In "Speaking of Courage," the narrator says, "Sometimes the bravest thing on earth was to sit through the night and feel the cold in your bones. Courage was not always a matter of yes or no." How does the narrator define courage? How do you define it?
Analyze the effects of the war on Norman Bowker.
Examine his thoughts after he returns from the war: what might have been, what he wishes for, and what he finds.
Discuss the medals that Normal received, and analyze why he keeps referring to the medal he did not receive.
Why does Bowker write to O'Brien? What is the effect of this letter on O'Brien?
What happens to Bowker? Why?
Courage is defined by the narrator as being able to sit through a night watch even when you are being taunted by the darkness to send up a alarm. I define courage as being able to do something that you never thought that you could. Courage is a driving force that keeps people strong and pushes them to do more than they have before. The war changed Norman and it made him realize that he had less courage than he thought. Norman wanted to marry Sally Kramer, and maybe have a small house on the lake. He wanted to share his story but he didn't know who he could tell. Norman Bowker received quite a few medals such as the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart. All of these medals show how great of a solider Norman Bowker was and that he had done a lot with his time in Vietnam. The medal that he did not receive was the Silver Star for valor. Norman could have won the Silver Star for valor if he'd had been able to pull Kiowa out of the mud. He blames himself for Kiowa's death in the mud and that he could have saved him if it wasn't for the smell. Norman Bowker writes to O'Brien to explain how he could not find a meaningful use to his life after the war. He wanted to share with O'Brien how much "If I Die in a Combat Zone" had meant to him and how many memories it had brought back. The letter gives O'Brien the realization of what writing had done for him and how much it had helped him to get over some things. Bowker died he couldn't find anything to do with his life and just decided to end it, and he didn't want to bother anyone for help.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator describes courage as a more mental thing than a physical thing. Dealing with the decision you made internally is what shows courage. Many of the characters in this book had to be brave in other ways besides risking their lives and shooting at enemies. They had to be courageous to leave their homes, go to a strange land. Sure, making a decision is hard, but being able to keep your mind stable and risking your life is harder. I define courage as doing something out of your comfort zone, and being able to deal with it. Norman Bowker changed for the worst after the war. It turned Bowker into a very selfish person who thinks he was all that. When Kiowa was sinking, Bowker decided to save himself first then the others. When Norman Bowker arrived home, he had many things in his mind such as seeing his old girlfriend and making his dad proud. As he begins adjusting to life without war, Bowker finds himself useless. He worked several short-lived jobs and lived with his parents. At one point he enrolled in junior college, but he later drops out. Bowker wins many medals, but they are all common medals like receiving an injury, participating in the war, and being a good soldier. He keeps mentioning the silver star, not because he wants it, but if he had gotten it then that meant he had saved Kiowa's life, and that reflects his guilt. Bowker wrote to O'Brien to release his feelings because he couldn't talk about his struggles with anyone around him. After reading the letter, O’Brien realizes that he was truly lucky. He never had horrible nightmares or dangerous thoughts. O'Brien also realized he made an easy shift from war to home, unlike Bowker. Because of Norman’s depressing life after the war, he hung himself in the locker room of a YMCA. He didn’t know what else to do. He was in desperate need to talk about the war but had nobody around. It felt impossible for Norman to transform from a war soldier in Vietnam to a common civilian living alone, so he took the pain away from himself by hanging himself with a pipe and a jump rope
ReplyDeleteCourage is defined by the narrator as a person's willingness to do what he thought he could not do. He defines it as not allowing fear to creep its way into your bones, pushing past the nervous thoughts flowing through your head, trying to block the images of all the possible ways disaster could strike at any moment. Courage is the reason these people are alive and fighting. Courage is the reason these soldiers are still sneaking around a dense forest, holding up their weapons, doing things they did not think they could ever be brave enough to do. Courage is defined by the narrator as pushing down all your fear even when you have no choice and doing what you thought you could never do. I define bravery just the same; when someone does something they did not think was possible and instead of running from their fear, they face it head on. Norman Bowker was like every soldier who served in Vietnam; he saw too much and was swallowed by fear and anxiety for years. Bowker watched his friends die, he watched humanity crumbling away in the grasp of war. He had become changed throughout his years of service. When Bowker comes back from the war, he feels relieved; however, he also feels useless. He realizes if he would have stayed home, he could still have his girlfriend, a job, money, or a purpose. He wishes he could have a life again. He wants to impress his father with all the medals he earned. He wants to have his old life back with his girlfriend. Bowker wishes the war had not changed his life the way it did. Bowker received the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and he almost got the Silver Star. It is never said why he keeps referring to how Bowker almost got the Silver Star, but it may be because Bowker let cowardice get in the way; how he wanted to protect himself from the awful stench, how he let go of Kiowa's boot in order to save his own life. Maybe Bowker just cannot let it go like it has been haunting him and always will haunt him for the rest of his life. The absence of a Silver Star and the absence of his best friend was probably too much to bear. Maybe he keeps talking about it because he wants to get it off his chest like he wants someone to listen and help. Bowker writes to O'Brien and asks him if he will write Bowker's story and what he went through. O'Brien was hit hard with this letter. He realized how hard Bowker had it after the war ended. Later on, Norman Bowker hanged himself in the locker room of a YMCA. Bowker could not adapt to his new life and felt useless and used up after a long war in Vietnam. O'Brien wrote Norman Bowker's story in his own words and made his struggle heard, something Bowker would have appreciated.
