This was a tough one, there are so many ways to go about writing a good war story. In her article The Literatrue of the Vietnam War Susan Farrell discusses how war writers approuch the task of informing the reader about the war by focusing "on the surface details of daily existence--the everyday routines of war"(3). I believe that is is a something necessary for the reader to understand the reality of war.
She also shares with us the chaotic and ambiguous writing style of most war writers that seem so hard to handle by readers. I also feel that this is an important part of writing a good war story. When a man went to war he began to think differently. Tim O'Brien writes " What sticks to memory, often, are those odd little fragment that have n obeginning and no end"(36). For a story to be informative and realistic the reader should be given the opportunity to step into to writers mind. Without this sort of free flowing thought this isn't possible.
The story spin holds true to both of these aspects of writing. O'Brien speaks of the routine Bowker and Dobbins have of playing checkers every night before bed. How just watching them play quietly was restfull. He speaks of the poppa-san that the all grew close to. This story jumps around quiet often, but O'Brien draws attention to it by telling us most memories have no beginning or end. I found comfort in the choppy pattern moving from memory to memory. When a person thinks to themselves it is difficult to focus on one particular topic and I think that after getting used to the style it actually flows quite naturally. By focusing on the habits and daily routines of the men a writer reminds the reader that they are all human. Just like at home they have thier routines far away. This allows us to connect with the characters and soak up everything that happens to them. The bond the reader and the character have make the fragmented writing style realistic and easy to swallow.
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In my point of view, I do not think there is a great way to tell a war story. One side of me thinks that the vietnam writers should tell the story exactly how it happened without any made up details, but the other half of me agrees with how O'Brien tells stories by putting in things that did not really happen, but seem too. In order for the reader to have a true understanding of any war, I believe they should not just rely on a couple of first hand accounts of the war. If someone wanted to truly understand a war, they must get first hand accounts from both sides fighting against each other and also stand back and look at the objectivity within the each individual battle and as a whole as a war and how everything fits together. I do not think there is a true way to tell a war story.
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