The Seventh Question: How Are Your Life Today?

In her article “How Happy Are You and Why?,” Sonja Lyubomirsky argues that people have control over their own happiness. Lyubomirsky supports her claims with her interviews with happy people and scientific studies. Her purpose is to consider steps that people can take in order to become happier. She establishes an informal relationship with her audience of unhappy people.

20) O’Brien tells how these young men were drafted which were constantly in fear, they wished to be there obliviously but war takes up all of one’s attention; it played a big role in their life, changing their tactics, personality and becoming a new person. O’Brien uses this to show the stressful moments in war where one has pressure to be alive and in this case to fit in with everyone else and feel part of something, in a lonely place such as the war.

A moment from this novel that lingered in my mind is when Kropp said this, '"I've made up my mind," he says after a while, "if they take off my leg, I'll put an end to it. I won't go through life as a cripple."' This lingered in my mind a lot. Kropp was no older then the age of twenty when this happened. It is sad that a young man like Kropp would even ever have to have thoughts of suicide because their leg was blown off. The war inflicted a lot of damage on the young soldiers lives and seemed to not benefit anyones life. Another thing that lingered in my head is this, "will make a grand feed. About twenty yards from our dug-out there is a small house that was used as an officers' billet. In the kitchen is an immense fireplace with two ranges,

12. If you were to talk with the author, what would you ask him or her?

Part 2 – Choose twelve words/phrases that you deem to be critical to the book. They should be chosen from a variety of chapters. Give examples of the words being used in the text and explain why you think each word or phrase is critical.

O'Brien presents the details of his story in chronological order. In the lengthy paragraphs, he incorporates many specific details such as his emotions, his surroundings, and his current situations. In his lengthy paragraphs, he also included short, fragmented sentences to lure in his audience to keep on reading. “Silly and hopeless.” (55) This three word sentence is not a complete thought and conveys a sense of fragmentation. This represents his confusion and loss of unity during this time period and at war. He uses flashbacks to better narrate and add a background to his story. The structure presents how much time has passed in between events. Tim O’Brien uses narration and description modes to further emphasize the struggles of going to war. “I spent the summer of 1968 working in an Armour meatpacking plant...it was like standing for eight hours a day under a lukewarm blood shower.” (41) This narration foreshadows his shame and embarrassment in the future by using an extended metaphor about war. He alludes to the audience that essentially, war is like a blood shower. The narrative mode included O’Brien referring to himself in the first-person point of view, having it take place in the past to help to reader understand the present, using dialogue between people, action and descriptions of events and

Walking From Boston to New York I thought that we would never win the battle against the British. I couldn’t believe that I was going to go to war with the British. The British had so much more experience than we did, There were some people who didn’t even have one bit of experience with weapons. Surely, I was nervous about going to battle. The whole time getting ready I thought about how much I’d miss my wife and our three children Lilia, Bethany, and Lucas. I thought to myself one day I won’t have to write to them, I can see them and tell them stories about the war. Right now all I need to think about is battling the British and surviving at the same time. Therefore, When going to battle being intrepid we

Walking to New York From Boston was when I thought that we would never win the battle against the British. I couldn’t believe that I was going to go to war with the British. The British had so much more experience than we did, There were some people who didn’t even have one bit of experience with weapons. Surely, I was nervous of going to battle. The whole time getting ready I thought about how much I’d miss my wife and are three children Lilia, beathanny, and Lucas. I thought to myself one day I won’t have to write to them, I can see them and tell them stories about the war. Right now all I need to think about is battling the British and surviving at the same time. When going to battle being intrepid we were

All of the sickness and under fed soldiers that just wanted to come home. Also, when the Creightons receive letters and Bill claims he didn't fire the shot that killed Tom and the small hospital that Shad stayed in when he was injured and when Jenny married him. There are many sad and depressing sides of the book when Tom dies and when the author describes Eb when he doesn’t look like the young healthy Eb. She shows that the war wasn’t just a big adventure like all of the young soldiers thought it was but a horror story full of death and

Yesterday I was at work from sunrise till it was pitch black dark. Today I am completely wrecked and can’t be bothered doing anything but tomorrow and for however long the war goes for I will be at it again and again day after day. The days that follow after the battle are a thousand times worse than the days of the battle and it’s not the physical pain that hurts the most it is the mental pain that leaves the mark. The dead people look sickening but they don’t suffer any pain, But the poor wounded soldiers that still have their life are suffering both physical and mental pain and are living through what some people would call hell. I pray to God that this ferial event will stop. Our Regiment started this morning for Harpers Ferry. I am told with a few others and the nurses to remain here until the wounded have been removed then to join up with the Regiment again. I am expecting there will be another massive fight at Harpers Ferry again soon. My Dear Wife I dream of the day I pass the Hibbards house and see you and Amy waiting outside our house welcoming me with open arms, I also dream of the day I am lying next to you in front of our open fire with our beautiful daughter. You

The author of this excerpt describes the daily struggles he faces off the battlefield. For example, throughout the story, the author provides suggestions on how his family and friends can alter their living conditions in order to get a gist of what he experiences daily. Through the use of rhetorical strategies, the author is able to convey his hatred towards his unenjoyable experience, but the acceptance of the war.

Most soldier’s current and past have seen how returning home is problematic and challenging. Using biographical and psychological critical reading strategies to analyze “Soldier’s Home” by Ernest Hemingway, was the purpose of writing the text to help him and other soldiers learn how to cope with life after wartime.

soldiers and what they experienced. He tells us that these stories he has written may be true or may not be. In the chapters “How to Tell a True War Story and “The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” he presents them as true because all of these details and the things he tells us.To make up this stuff is unreal and he tells us in the two stories that if the soldiers who went to Vietnam make it and come back alive they are never the same again.

The Story has great ways of describing events of losing loved ones. The author words his story vividly and clear enough that people can accurately picture what he is saying while keeping the thoughts war, family love, and hope in the story.

“‘Well,’ he said, ‘how'd you like to hear about—’ He stopped and shook his head. ‘Hear what, man?’ ‘Nothing.’” This quote quote shows Norman’s inability to adjust because he cannot even get himself to tell his story to someone in his head because he feels that no one could understand his decisions. Through Norman, O’Brien presents the gap of understanding between soldiers who fought in Vietnam and regular people.