Interview of an Older Man

Many people say that war is worse than Hell because innocent people die in it. In Beah’s life, this is most definitely true. Throughout the war, Beah goes through many hardships and witnesses the deaths of innocent loved ones, and Beah’s writing reflects how he felt during these times. Beah uses rhetorical strategies like diction, imagery, and detail choice to convey the emotional process he had to undergo in order to survive.

However, Moore chooses to de-emphasize a few things. Such as how he went to school while his soldiers went to fight, and that he got into trouble when he was younger. All he says is how he lacked the combat tour patch, he often thought about his soldiers fighting, and that he caused trouble when he was young so his mother threatened to send him to military school. Despite this avoidance, Moore is still convincing. As Moe tells his own story, he builds his ethos or personal credibility. The listener knows Moore is knowledgeable in the subject of veterans because he is a veteran. Moore also uses the emotional appeal to cause his audience to think deeper and to take action. Here, Moore tells the stories of two other veterans. One veteran, Taylor Urruela, who lost his leg, but still tries to achieve both of his dreams and creates a group called VETSports. The other veteran Moore tells a story about is Tammy Duckworth. She is an ex-helicopter pilot, who lost both of her legs while serving, and now is a congresswoman who advocates for veteran’s issues. Both stories are powerful as they both give perspective on what a veteran has gone through while serving. That perspective is not one an average American knows or has for themselves, which causes the listener to think deeper about veterans, their experiences, and what “thank you for your service”

He realizes that “both [his] conscience and [his] instincts [tells him] to make a break for it, just take off and run like hell and never stop.” Because going to a war means facing unpleasant events that could occur, such as possible death, he wants to break free from it. Similar to Tim O’Brien, Korean veteran will empathize with Tim O’Brien because he also experienced similar hesitation and desire to desert from the army. On the other hand, modern female high school student will not experience the same empathy Korean veteran felt towards Tim O’Brien because she believes there are different roles for each gender. Specifically, men’s role in her society is to serve military services and participate in the war if necessary without any hesitation. In given circumstances, it is highly likely that she will regard Tim O’Brien as a young coward who lacks responsibility, courage, and patriotism to protect the

War changes the lives of each and every soldier who participates. It continues to change the way they experience events and the way their perception of the simplest things. Many veterans do not realize what truly happened until much later in life, if at all. Many live in denial of the truth, consciously or subconsciously, and many continuously remember their darkest moments. This is the case in “Salem”, written by Robert Olen Butler. The short story is about a man, late in life, recalling a past event from the Vietnam War. He remembers a man, alone in a clearing, whose life he ended. He starts to understand his actions and their true outcomes. The author uses symbolism, setting, and character to enhance the idea that one should always be aware of how his/her actions affect others.

Terry’s father and George Robinson share many similar astonishing experiences and traits. Conspicuously, they both fought in the Vietnam War; however, as a consequence, both men, whether physically or mentally, were injured. Furthermore, the both of them have mentioned or implied that they found it difficult to watch others die, especially their comrades. Moreover, Terry’s father and Robinson both survived the war, although they consider themselves as changed men because of the many ghastly situations they had lived through. Similarly, both veterans had no desire to discuss their experiences with their loved ones, finding it too difficult to do so. As Terry’s father explained it, their memories

They try to build a new life, but memories from the war are still strongly obvious to them. Through the feeling of embarrassment inside the soldier, O’Brien has depicted the post-war effects of the

“War stories” are shared by people all over the world, describing exhilarating experiences one encompasses during a war. However, these stories have been known for hyperbolizing details of the story, deeming it a “lie.” Tim O’Brien, the author of “How to Tell a True War Story,” examines the complex relationship between war experience and storytelling. The tale is told partly from O’Brien’s role as a soldier, as a reprise of several Vietnam stories, and half of his role as a storyteller, as a discussion on the art of storytelling. O’Brien provides detailed commentary on storytelling and blurs the division between truth and fiction through a series of paradoxical commentaries.