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ReplyDeleteThe narrator is describing courage as more of a thought or an idea than something real. He explains that courage can be something small at times, or one time someone may be the most courageous person in the world, yet another time, that same person may run away. They explain how it’s not something that is always there, it’s a trait that is there depending on the situation. I agree with the narrator completely on this topic, as I find myself as the person they describe: sometimes fearless, yet other times completely scared and running away from everything.
ReplyDeleteAfter the war, Norman Bowker finds himself unaware on what to do with his life. He feels as if he does not belong anywhere. He explains that he felt like he got killed in Vietnam with Kiowa. He attempted finding jobs or anything to do, yet it all did not last. He was swamped with regret and flashbacks. He wants to be happy, yet he’s unable to feel the way he used to.
Bowker sees all of the people of his pasts. He thinks that if Sally Kramer had not married, he could have talked to her about anything and everything about the war. He thinks that if his father had paid more attention to him and not cared so much about other things such as baseball, he could have also talked to his father. He wishes that he could talk to his father about the medal he did not win and be consoled by his father about it, yet that did not happen.
Norman received seven medals: the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart. He keeps referring to the Silver Star and how he almost won that medal. He explains that he could have won that medal if he had saved Kiowa. I believe that he keeps referring to this medal because he feels guilty about not having saved Kiowa, and that the other medals don’t matter because he feels as though he allowed his friend to die.
Bowker needs someone to talk to and release his feelings. Bowker just needs a friend to be there for him and someone who he can talk to about the war and life after it, although he never admits this. Another part of his reasoning is to ask O’Brien to write a story for him, yet also indirectly about him, as he can’t find the words to write it himself. O’Brien is swept with emotions because of this letter. He realizes that he put all of his pain and every memory of the war into stories and writing novels. It gave him a place to vent, which Bowker did not have. The desperation of the letter is described to have haunted O’Brien, thus causing him to decide to write Bowker’s story.
Bowker commits suicide by hanging himself. I believe the reasoning to be because every emotion he had, the desperation, sadness, guilt, etc., caught up to him. He finally can’t handle the pain and suffering anymore, so he decides to end his life without a word or a hint to any of his friends or family.
Like everyone else has said, the narrator's thought of courage is more of a idea/mental attribute than a physical one. "Courage is not defined by those who fought and did not fall, but by those who fought, fell and rose again" -Adrienne Rich. Courage is not measured by success but by how much you have failed and then succeeded. The war left Bowker person less, he didn't have any one except his father. Bowker obviously had PTSD, which evolved into his death by suicide. Bowker received the the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart. Those awards made him really happy, but he was upset at the same time since he didn't tell his father of his awards. He keeps referring to the Silver Star because he was so close to getting it, if he would have rescued Kiowa he would have gotten it. But Kiowa was sinking too fast and Bowker started to sink, he saved himself over Kiowa, that's why he doesn't think his father would be proud of him.
ReplyDeleteTim O'Brien describes courage as being very brave and being able to do incredible things like advancing toward enemy fire. To me, courage could be displayed in a number of ways. It all depends on each person's perspective. I'm afraid of spiders, so if someone weren't afraid to kill spiders I would say they had courage. Someone else might not agree with that because they think courage deals more with bigger things and more bravery. After the war Norman Bowker drives his Chevy around the lake many times which is approximately a 25 minute drive from start to finish. While he is doing this he is just thinking about all of the things that's been happening while he is gone and what everyone has been doing while he was at war. He realized that everyone from high school was married or had moved away and he wonders what might've happened if Sally Kramer had never gotten married. What he wished for coming out of the war is that his dad would care to ask him questions about the war or anyone else in the town for that matter. No one wanted to know anything that he had to say. He also wished that his friend Max was still alive. He found two little boys walking along the path and he tried to honk at them to get their attention but they didn't pay attention. He also found a man on the lake in a stalled motorboat. The next thing he found was a pair mudhens floating in the water and high school band and waterskiers. Norman won 7 medals. He won the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, The Vietnam Campaign Medal, The Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart. He keeps referring to the medal he did not receive because he is ashamed and he knew that if he just helped the man that was trapped but he would've received the medal. Bowker wrote to O'Brien because he felt that he didn't have a reason to live after the war. He wrote it to tell O'Brien about how greatly his book influenced his life. O'Brien soon felt smug that he never felt the same way that Bowker did. Bowker ends up committing suicide and the YMCA because he feels that there's no purpose for his life anymore.
ReplyDeleteCourage is doing something you wouldn't have thought of doing in the first place. Doing something out of the ordinary to help someone or better yourself. Courage is what pushes you to do something when a part of you says you can't, and another says you could if you tried. After the war, Norman feels guilty and regrets that he didn't save Kiowa. He blames himself for failing because of the smell of the muck, he said he would have won the Silver Star along with his other medals. The Combat Infantryman's Badge was what he was most proud of, it meant everything he had done as a soldier and more. All of his accomplishments paid off, but reminded him of how close he was to getting the Silver Star, and eight medals instead of seven. Three years after "Speaking of Courage" was written Bowker committed suicide. The letter from Bowker showed that he wanted the story of Kiowa to get out into the world so everyone can know what happened, and he wanted O'Brien to write it.
