Vocabulary
Failure to take proper care in doing something.
Negligence
The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with a contrasting/comparing effect.
Juxtaposition
What was the main reason the U.S. entered the Vietnam war aside from being South Vietnam's ally?
The fear of communism
In the chapter, “On the Rainy River,” what title does O’Brien give his summer job?
Declotter
The platoon’s first medic
Rat Kiley
Unable to be touched or grasped; not having physical presence.
Intangible
Tim O’Brien says, “I was a coward. I went to war." What type of figurative language/literary device is being used?
Situational Irony
How long did the Vietnam war last?
20 years
Why do several men hang onto things from women back in the states who they aren’t even in a relationship with anymore?
It gives them hope
Lieutenant of the alpha company; his duty to “lead,” not “love.”
Jimmy Cross
lack of variety and interest; tedious repetition and routine.
Monotony
“Go limp and tumble to the ground and let the muscles unwind and not speak and not budge until your buddies picked you up and lifted you into the chopper that would roar and dip its nose and carry you off to the world” (O’Brien 21) is an example of:
Personification
“He hit him hard” is an example of:
Alliteration
Why do the soldiers tell jokes about the war and about killing?
Because it helps them cope with war and death
The new medic; and O’Brien and Azar played a mean trick on him during his watch.
Any form of art or media that makes us feel strong negative emotions, but that we are nonetheless drawn to...because the experience purges the emotions from our system.
Catharsis
“The truths are contradictory. It can be argued, for instance, that war is grotesque. But in truth, war is also beauty” (O’Brien 80) is an example of:
Paradox
What two things does the “s**t field” symbolize in the novel?
-War is dirty; loss of morals
-The men felt stuck in their situation
What analogy does Linda use to describe death?
A book on a library shelf waiting to be checked out
Offered Tim money and the opportunity to escape to Canada when he and Tim went fishing on his boat.
Elroy Berdahl
A firmly held belief or opinion.
Conviction
Norman Bowker says. “‘Nobody’s fault...Everybody’s’” (O’Brien 168). This is an example of what literary device?
Antithesis
List three of the themes in the novel
-War is a b***h
-Memories
-Truth & fiction
-Survivor's guilt
-Fear & courage
-Moral ambiguity
-The inescapability of war
-Brotherhood
-The pointlessness of war
-The power of life & death
Who symbolizes modern American generations & their naïve attitude to understanding the Vietnam War?
Kathleen
Had a bad feeling about breaking his comrade’s nose, so he broke his own
Dave Jensen