troops get a big welcome and lots of attention, when he and his company arrived home they had to do so on QT. Once they were back in their towns, it was then that all the town people realized they were home safely. Due to the violence and issues of the Vietnam War, the troops were labeled as “baby killers”.

The other controversial issue that Bill discussed was from a G.I. standpoint. The G.I.’s were not allowed to do operations they were trained to do. They had boundaries that they were not allowed to cross. The slogan was “win the heart and mind of the people”. These same people were the ones out to kill American troops the very next day. Bill strongly feels the U.S. troops were not allowed to win the war.

I also went a step further to inquire if there was anything from home that he carried with him. A big smile went across his face and he said “a picture of my wife”. Bill stated that he was 21-years-old, married in March and left for Vietnam in July. Looking at the picture gave him hope, and comfort needed to continue on. The days were long and the nights were longer. The VC would hide in all the tunnels and not matter what operations they followed through on, the VC would still be there. There were so many underground tunnels and escape routes that it was most times next to impossible to plan the next move.

During the course of the interview, I asked if he still had flashbacks or dreams about all that he encountered. The response was that there are times when he may have a dream; which usually happens if he has seen a movie or read a book related to the war. Other than that, there were no lasting effects on his life. I asked if he could today, would he do it all over again. ”Absolutely, but now I’m too old”. We also discussed the veterans, some of which Bill states uses the war as a “crutch” for never holding down a job or having any ambition. He states that there are factors of the war that would affect the soldiers who truly have PTSD; such as being out in the field the whole tour without a break from the scenario. He was fortunate enough to have been chosen to go to an R&R campsite for three months during his tour. This, he feels is what may have helped with his experience of those times.

I do believe that there are any aggressive or depressive characteristics regarding Bill. For this I am thankful. He is a kind and loving gentleman with a blessed family. The only feeling I get from Bill regarding Vietnam is that he was a proud solider and he loves to tell his story.

Things Carried

There are several items that I carry religiously on a daily basis. My cell phone, purse, makeup bag, and gum are my top priorities. If I left one of these items at home, it makes me feel lost for the rest of the day. I am sure my items listed would not be another persons priority in life. As a matter of fact, one may feel that I am materialistic; which is totally off the wrong end of the spectrum.

My purse contains my wallet, ID, checkbook, pen, and my calendar. These items are necessary for me to carry when out grocery shopping, attending school or dining out. Without my purse, I will not be able to enjoy the luxuries in life.

If I were not to have my makeup bag with me so that I may freshen up my lipstick throughout the day, my friends or family may inquire if I feel well. I like to look presentable at all times, so being able to freshen up my makeup makes me feel good about myself.

I believe that having my cellphone with me at all times is a matter of survival. Being a mother, if my son were to need me during any part of the day, I can be easily accessible. Furthermore, the cellphone is also a sense of security when driving alone or out shopping. It is also extremely important in emergency situations.

I am quite positive that I can make it through the day without any of my items I deem important on a daily basis; however, I can not fathom the thought of doing so.