ReplyDeleteCourage is doing something you wouldn't have thought of doing in the first place. Doing something out of the ordinary to help someone or better yourself. Courage is what pushes you to do something when a part of you says you can't, and another says you could if you tried. After the war, Norman feels guilty and regrets that he didn't save Kiowa. He blames himself for failing because of the smell of the muck, he said he would have won the Silver Star along with his other medals. The Combat Infantryman's Badge was what he was most proud of, it meant everything he had done as a soldier and more. All of his accomplishments paid off, but reminded him of how close he was to getting the Silver Star, and eight medals instead of seven. Three years after "Speaking of Courage" was written Bowker committed suicide. The letter from Bowker showed that he wanted the story of Kiowa to get out into the world so everyone can know what happened, and he wanted O'Brien to write it.
ReplyDeleteCourage has many different definitions varying from person to person. You can be brave and save the world, or you can be humble and stand up to a bully or speak out on something that isn't popular. In a way, Norman was courageous for trying to help Kiowa. Most people would not find the courage to dig themselves out of mud into a fire fight to save someone else. Even though Norman didn't get the badge since he didn't save Kiowa, he still had the courage to try. His seven other badges did help a bit but in Norman's mind he needed the Silver Star to show that he was courageous enough. The other badges just showed he did what a normal soldier would and that didn't separate himself from the "common" soldiers. I think that Norman wished he saved Kiowa to save himself from doubting his own courage. Norman wrote to O'Brien asking him in a letter to write about this story since he ended his life and needed people to know what actually happened between him and Kiowa. I also think that Norman wrote the letter explaining the story to show that courage is not always the same definition for every person.
ReplyDeleteLike other people have said, courage has varying definitions. You could save the world, speak out for something you believe in. In Norman Bowker's case, I think his defining moment of courage was not during the war, but writing that letter to Tim. It takes a great deal of bravery to admit to someone that you messed up, especially when the cost was someone losing their life. Norman was an exceptional soldier in the field, and his medals were proof. But the one that he didn't have was the silver star for valor. Originally, he wanted that medal to make his father proud, but after he was home from Vietnam, he wanted it because that would mean he had saved Kiowa. Norman was the one exception to the rule in this book, that the things they carried with them broke them. In his case, it was the one thing he didn't carry that drove him over the edge.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator describes courage as a mental strength more than a physical strength. It's like something you wouldn't have thought of doing before it happens, and continuing to do it after it has begun. When the men would sit alone in the dark on guard their fears would seem to creep in on them. They were surrounded by nothing except for their own thoughts. You have to have courage to sit alone in the dark and be alone. Being alone can be a scary thing when all you can see is darkness and all you can hear are your thoughts mixed with quiet sounds that all seem to be coming after you. That is what the narrator means when he says "Sometimes the bravest thing on earth was to sit through the night and feel the cold in your bones". Soldiers were told to do something and created their own fears in their minds. It takes courage to face things you don't have a choice with, and continuing to do it.
ReplyDeleteO'Brien defines courage as being heroic or bold. I agree with his definition of courage but I also believe courage can be defined as doing something one is not comfortable with and putting oneself out there. When Norman Bowker returned home from the war he was not mentally home. Bowker was physically home but his mind was still in Vietnam where Kiowa had died. He never forgave himself for not being able to save Kiowa therefore, his mind was not able to forget about that and return home like normal, peaceful Norman was before the war. As soon as Bowker returned he felt very alone and the town had felt vacant. He felt the need to talk about the war but there was nobody to talk to. Sally, the girl he once wanted, was married. Max, his hometown friend, had died. His father became and big baseball fan so Bowker kept his emotions bottled up. He wishes he could've earned the silver star so his friends and family would be proud of him because he felt that he had not done enough there, he didn't do anything extraordinary. Norman did receive seven other medals but he did not believe that they meant anything. Those medals were earned for doing daily tasks, not for doing anything heroic that needed courage to do. He often refers to how he could've earned the silver star if he saved Kiowa, but the conditions were not right. Bowker believed that because he did not earn that silver star he doesn't have any courage and that is why he keeps referring to it, because if he had it he would have courage and be a hero. He writes to O'Brien because he was there, he can understand where he is coming from. If he told anyone else they could not imagine what he went through and what he was talking about. The letter haunted O'Brien, and as Bowker wanted, he wrote a chapter in honor of him titled "Speaking of Courage". He had changed details in the book such names, towns, and left out the death of Kiowa. When O'Brien sent the chapter to Norman he was confused why he left out the death of his good friend Kiowa . Eight months later Bowker hung himself in the locker room of the local YMCA. He saw no other option because he could not find a meaningful use of his life after the war.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator defines courage as not doing something special, but instead just surviving. Every day that someone wakes up in war is courage, every night they stay alive. The narrator describes embracing things that did not give an option, to not just withstand but accept the situation. He described it as sometimes just sitting there, facing anything that comes is the bravest of all. I define as courage as not when you want to do something, but doing it because its your only choice. Courage to me is the strength of surviving everyday to do it again.
ReplyDeleteNorman Bowker stresses he did not get the silver medal, but in my opinion I think the silver medal was Kiowa. Because as explained Kiowa was already long gone that night in the fields, but to Norman he thought that he could save him. That eighth medal meant a saved life to him, he would tell himself "if only". Bowker wrote to O'brien because he had no other way of explaining the truth, only O'brien would've understood since he was there. This haunts O'brien, the remembrance of everything there and the first hand witness of Bowker's feelings towards life and meaningfulness after the war. Bowker killed himself at the Y because he thought of no other reason to live. I picked the impression that Bowker felt trapped in time over in Vietnam, while his quaint town moved on. When he came back people were married, working at jobs, and going to college. But his experiences brought him to a conclusion the war was his purpose and after that nothing was there for him to live on. Almost as if Vietnam was his coma, just because he was home doesn't mean he woke up.
