Transcript How to tell a true war story

Tim O’Brien
Tim O’Brien was born in Austin,
Minnesota in 1946. In 1968, he
graduated from Macalester College
with a BA in Political Science. That
same year, O’Brien was drafted to
serve in the Army in Vietnam. He
served in the American Division,
which was the division heavily
involved with the infamous My Lai
Massacre. After he served, he went
to graduate school at Harvard
University, and had an internship
with the Washington Post. It was
this opportunity that he started
writing about his Vietnam
experiences with works such as If I
die in a combat zone and Box me
Up. O’Brien is an endowed chair at
Texas State University-San Marcos.
Most of his work stems from his
experiences in Vietnam and the
impact the war had on fellow
countrymen.
 Theme – the central idea, the focal point of a story
around which various elements such as plot, character,
setting, and point of view revolve.
 Metafiction – a literary term that describes a work that
explores the nature, structure, logic, status, and
function of storytelling.
O’Brien rotates from telling the story from a soldier’s point of view/experience
and from a role of a storyteller. O’Brien begins by stating that “this is true.” The
story encompasses an account of events that happened in Vietnam regarding a
group of soldiers. Specifically regarding the death of a comrade of theirs, Curt
Lemon, who dies. Rat writes to Curt’s sister who never writes back. O’Brien
recounts the gruesome death of Curt and contemplates what is really true.
Mitchell Sanders offers another war story, that may or may not be true. After
Lemon’s death, O’Brien writes of his unit coming back and Bob Kiley shooting
the baby water buffalo. The story then ends after serious thoughts and
considerations of true war stories and what war stories are really about.
 “A true war story is never moral. There is no virtue.”
 “It’s difficult to separate what happened from what
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seemed to happen.”
“The next part you won’t believe. And you know why?
Because it happened. Because every word is absolutely
dead-on true.”
“Certain stories you don’t ever tell.”
“Nobody Listens.”
“Hear that quiet man? There’s your moral.”
“A true was story is never about war.”
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Describe how you think O’Brien intends for a true war story to
be told.
What is the significance of the dead guy’s sister never writing
back? Why does he call her a “dumb cooze?”
Elaborate on O’Brien’s use of metafiction. How does this
impact the story?
Recall the scene with the baby water buffalo. What significance
does this scene have towards the underlying message and
theme of the story?
Why does O’Brien’s switch telling the story from a soldier’s role
and a storyteller’s role repeatedly in the account? Which one
did you like better? Which one did you think contributed more
meaning, or truth to the story?
What is the intent of Mitchell Sanders’ war story?