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“Though it’s odd, you’re never more alive than when you’re almost dead. You recognize what’s valuable. Freshly, as if for the first time, you love what’s best in yourself and in the world, all that might be lost.”

This quote shows irony.  It is ironic because you have to be almost to the point of death in order truly feel alive.

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“Later, higher in the mountains, we came across a baby VC water buffalo.  What is was doing there, I don’t know - no farm or paddies – but we chased it down and got a rope around it and led it along to a deserted village where we set up for the night.”

This quote shows symbolism. The baby VC water buffalo symbolizes how young and innocent the soldiers were and how they did not belong there.

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Open up the true war story criteria that I provided for you on Google Classroom. Choose one or more criteria from that list that you think is upheld by the baby water buffalo narrative
(No repeating)

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Everyone should add a different response here...
List a truth about war, which is illustrated by the baby water buffalo narrative

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"He stepped back and shot it through the right front knee. The animal did not make a sound. It went down hard, then got up again..." (O'brien 75) This is an example of symbolism.  Just like how the baby water buffalo got shot down and kept getting back up because of how strong it was,  just like a new soldier going into war. The soldier will want to prove how strong they are, so they will keep getting up and proving they are ready for war and are ready to fight.

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1. According to O’Brien, what is a true war story NEVER about?

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"Later high in the mountains, we came across a baby VC water buffalo. What it was doing there I don't know -no farms or paddies-"( O'Brien75). This is an example of symbolism. Just like the buffalo they don't belong in this war, They are lost and wondering around in a war and place they don' t belong in. The truth about war is it puts you in places were you don't belong.

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'"The whole platoon stood there watching, feeling all kinds things, but there wasn't a great deal of pity for the water buffalo".(O'Brien 75).This an example of the text structure of course and effect. After what happened to Curt Lemon the platoon realizes the anger that Kiley has built up and how he hurts the buffalo is a way of getting revenge in his mind. They all see that what he did was out of angry and how the outcome of the war changes a person and the way they act.

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"At its core, perhaps, war is just another name for death, and yet and solider will tell you, if he tells the truth, that proximity to death brings with it corresponding proximity to life" (O'Brien 77). This is an example of the use of Juxtaposition that Tim O'Brien uses to explain realizations made at war that change the perspectives of ones in the "midst of evil". The proximity of death enhances the proximity of life because it allows you to fund value and joy in the small things you experience in life; but unfortunately your perspective is only changed once you are faced with reality of death.

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“He bent forward and whispered something, as if talking to a pet, then he shot it in the throat” (O’Brien 76) This emphasizes the internal conflict that Rat is experiencing. He is not shooting the baby buffalo for fun, or even out of anger. He wants someone, or something, to feel hurt the way he does. Although it doesn’t say what he whispered, whispering is a gentle gesture. One could assume that he whispered something like an apology. This would explain why he cries after it’s all done.

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Hello Group C. I will be posting a few questions to help you expand your analysis. Please post your thoughts in response to one or more of my questions. Remember to put your name at the beginning of your comment, so I know who is responding.

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Eden Seskin 5B quote 1           “All the while, the baby buffalo was silent, just a light bubbling sound where the nose had been. It lay very still. Nothing moved except the eyes, which were enormous, the pupils shiny black and dumb” (O’Brien 76). The baby water buffalo is symbolic of many things, one being the innocence of the soldiers. The horrors and truths of war have torn away any of their remaining innocence. The word “dumb” very directly reflects their innocence. Rat Kiley, along with the others, have been exposed to so much death, loss, grief and guilt. Shooting the baby buffalo was an attempt to cope.

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Eden Seskin 5B quote 1           “All the while, the baby buffalo was silent, just a light bubbling sound where the nose had been. It lay very still. Nothing moved except the eyes, which were enormous, the pupils shiny black and dumb” (O’Brien 76). The baby water buffalo is symbolic of many things, one being the innocence of the soldiers. The horrors and truths of war have torn away any of their remaining innocence. The word “dumb” very directly reflects their innocence. Rat Kiley, along with the others, have been exposed to so much death, loss, grief and guilt. Shooting the baby buffalo was an attempt to cope.

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"It wasn't to kill; it was to hurt." (O'brien 75). This is an example of conflict. This shows the lost of innocence of the soldiers, instead of Rat Kiley killing the baby water buffalo to end its misery like a "normal innocent human", he just stood there watching it suffer instead of just finishing the job. This shows that in war, people do things they usually would never do. The soldiers lose their innocence and act and do things regular people would never even think about doing.

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"Nothing moved except the eyes, which were enormous, the pupils shiny black and dumb" (O'Brien 76). The baby water buffalo symbolizes the loss of innocence of the soldiers as they have been confronted with the horrors of war which have tore them apart psychologically. This is demonstrated with the description of the buffalo's wide eyes as well as the repetitive use of the word baby. By saying baby it reflects the young age of the soldiers further demonstrating that they haven't done anything to deserve being exposed to the unyielding cruelties of war, similar to the buffalo who didn't deserve to be tortured.

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"Garden of Evil. Over here, man, every sin's real fresh and original" O'Brien 76). The term "Garden of Evil" is an allusion to the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve lost their innocence, creating humanity's first sin. This is similar to Vietnam in which through these horrific scenes, the soldiers lose their innocence and they commit sins of killing others in order to survive. The burdens are considered fresh as since they men are so young,  they have many more years to carry it. For example the burden of killing a man in the war, will be carried for the rest of their lives.

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"...He shot it twice in the Flanks. It wasn't to kill; it was too hurt. He put the rifle against the mouth and shot the mouth away" (O'Brien 75). Tim O'Brian uses symbolism when choosing to have Rat Kiley viciously shoot specifically a baby because it represents the harm all the solider who are sent to war experience; before they are even adults and grow up. So the shooting of the baby water buffalo and  ending its life for no clear reason is like what happened to many soldiers in Vietnam who went without clear reason and lives were taken or seriously impacted by the war.

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"Rat Kiley was crying. He tried to say something but then cradled his rifle and went off by himself."(O'Brien 76) A literary element that connects to this quote is the motif of shame and guilt. Rat Kiley is carrying the anger of Curt Lemon death as if he's at fault. Lemon's sister not responding to Rat's letter does not allow for Rat Kiley to cope with the loss of his best friend as he continues to take blame and feel guilty for the loss of Lemon. This quote reflects a truth about war because it shows the shame and guilt the war has on soldiers mentally.

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"War is hell, but that's not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun." (O'Brien 76) A literary element that connects to this quote is juxtaposition. The effect this quote has on the story is that it compares a bunch of emotions/actions that allows readers to realize that war is not just negatively expressed; there are optimistic times that soldiers experience.