The narrator defines courage as not doing something special, but instead just surviving. Every day that someone wakes up in war is courage, every night they stay alive. The narrator describes embracing things that did not give an option, to not just withstand but accept the situation. He described it as sometimes just sitting there, facing anything that comes is the bravest of all. I define as courage as not when you want to do something, but doing it because its your only choice. Courage to me is the strength of surviving everyday to do it again.
ReplyDeleteNorman Bowker stresses he did not get the silver medal, but in my opinion I think the silver medal was Kiowa. Because as explained Kiowa was already long gone that night in the fields, but to Norman he thought that he could save him. That eighth medal meant a saved life to him, he would tell himself "if only". Bowker wrote to O'brien because he had no other way of explaining the truth, only O'brien would've understood since he was there. This haunts O'brien, the remembrance of everything there and the first hand witness of Bowker's feelings towards life and meaningfulness after the war. Bowker killed himself at the Y because he thought of no other reason to live. I picked the impression that Bowker felt trapped in time over in Vietnam, while his quaint town moved on. When he came back people were married, working at jobs, and going to college. But his experiences brought him to a conclusion the war was his purpose and after that nothing was there for him to live on. Almost as if Vietnam was his coma, just because he was home doesn't mean he woke up.
The narrator describes courage as something more than a physical act. Being able to put yourself through a war and not know whether you will die or not is a symbol of courage the author shows. Mr definition of courage is something that can be done with no fear of what happens to you. For example, going to war. Enlisting yourself to fight for a country that doesn't always respect you, but you're willing to fight for it. Another example, being able to stand up for what you believe in, like a religion. Another example is being able to come out to family or friends as gay or lesbian. I find that true courage doesn't have a list of what's acceptable courage and what's not, it's decided on what sacrifices you would have to make on yourself, and stand up for what you believe in, or fight for a nation. That's courage.
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ReplyDeleteThe narrator describes courage as mental strength rather than physical strength. Being able to put you mind through a war as well as your body. To know going into the war you could die today or the person next to you could. Being able to stand up for what you believe in even knowing that not everyone is going to agree shows true courage. I think true courage is both being able to stand up to whatever terrifies you the most as well as being able to put your body through anything and never giving up. Sacrificing your wants and needs to others being a true hero not wanting all the attention. To be able to stand in the background even tough you might want o be up front in the spotlight.
ReplyDeleteI believe courage is when you have a fear of something but you do it anyway sometimes it’s more mental than physical. I agree with JT on the narrators definition “Every day that someone wakes up in war is courage, every night they stay alive.” Although Norman Bowker was home and away from the war it seemed as though his mind was still there. He started to remember old memories. For example his highschool girlfriend. Everyone that was back home had moved on with their lives. Bowker felt he had to reason to live so he killed himself. I think the war had so much of an impact on his life that he had such a hard time moving on.
ReplyDeleteThe author describes courage as being more of a mental thing than a physical one. I agree with this a lot. Bowker had won many medals and wanted to tell his father of them hoping he would be proud. He won the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Army Commendation Medal, the Air medal, the Purple Heart, and the Bronze Star. Even though he had these he still was upset that he hadn't won the Silver Star. He would have gotten this if he had saved Kiowa but saving him seemed impossible to him at the time. Because of this he worries that his father will not be proud of him.
ReplyDeleteI agree that a lot of courage in life is not physical, but mental. Norman Bowker came back from the war knowing that he couldn't save a life, and that haunted him every day. He gained many medals in the war, but the most important one would have been for saving the life of his fellow soldier. Coming home, he realized that everyone back home had moved on with their lives. He wrote to O'Brien so that his story could be told, and people could understand how he felt. He eventually went to kill himself, feeling that he was insignificant.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator in “Speaking of Courage” defines courage as an action in defiance of an individual’s common fears that spontaneously comes and goes.I define courage as recognizing ones fears and moving forward in spite of them while learning from those fears. When Norman Bowker returned from the war, he felt distant from the community he once loved. Part of his feelings of distance were built on the fact that not only had he lost one of his best friends before the war, but also that the community felt strange after having been away from it for so long. While Bowker was in Vietnam, his high school sweetheart, Sally Kramer, married another man. Having this happen to him Bowker wishes to find another love for something or someone. Bowker is unable to hold down a steady job and finds his one attempt at college after the war to be extremely boring. Bowker finds that, after the war, the distance he feels upon his return to the community comes from the difference in the setting and ideals of the two environments. In Vietnam important things, such as staying alive, watching each other’s backs, and keeping each other’s moral up, was prioritized. In his American community, where death does not play such an apparent role as in the Vietnam War, things Bowker now considers less meaningful are prioritized, such as good education and a well paying job. After a while of experiencing his new meaningless lifestyle where he can not apparently do anything right, Bowker takes his own life in the local YMCA by hanging himself. Prior to his final actions, Bowker wrote a letter to O’Brien describing how he felt after the war. In the same letter, Bowker also recommended that O’Brien write a story about a war veteran who can not find anything to do with himself after the war.
