At first I thought it was weird for him to include himself in the story but then it reminded me of The Great Gatsby. The way that Nick is the narrator and a character is similar to O'Brien being the author and a character. I think it gives the story a different feeling. It feels more personal more like we are hearing the stories from him instead of just reading about them. It makes the stories more real and gives us a better idea of what was actually happening and going through his head at the time. The stories are easier to relate to when you can think about them on a more personal level. The book feels more like a diary and i think O'Brien did this as a way to let people understand war in a different way. You get more emotion out of these stories then you would if you just read about a character or watched TV.
I think that he added himself as a main character because he is a veteran of the Vietnam War and experienced these situations first hand and knows exactly what the Vietnam War was all about and had real combat experience and is sharing not only the facts about the war but also his own personal insight. I think this is important because it not only lets the reader see what happened during the war in Vietnam and within the soldiers. By O'Brien being a character the reader can get inside of his head and see the war through his eyes. The reader can visualize the war as a soldier and an average person.
i agree with john. i think he included himself because he experienced the war. though this story is a work of fiction i wouldn't be surprised if most of these things actually happened. by adding himself as a character, O'Brien can portray exactly how he was feeling when he was in the war. Including himself also makes the story seem more real and personal. you're inside a characters head, understanding their every thought. i think thats much easier to do if you're writing about your own experience.
I think O'Brien includes himself as a character so we get more intense insight on the stories and memories. O'Brien explains everything from the emotions and feelings to the weight of each soldier's belongings in such great detail. He does this to help us get into the story and almost feel as though we are a part of it. O'Brien wanted us to see the war from a soldier's point of view, and not as an outsider looking in. There is a personal level of connection that you feel from almost being a part of the story yourself. I can visualize O'Brien sitting down and thinking back deeply into his mind, digging for every little memory and detail that comes to mind. This almost reminds me of a scene from Forrest Gump.
i think he did that to make it seem like a journal held by a soldier that was in the Vietnam War. This makes the story seem more realistic and makes the readers feel like they know the character because we get to read his personal journal.
Like everyone said, I think that O'Brien includes himself in the story to give it a more personal feel and to set the book up like a journal instead of a novel. I also think that this contributes to how "true" the book feels like we were talking about in class. The passages where Tim O'Brien talks about himself in the present and how writing these stories affect him, make the rest of the book seem more real and true. If we were just reading the stories by themselves, they would be less moving and we wouldn't have anything to make them seem real. So I think that O'Brien includes himself in the story in order to convey a stronger message to his readers and to create a different style of writing.
I agree with everyone on the fact that I believe that O'Brien included himself as a character in the novel to make the stories and events feel more personal. It is much easier to connect with the characters and know how the war affected them personally. These stories are much more moving because they have real emotions connected to them as well. Rather than just reading about the different events of the war and the statistics, this provides us with the knowledge of how it impacted the soldiers and other aspects of their lives. Also, I believe that O'Brien included himself as a character so that we would be able to find out about some of the soldiers lives after the war. Without his character you would question whether what was written about their later lives was true or not.
I think the Tom O'Brien made himself part of the story because he actually lived through the war. He has been there so it was easier for him to write what was actually happening. He can give the accounts of the war according to how he saw it, and how he perceived the war. He pulls from the truth and the readers can feel the emotion he is trying to convey. Although he states maybe all of it's not true, it is all coming from his eyes and his perspective.
At first I thought it was weird for him to include himself in the story but then it reminded me of The Great Gatsby. The way that Nick is the narrator and a character is similar to O'Brien being the author and a character. I think it gives the story a different feeling. It feels more personal more like we are hearing the stories from him instead of just reading about them. It makes the stories more real and gives us a better idea of what was actually happening and going through his head at the time. The stories are easier to relate to when you can think about them on a more personal level. The book feels more like a diary and i think O'Brien did this as a way to let people understand war in a different way. You get more emotion out of these stories then you would if you just read about a character or watched TV.
ReplyDeleteI think that he added himself as a main character because he is a veteran of the Vietnam War and experienced these situations first hand and knows exactly what the Vietnam War was all about and had real combat experience and is sharing not only the facts about the war but also his own personal insight. I think this is important because it not only lets the reader see what happened during the war in Vietnam and within the soldiers. By O'Brien being a character the reader can get inside of his head and see the war through his eyes. The reader can visualize the war as a soldier and an average person.
ReplyDeletei agree with john. i think he included himself because he experienced the war. though this story is a work of fiction i wouldn't be surprised if most of these things actually happened. by adding himself as a character, O'Brien can portray exactly how he was feeling when he was in the war. Including himself also makes the story seem more real and personal. you're inside a characters head, understanding their every thought. i think thats much easier to do if you're writing about your own experience.
ReplyDeleteI think O'Brien includes himself as a character so we get more intense insight on the stories and memories. O'Brien explains everything from the emotions and feelings to the weight of each soldier's belongings in such great detail. He does this to help us get into the story and almost feel as though we are a part of it. O'Brien wanted us to see the war from a soldier's point of view, and not as an outsider looking in. There is a personal level of connection that you feel from almost being a part of the story yourself. I can visualize O'Brien sitting down and thinking back deeply into his mind, digging for every little memory and detail that comes to mind. This almost reminds me of a scene from Forrest Gump.
ReplyDeletei think he did that to make it seem like a journal held by a soldier that was in the Vietnam War. This makes the story seem more realistic and makes the readers feel like they know the character because we get to read his personal journal.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone said, I think that O'Brien includes himself in the story to give it a more personal feel and to set the book up like a journal instead of a novel. I also think that this contributes to how "true" the book feels like we were talking about in class. The passages where Tim O'Brien talks about himself in the present and how writing these stories affect him, make the rest of the book seem more real and true. If we were just reading the stories by themselves, they would be less moving and we wouldn't have anything to make them seem real. So I think that O'Brien includes himself in the story in order to convey a stronger message to his readers and to create a different style of writing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone on the fact that I believe that O'Brien included himself as a character in the novel to make the stories and events feel more personal. It is much easier to connect with the characters and know how the war affected them personally. These stories are much more moving because they have real emotions connected to them as well. Rather than just reading about the different events of the war and the statistics, this provides us with the knowledge of how it impacted the soldiers and other aspects of their lives. Also, I believe that O'Brien included himself as a character so that we would be able to find out about some of the soldiers lives after the war. Without his character you would question whether what was written about their later lives was true or not.
ReplyDeleteI think the Tom O'Brien made himself part of the story because he actually lived through the war. He has been there so it was easier for him to write what was actually happening. He can give the accounts of the war according to how he saw it, and how he perceived the war. He pulls from the truth and the readers can feel the emotion he is trying to convey. Although he states maybe all of it's not true, it is all coming from his eyes and his perspective.
ReplyDelete