Before I read this book, I had a limited understanding – it’s still limited due to the fact that I’m not a soldier, nor have I fought in a war – of how those who fight these wars for us are truly affected by the actions required. When we think of a soldier returning from war, we think of them as a hero, which they are, but we fail to think of how they’re could be feeling about the things they had to do. We fail to understand that PTSD is real and common in many soldiers; we fail to understand that we shouldn’t treat them as a “ticking time bomb” , but rather a fellow citizen that needs our help and understanding. We fail to see them as anything more than a soldier; we fail to see their humanity. This book opens up this disconnect a little more. Though the characters are fictional, we are still able to see real feelings that soldier face during and after the war, thanks to O’Brien’s experience. Though there still isn’t a perfect understanding of these feelings that soldiers face after war, the book has helped me to understand just how big this disconnect is. Though these feelings very well could be felt after any war that the nation has fought in, I feel like disconnect between veterans and civilians was broadened after soldiers returned from Vietnam. Civilians had seen on the television, for the first time,

At the time, many that were drafted into the war didn’t know what they were fighting for and why they were there. Not only is war physically exhausting, but many soldiers suffered from psychotic breaks and from PTSD. A method to interpret Tim O'Brien's experience in war is to look at his mental state through Psychoanalytical Criticism.

“My life is storytelling. I believe in stories, in their incredible power to keep people alive, to keep the living alive, and the dead.” Tim O’Brien’s novel, The Things They Carried, was filled with embellished stories and memories of war veterans. O’Brien’s reasoning for writing that particular book was because he believed that while a memory can die with a person, written words are forever set in stone. In his book, War was every one of the soldier’s enemy; It did not matter which side they fought on. War took men physically and mentally. O’Brien displayed how war stories were based on a certain soldier’s experiences, morals, and personality; Readers never truly knew fact from fiction. O’Brien’s intended audience were readers who were

For this assignment, the author interviewed an elderly woman who is roughly in her early eighties. Discussion occurred over the phone as Irene lives a relatively far distance from Denver, CO. The first conversation went over well and she was very open to discussing her life further. The author became confident enough to ask more personal questions later in the conversation. The elderly woman agreed to a second interview to continue patient education which will be discussed in detail. For this paper, the individual will be referred to as Irene, so that her privacy is protected. This paper acts as an organizational tool to detail the process and considerations taken, including therapeutic communication skills, to provide Irene with a

My reaction to this short story was one of sadness and fear. My husband is a soldier in the U.S. Army, and this short story resonates very personally with me. I hear war stories all time; from my husband, from his friends, and from the other Army wives. O’Brien’s stories and experiences remind me of all the other sad and horrific stories that I have heard. But what is even sadder is that those not

Late Adulthood is a time in people’s lives when they come to terms with their lives and reevaluate what they have done or accomplished in the lieu of what they still would like to accomplish for the remainder of their lives. During this stage of life adults around the ages of 65 begin to experience a variety of changes in their physical appearance and a decline in their health. The process of aging in an individual occurs at different speeds and during this stage older adults are being treated as second-class citizens especially by younger adults. The skin begins to wrinkle at an

Tim O’Brien’s classic war chronicle, The Things They Carried, elucidates the theatrical and vivid experiences of his days in Vietnam. In How to Tell a True War Story, O’Brien specifically writes the chapter to explain the reasoning and motifs behind his stories however, decides to alter the truth to do so. Why does O’Brien lie in his writing? This answer to this question is explained throughout the chapter by using coherence to unify the chapter, by including pathos to create pathos to connect with the reader, and by utilizing paradox to question the validity of his writing.

L was married for 20 years. She has 2 daughters; one is going to school and the other lives in Texas. Her mother has been living with her for 3 ½ years. She enjoys movies, having coffee with her friends once a week, and her two grandchildren. She is active in her church, and used to do prison ministry. She works in Gerontology at the Health Sciences Center and has been a Tech employee for 25 years.