ReplyDeleteBowker earned seven medals in the Vietnam War. These seven medals, according to Bowker, showed ordinary courage, or rather the everyday things that common soldiers did throughout the war. Bowker earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Army Commendation Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Purple Heart, the Air /medal, the Bronze Star, and the Good Conduct Medal. The medal that Bowker is most focused however, is the Silver Star. Bowker could have won the Silver Star by showing exemplary courage through saving Kiowa from sinking in the muck near the Song Tra Bong while under mortar fire. Bowker failed in his attempt to save Kiowa because he could not handle the smell of the muck long enough to save him. Due to his failure, Bowker believes that it is his fault that Kiowa died. This thought, according to Bowker, killed a part of him internally that made his life in America feel meaningless. Thus Bowker committed suicide because he could not handle it anymore.
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ReplyDeleteI believe Bowker wanted to feel useful and helpful when he got back from the war, he wanted his old life that he left behind and he wanted to be with all of his buddies and wanted someone to talk to about what happened in Vietnam, he wanted that same sense of importance he had fighting the war, fighting communism and fighting for his family and friends, back home he notices everyone just sitting, nobody really doing much of anything and nobody really can help him because nobody is quite sure what is going on in his head, he kills himself because of this lack of feeling of usefulness and lack of help (a bit of his own fault for not knowing how to relay the information that he needed help) from the people around him
ReplyDeleteI agree that Bowker came home expecting to help others the way he ha throughout the war protecting his friends. Also, he was hoping that friends and family back at home would be excited that he was back and would want to hear his stories. Instead, as Gavin said< everyone is sitting around. The narrator describes courage as the strength to deal with hardship. All of these soldiers who went through the war in Vietnam had to live with the thought of the men they killed, the men around them killed by others, and many more gruesome things that go along with war. Norman was bringing up certain medals to his family and in his own thoughts. the ones he received and the ones that he did not. Either way, Bowker is referring to them because he wants to tell his stories, but no one seems to want to listen.This in turn, made him feel almost useless because he felt that his true purpose was the war in Vietnam. Now that he has come back from the war, he sees that everyone has moved on and things have changed, therefore he feels he has no reason to stay.
DeleteThe dictionary defines courage as a quality of the mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. without fear. The narrator defines courage as someone doing someone they normally wouldn't, out lasting the dreaded heat, humping through the trails day after day, looking death in the face, every little thing they wouldn't normally do. I define courage as doing something even when you are scared to do it. Norman Bowker came home from war focusing on the one medal he didn't get, the one life he didn't save, the one thing he couldn't re-do. He thinks mostly about what could've happened if they never set up camp in the field and what if he could've pulled Kiowa out. What if he won that medal? Would his father be more proud then? He just wishes to go back in the moment and save Kiowa. He wishes he had the courage. He focuses on the medal he didn't receive because there so much guilt in why he didn't receive it. It really wasn't about the medal it was about Kiowa. His memory is scarred with this guilt of letting Kiowa die. Whether he really was Kiowa's last hope or if Kiowa was already gone; the guilt eats him alive. O'Brien writes about Bowker because Bowker asks him to tell a story about a guy who wants to talk about the war but can't. Bowker can't find the words so he asks O'Brien. The letter really opened O'Brien's eyes to how easily he came home from war and joined right back in with the rest of the world. Bowker commits suicide because he felt like he died in Vietnam and when he came back he couldn't find a way back from the dead.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said, Rachel. I agree that he was beating himself up about the fact that he didn't save Kiowa. He committed suicide because he couldn't let the grief and regret go of him, and that he didn't win the medal. He was so upset because he thinks he could of done something. I agree with what you said about O'Brien writing about Norman Bowker because he wrote about him to show the harsh emotional effects of war.
DeleteAs everyone else has already said the narrator defines courage as something more than just a physical act. He also describes being courageous mentally too. I define courage as something you thought that you would never be able to accomplish, whether it is something physically or mentally challenging. Norman Bowker came home from the war with seven medals and almost won the Silver Star but didn't. He beats himself up over this and I believe that Norman feels like he wasn't brave to save his friend from drowning in the muck. But his friend Kiowa was sinking so fast and the smell of the river was unbearable. Poor Norman just can't help but blaming himself for his death and ends up taking his own life after he writes the letter to O'Brien.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator believes that courage is being able to willingly go through anything as long as it's for the right thing. Sitting in the bitter cold for the country is hard to do but it's the right hing and they have to be courageous to do that. I believe courage is totally a mental thing. A courageous person is someone who is willing to stand up for him/herself no matter what the issue is. After Norman had returned to his home town in Iowa, he realized that he really had nowhere to go. He tried to remind himself that his dad would be proud of the amount of medals he received but still couldn't shake t he feeling of insignificance. He constantly thinks about how it would've been if he had been able to pull Kiowa out o f the hole. He focuses on the medal he didn't receive, the Silver Star for valor award, because he would've received it if he had been able to ave Kiowa. He blames himself for Kiowa's death and the guilt begins to become too much. Norman decides to write a letter to O'Brien because Norman couldn't find meaning in his life. It made O'Brien realize how much writing has helped him get through certain things in his life. Norman resulted to killing himself because the guilt became too much and he wanted a way to escape the feeling of insignificance.
