Quote Analysis
Reading Questions
Who Said It?
Random
100
"Try to tell them about it, they'll just stare at you with those big round candy eyes. They won't understand zip. It's like trying to tell somebody what chocolate tastes like" (108).
You have to experience the war to actually understand what they went through. It is impossible to fully capture what they are saying without being there with them.
100
How do the other people feel about Mary Anne with them in Vietnam?
At first they are shocked that she actually came, but everyone likes her and that she is smart and friendly.
100
"She wasn't dumb. I never said that. Young, that's all I said" (93).
Rat Kiley
100
What ended up happening to Mary Anne?
She disappeared and became one with the land
200
"Mary Anne made you think about those girls back home, how clean and innocent they all are, how they'll never understand any of this, not in a billion years (108). What does this quote show about the soldiers?
This quote shows how the soldiers stationed in Vietnam are out of place. They'll never be fully comfortable back in America because no one can relate to their experiences here. In Vietnam they are also foreign because the war is just a temporary state for them and they cannot completely embrace it.
200
What is the official name used to call the Green Berets?
US Army Special Forces
200
"The story. The whole tone, man, you're wrecking it" (102).
Mitchell Sanders
200
Who said this? You're in a place.....where you don't belong" (106).
Mary Anne
300
"He claimed to have witnessed the incident with his own eyes, and I remember how upset he became one morning when Mitchell Sanders challenged him on its basic premise" 86). How does this quote describe Rat and his tendency to sometimes expand the truth?
Rat doesn't lie to purposely deceive someone, but he does it without realizing it to help other people feel and understand everything he did. This supports the fact that each person has their own individual experience.
300
How does Mary Anne respond when Mark says it is time she goes home?
She laughs and tells him that everything she wants is right here.
300
"Listen, it can't be that bad. They're human beings, aren't they? Like everybody else" (92)?
Mary Anne
300
What is the relationship between the Greenies and the other soldiers?
Very unfriendly and distant relationship
400
"The sound. You need to get a consistent sound, like slow or fast, funny or sad. All these digressions, they just screw up your story's sound. Stick to what happened" (102).
Mitchell Sanders tells Rat to stop make little comments while he's telling the story because he says it ruins the flow. This also correlates to O'Brien's writing style in this book because he is also constantly jumping around from different stories. This can also be attributed to the fact that the war itself does not have a consistent pace which the author seems to be trying to describe.
400
What does Mary Anne tell Mark after she comes back from her 3 week adventure?
That Mark doesn't understand Vietnam.
400
"One thing for sure, there won't be any more ambushes. No more late nights" (99).
Mark Fossie
400
What is the primary thing that Mary Anne symbolizes and why?
Innocence because she arrives there as a typical American who the soldiers knew, knew nothing about what it was like here in Vietnam. It reminded them of why they are fighting and of what it was like back home.
500
"She had crossed to the other side. She was part of the land. She was wearing her culottes, her pink sweater, and a necklace of human tongues. She was dangerous. She was ready for the kill" (110).
This shows how she first came to Vietnam as an American, but after spending enough time she changed drastically. She leaves her boyfriend (the reason she came) for the adventure and killing, thus becoming another example of how the Vietnam War could transform someone.
500
What early clues are given to show that Mary Anne has begun to change?
she cuts her hair, no makeup or jewelry, she wants to explore, and wants to see more of the Vietnam culture
500
"There's the scary part. I promise you, this girl will most definitely learn" (92).
Eddie Diamond
500
"She had crossed to the other side. She was part of the land. She was wearing her culottes, her pink sweater, and a necklace of human tongues. She was dangerous. She was ready for the kill" (110).
This shows how she first came to Vietnam as an American, but after spending enough time she changed drastically. She leaves her boyfriend (the reason she came) for the adventure and killing, thus becoming another example of how the Vietnam War could transform someone.
M
e
n
u