ReplyDeleteThe author defines courage as being brave in situations your not comfortable with. I define it as doing something that frightens you or like famous cowboy John Wayne says 'courage is being scared to death bu saddling up anyway.' The war greatly effected Norman Broker to where all he did was drive around town and later took his life. He wishes he was more brave, he feels it's his fault Kiowa died, and he finds no joy in being back home. He doesn't understand why he got the medals he was awarded and the one he refers to as the medal he didn't receives he wishes he could have been awarded that one. He writes to the narrator to tell him how hard life is being and he would like O'Brien to write a book on his story. This impacts O'Brien and he writes a book about Norman. Later on Norman doesn't like that O'Brien left a part out and a little later on he is found died. Norman decided to hang himself.
ReplyDeleteThere are many ways courage can be defined. In my opinion courage is when you do something that may be out of your comfort zone or it's something that scares you but you do it anyway. After the war Norman Bowker's whole life has changed to the point where he feels like he never left the war. He says he feels like he died along with Kiowa that day. He received many medals but he keeps mentioning the one he didn't get because he would have earned it if he saved Kiowa. He wrote to O'Brien because he wanted him to tell his story. About a guy who can't figure out his life after the war. Bowker eventually kills himself. I think he does this because he feels so guilty and he couldn't stand living his life without a purpose.
ReplyDeleteThe Narrator is defining courage in this sense as what needs to be done. The Courageous thing to do during war is to fight, or at least be present during the fight. Waking up everyday not knowing what is to come but trudging on for the troops beside them or for the sake that it must be done was a courageous action. Norman Bowker was a courageous man in the sense that he woke up and fought everyday. However, Bowker could not see himself as courageous because he could not forget Kiowa. Because Bowker did not save Kiowa Bowker could not see himself as courageous man. Bowker did not have enough pride from the war and his medals to keep his mind off the fact that time was wasted during the war and he lost all that time for nothing. Because time can not be regained Bowker ended his time on Earth.
ReplyDeleteI think the narrator defines courage as doing Che things that nobody else is willing to do. When everyone else backs away you step in and do what they don't want to. I think courage is doing something outside your comfort zone or something brave. The war was hard on Norman Bowker, he regretted not doing more courageous things and not being braver. He feels that Kiowa died because of him. He was not proud of the metals he received , and the guilt of Kiowa's death soon got to him and he took his own life.
ReplyDeleteIn the book, "The Things They Carried", the narrator seems to define courage as doing what you believe is right. In his opinion, to go against your beliefs due to emotions such as fear, shame, or embarrassment is what makes you a coward. To face your own fears, and to keep moving forward, is what makes you brave in his eyes. For example, in the narrator's personal story in the novel, he calls himself a coward for going to war. To many people, going to war is a very brave decision to make, for him, however, he calls it cowardliness for taking that way out as an alternative to facing the fear of rejection. In a way, I agree with O'Brien when it comes to courage being defined by facing your own fears. But I also believe the physical aspect of courage, the idea of saving the day, doing things no one else would do, and being "heroic". The war took its toll on Norman Bowker, just as it had on every soldier. He has his fair share of regrets during the war, along with a lifetime of experiences and images he would never be able to erase from his memory. Bowker had changed, he was no longer the kid who would go goof off in the lake with a couple of his friends. Of course, his father was expecting him to come home, arms full of medals, a mouth restless with war stories, and a strong sense of pride for his country and his own services towards it. He would then run outside and reunite with the love of his life, Sally Kramer, and they would live in a pretty little house, along the lakeside. When he comes back, all he wishes for is someone he could tell his stories to. Directly, not just visions of himself telling people, and their reactions to his stories played out by his conscious. He wishes he could go back in time, and win the Silver Star of valor. Not for himself, not for his father, but for Kiowa. If he would've been able to pull him out of the mud, if he hadn't been so preoccupied by that awful scent, or the rain, or the sinking sensation, perhaps he could've saved his friend's life. When he arrives back to his small town, he finds it pointless. He doesn't know what to do with himself anymore. He doesn't know who to talk to, what to do, or how to cope. His transition to a normal lifestyle was challenging after what he had been through in Vietnam. His dream with Sally Kramer had been crushed the minute he saw she was married, and his father would only want to speak about medals. Bowker did in fact receive medals, several, but they were all of common valor. He believes his father won't call him a coward for not receiving the Silver Star medal, but Bowker himself did. He could've saved his friend, but he couldn't do it, he wasn't worthy of the medal. Bowker writes to O'Brien about his life after the war. He writes about his personal struggles after the war, and how much he admires one of O'Brien's war novels. He then asks O'Brien a favor, since he can't bring himself to talk about his story, or his struggles, he wants O'Brien to write it out, and tell the world. The effect is shocking on O'Brien. He never realized just how easy he had transitioned from the war life, to the civilian life. But while Bowker had been suffering from seclusion, O'Brien had been telling the world his stories through his novels, it was what kept him sane. In August of 1978 Bowker had hung himself in the local YMCA. He just couldn't handle life anymore, he didn't know what to do with himself. Keeping the true story pent up for so long was slowly driving him to insanity.
ReplyDeleteThere are many ways to define courage but to me courage is facing your fears. Even with all the medals Bowker had earned he still felt like it wasn't enough. The one medal that he really wanted and that would've made him feel courageous is the one he didn't earn because he didn't save Kiowa from death. Norman says he feels as if he died with Kiowa that day. Eventuallly Bowker kills himself. I am assuming this is caused by the guilt of feeling like he is living his life with no purpose.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator describes courage as more than a physical act, but also a mental one. Being courageous takes a very strong mentality. Courage is often tested when an individual performs a task outside of their comfort zone. Cowardice is known as the lack of courage, or when one stops pursuing a certain task due to the overwhelming of emotions. As shown in the novel, Norman Bowker was a very courageous war hero, who earned several medals for his bravery. However, this did not come close to satisfying him because Bowker did not receive a medal for saving Kiowa from dying, due to him failing to do so. The war then left Bowker to live a lonely and disappointing life, always feeling guilty about his inability to save his friend Kiowa. As insanity eventually took over Bowker and drowned out any other emotions, Bowker committed suicide. This goes to show that not even courage and pride can overtake guilt and loneliness.
ReplyDeleteIt would appear that the narrator defines courage as an emotional and mental state of mind that allows a person to be capable of doing actions in the face of danger, able to appear brave and perform feats perhaps not normally attainable by normal people. I agree mostly with this, as courage relies on the mental strength of a person to remain powerful even in the face of collapse.
ReplyDeleteThe war causes Norman Bowker to become a more thoughtful man, spending time doing nothing aimlessly for hours on end. Eventually it’s revealed he has deep feelings for the war, described as ranging from “self-pity to anger to irony to guilt to a kind of feigned indifference”. All in all, it seems all Norman wanted to do was to talk to someone. He comes home to a changed world - new ordering systems for restaurants, old friends married off, his father more than likely disinterested in his story (at least in Bowker’s mind.) He feels guilty for Kiowa’s death out in a field of waste despite having not much to do with it. The medal he did not receive was the Silver Star of Valor, which he blames on him not saving Kiowa. He writes to O’Brien to talk about the war, his life, and his guilt, and how he was unable to cope with life back home after the terrible environment of Vietnam. The letter makes O’Brien feel the need to write about Norman’s story, but it comes off as awkward in his novel and deletes it.
Eventually, Bowker commits suicide in 1978, due to his inability to get his life straight after the war.
The narrator defines courage as doing what is right, despite any fear, anger, or shame you might be feeling. If you give in to your emotions, then, in the narrator's opinion, you are a coward. He also defines courage as being more mental than physical, which I agree with. Our mind can create situations that require much more bravery than anything reality could throw our way. Actually doing something isn't that hard - it's summoning up the courage that is more difficult.
ReplyDeleteAfter the war, Norman Bowker had to return to normal life. I think part of his downfall was the whole masculinity issue. What kind of man was he to not be doing anything important? I think that he had gotten so used to the heat of battle that he didn't know how to live his new life. He felt as if he had no purpose anymore. Again with "being a man" - all Bowker wanted to do was talk about the war with someone. He wanted to tell people about all the things he did, as if to prove to himself that he was worthwhile. However, no one wanted to hear about it, so he became convinced that his life was meaningless.
Whenever Bowker thought about his medals, he didn't think about the ones he did win (The Combat Infantry's Badge, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart). He always would think about the medal that he did not win: The Silver Star. He can't get over the fact that he ALMOST got it, but not quite. If he had just gotten over the smell, he would've won the medal, and he would be confident that he had done something meaningful with his life, but he didn't, so he was forever stuck knowing that he didn't do everything he could have.
Bowker wrote the letter to O'Brien because he needed to tell his war story to someone. Keeping his story to himself was driving him insane. O'Brien was inspired by Bowker's letter that he decided to write it as a story. He did this because Bowker's story had been suppressed for so long, and O'Brien felt as if it was his responsibility to tell that story, as Bowker couldn't find a way to.
In 1978, Bowker hung himself in the local YMCA. After having kept his story to himself for so long, he had been driven to near-insanity. He couldn't think of what to do with his life anymore. He felt as if his life had become meaningless and was wasted, so he decided the only way to fix his broken life was to end it.
I think that Norman Bowker is stuck on the subject of the silver star because he is ashamed of not getting it. Nobody regrets the decisions that they did make more than the ones that weren't made. It is these decisions that haunt them the most. Bowker was proud of the medals that he had but also regretted letting the silver star slip away from him like that.If only he could've gotten over the smell. I also believe that it wasn't just the smell that stopped Norman from earning the silver star that day; it was also fear.He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to live up to it. Saving someone else's life is a big deal, and he was afraid that he wouldn't be the hero everyone expected him to be. He was also afraid of dying. Bowker felt himself slipping into the mud as he tried to save Kiowa, and he knew that he couldn't save both of them so he did what he had to in order to live. He let Kiowa go, and that was the biggest regret he ever had. This event had built up inside of him so much that he eventually had decided the only way to relieve himself of this "curse" was to end his own life. No longer would he feel the regret and shame of not being able to save Kiowa. His fear was gone.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator describes courage as something that doesn't always require an action. Courage comes in all different forms and sometimes the actions are a lot harder than a "yes" or "no" definition. I define courage as the trust in yourself to do things that you normally wouldn't do.
ReplyDeleteThe war took a hard toll on Norman Bowker. After he returns from the war, he is stuck on the fact that he didn't get the silver star and that he let Kiowa die. I think that Bowker wishes that he would have found that extra strength to be able to pull Kiowa free from the muck.
Norman Bowker did not go into depth on the medals that he won (The Combat Infantry's Badge, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart), but the ones that he did not as in the Silver Star. I think he keeps going back to how he didn't win this medal because he was so close to it, but couldn't muster up the strength or the courage for it.
Bowker writes to Tim O'Brien because he wants someone to write his story and to hear his story. Bowker tells himself his story as he drives his dads Chevy around the seven mile lake. Imagine telling yourself the same story over and over again with no one else to comment to you.
Norman Bowker hangs himself in the YMCA where he was playing a game of pickup basketball with some people there. I think that Bowker drove himself to the point of insanity from not being able to tell anyone his story.
The narrator defines courage as facing your fears and doing what you should, whether it is the right thing to do or not. I think I can agree with the narrator on the definition of courage here. As far as Norman goes, the war had harsh effects on him. He went through so many traumatizing things, and those flashbacks and regrets were driving him insane. After he returrns from war, Norman just wants someone to talk to, he thinks that talking to someone would make him feel better and justify what happened with Kiowa especially. Norman recieved many medals while serving in Vietnam, but to him they are all pointless and don't matter. The only medal that would have made a true difference, he didn't earn. He is full of regret for not pulling Kiowa out of the water,, whether he admits to it or not. Bowker wrote to O'Brien so that he could have somone to share his story, since no one would listen to him. Later on Bowker commits suicide, I think he just was driven mad, because he was full of regret and had no one to talk to about it.
ReplyDeleteI think think the book defines courage as possibly sacrificing him/her self for someone else. I think that Bowker had many regrets from the war including not saving Kiowa and earning his silver star. There's nothing worse than not trying at something, there's no way to achieve it if you don't try. Bowker froze with free and lost two thing dear to him and for that he felt regret. Regret has a way of eating you from the inside out, and that's why he took his own life in the end.
ReplyDeleteAll Norman Bowker really needed was someone to talk to. He needed someone to understand his stories from Vietnam. He couldn’t talk to Sally she was married. He couldn’t talk to his father he was too much of a baseball fan to peel himself away from the television. He couldn’t very well talk to his friend Max, he drowned before Norman went to the war. Norman was just sort of stuck with his own thoughts. He couldn’t even bring himself to tell the story of how he almost won the Silver Star to the guy working at the A&W root beer stand. He had nothing to come home to after the war and I believe that is why Norman Bowker decided to hang himself for self-pity and mostly because he had nothing to live for.
ReplyDeleteI think the narrator defines courage as going through the hardest of times while keeping one's head up. Just simply "sit through the night and feel the cold in your bones." I define courage as staring dangers, insecurities, doubts, etc. right in the face and just surpass the limits they set on you, whether it's to make others laugh, lend a helping hand, or best of all, to save someone, whether it is to save him/her emotionally or physically. That is what I define courage as.
ReplyDeleteOnto other things, the war had a dramatic effect on Norman Bowker. Vietnam ripped his emotional well-being to shreds. His friend Kiowa dies, and his story of almost getting the Silver Star pretty much euphemizes the fact that he blames himself for letting Kiowa die in the river of poop. Throughout all this, Norman feels he has no one to help him repair his emotional state, which makes it all the more dreadful and depressing. He even starts to lose purpose in living life. As a result, he writes to O' Brien asking him to author the story about the shit field. At the end of it all though, Norman just can't find any purpose to continue living life, and eventually hangs himself at the nearby YMCA. Even then, what really stands out is how he didn't even leave any last words before he died, as he didn't want to bother anybody with his last words, showing how much the war made him cave in from the pressure of his past, and how he viewed himself helpless when it came to finding a purpose to live.
Courage is all about a state of mind, it's how you can over come fears. Bowker does a lot of courageous things, but he does them to make his father proud. Even after winning a large number of awards Bowker is still worried about what his father will think of him. One of the things that worried Bowker deeply was that he never got the Sliver Star, because he would not be able to tell his father that he got it.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator describes courage as more of a mental act than a physical act. It is demonstrated when an individual performs a risky task that no one else would even think of performing. This task can only be performed when the individual can overcome the mental warnings that no one else is able to exceed. The novel shows how courageous Norman Bowker was, and that he was recognized for his courage by the medals that he received. However, the war left him with nothing when he came back home. He had become lonely and disappointed, driving himself into insanity eventually committing suicide. This shows how even the most courageous people can be taken down with the fear of being alone.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator describes courage as more than just a physical act. It is a mental state of mind. It is willing to go through with something (even if you don't feel like you can) if its the right thing to do. I believe courage is what helps define who you are. Courage is when you stand for something even if there is an obstacle, but you do it anyway because you believe and you had the strength to follow through. I agree with Gavin and Jack. The narrator wanted to come home to life as he remembered it, where he would be considered useful. Although he got many awards, he was upset about not receiving the Silver star. When he got home, he caused his own demise, and got depressed. His suicide could have been prevented if he had found himself useful.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator of "Speaking of Courage" describes courage as an unusual thing. The narrator views courage as unusual because one could be extremely courageous in the most dangerous situations, but then extremely cowardly in the safest. I view courage in much the same way, one can only be brave to a certain point.
ReplyDeleteNorman Bowker hit that certain point in the shit field in Vietnam. He let his comrade drown because he could not get over the smell. He regrets being cowardly because he lost his friend and his Silver Star for valor. Bowker continues to feel guilty because he knows he could have earned that mark of courage, although he had already earned seven medals, but he had chosen to act cowardly instead. The regret and guilt from the moment of cowardice took from Bowker his sense of honor-- all because he could not get over the smell of the shit field-- and it haunted him until he commit suicide.
I believe the author was trying to convey that courage is hardly ever black or white, but instead one of the grayest complicated messes there is.