Literary Analysis of Two Texts: "War, what is it good for...?" by Melissa Kusinitz https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u Compare and contrast the depiction of war in each text and its significance. How do the messages connect? How do they diverge? What do both text suggest about social responsibility in relation to war and the surrounding events? Stay focused on the TEXTS. en-us 2016-10-04 20:48:00 UTC 2025-11-06 01:51:03 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Lightdecrease.png Ms. Kusinitz Kusinitz https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128335795 Please be sure to write your name in the title box. Where is says to begin writing something, record your thoughts and ideas as you read. Focus on the STAR. What is your analysis of each section in relation to the second person/lesson Eddie meets/learns.]]> 2016-10-04 20:56:43 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128335795 Robert Chesney https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128466865 2016-10-05 13:06:24 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128466865 Robert Chesneh https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128466873 - In Albom's text and O'Brien's text both military units (Eddie's and Rat's) were assigned in Nam and were burning villages
- O'Brien focuses on the personal aspects, the soldier's lives rather than the war
- War is brutal, landmines, fires, getting shot, burning the "gooks" if you feel happy, its a lie, war is horrible. Eddie repents some of his actions during the war. The sacrifices he made, Rat feels much the same way, that war is unforgiving and cruel
- Rat and Eddie gave a lot, Rat gave his friend and Eddie gave his leg and almost life in the war. Both were heavily impacted by it
- Both were very passionate about what they believed in during the war. Eddie could not be stopped from saving the girl unless shot and Rat cared deeply for his friend
- O'Brien focuses on some of the light sides of the war, while Albom focuses on the death and sacrifice involved more.
- Death of a comrade by explosion (Landmine vs Booby trap)
- Both don't remember exactly what happened because of some impairment, One had skewed vision of the event, Eddie was shot and becoming unconscious.
- War story cannot properly be delivered
- Albom focuses on death sacrifice and what the war entails, while O'Brien focuses on how it effects the people mentally and how war is unforgiving
- O'Brien has less respect for their captain / Captain does not seem as dedicated to the Unit (Pg 2)
- Albom is less focused on location and the enemy while O'Brien is focused on the location and the "gooks"
- Less remorse on O'Brien's story, Eddie tried to save someone in the house while Rat wanted to torch places
- Mountain mission kill everyone
- The war never ends, Eddie died, it didn't end. In his life, it didn't end, it consumed him.
-  Rat has no remorse, shooting the baby buffalo just to shoot at something to let anger out, but not to kill, just to harm
- ]]> 2016-10-05 13:06:24 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128466873 Reuben Hancock  https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128467038 In Eddies war story the men that he is with they all get along with each other and they are all friends. In O'Brien's war story they do the same thing and they all get along and are all friends. 
Both of the war stories took place in Nam. Both of the people are trying to destroy a village. In Albom's war story they are burning the village in O'Brien's war story they are talking about blowing it up. O'Brien talks about how a war story is never moral and this relates to Eddie's story and how he doesn't like to talk about the horrors that happened at the camp. ]]> 2016-10-05 13:07:00 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128467038 <b>Hailey Hendricks</b> https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128467317 -Albom writes his story in a more moral/humane way, making the positive aspects obvious and going into detail on the sacrifices made in war, creating an uplifting story.
-O'Brien writes in a way that tells the truth about war.
-O'Brien speaks in a more realistic way, and talks about the daily war life and the small amounts of fun they had together when they were not actively fighting
-Both talk about how people start to lose themselves in war- how soldiers reach a point where they can't tell the difference between real and fake
-In O'Briens story, the crew does not have as much respect for their captain, as they do not tell him what happened on the mountain
-O'Brien is difficult to interpret
-O'Brien: says that the morals in war stories are hard to take out "Hear that quiet, man?  There's your moral."  "You can't extract a meaning without unraveling the deeper meaning"
-Albom says that war is sacrifice; O'Brien says that "War is hell...war is also mystry and terror and courage and discovery and oliness and pity and despair and longing and love.  War is nasty; war is fun.  War is thrilling; war is drudgery.  War makes you a man; war makes you dead." by dead he may mean physically dead but also dead inside
-O'Brien says that you have a new appreciation for life "you find yourself studying the fine colors on the river, you feel wonder and awe at the setting of the sun, and you are filled with a hard, aching love for how the world could be always should be, but now is not"

]]> 2016-10-05 13:08:15 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128467317 Evan Marcet https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128468372 2016-10-05 13:11:36 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128468372 Evan Marcet https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128468756 "A true war story is never moral"(O'Brien).  This relates to Eddie's war story because when he talks about the time he spent being held captive, he makes it clear that it was not pleasant. He talks of the horrors that took place and how they barley escaped with their lives. Eddie also shows how the war ruined him both physically and mentally and he does this by talking about how he ran into the building to save someone who was not really there.  The story that O'Brien tells of the six men listening in the woods relates to Eddie.  He also imagines things and the horrors of war take a toll on him.  Eddie and Sanders stories both seem to last their entire life.  "You can tell a true war story by the way it never seems to end."  This is true in both stories because Eddie's leg made his story last for his whole life.  The war caused Eddie to have a bad leg and greatly altered his life. O'Brien talks of how war can be viewed as many different things as can things such as peace. This relates to Eddie because he also saw war differently than the Captain. The Captain saw the battle field as peaceful, but Eddie saw it as violent and terrible when he was in that part of heaven.]]> 2016-10-05 13:12:55 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128468756 Nick Tager https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128471592 Both war stories are emotion filled and detailed. O'Brien's story talks how the affects the soldiers personally.
"You can tell a true war story by the way it never seems to end." War affects people far after the conflict ends. 
There is no moral in a war story according to O'Brien. War is pointless and nothing good comes out of it. It harms people physically and/or mentally. It changes people's lives forever and never for the positive. "War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead." ]]> 2016-10-05 13:22:44 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128471592 Char Clark https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128472793 Eddie's war story is one individual experience and how it affected the people involved -- it's a story which has the intent of telling this story as way to understand the characters better.

However, Rat's story is not being told with that purpose. The goal of hearing the story of Rat and Lemon is not to understand who Rat and Lemon are, it's meant to help you understand the war. 

]]> 2016-10-05 13:26:07 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128472793 Luke Hamel https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128474074 O'Brien believes that a war story is not true if it has a moral in it. The Five People You Meet In Heaven features a war story that does have a moral, about sacrifice and doing what it takes to get people to safety. O'Brien also mentions how a war story does not have a definitive ending ("You can tell a true war story by the way it never seems to end"), and Eddie's story fits this to an extent. At the end of the flashback, Eddie does not learn the truth about his leg or the Captain's death and instead just goes home, never talking to his fellow soldiers again. Eddie only learns the real truth when he dies and goes to heaven. While alive, Eddie never felt closure about what happened, and only gains it through death. O'Brien's story about killing the water buffalo is similar to how Eddie helped burn the huts: They wanted revenge for the death of their friends, and enacted it on something unrelated. The water buffalo had not hurt anyone, and the huts were only a symbol of their captors, not their actual captors. ]]> 2016-10-05 13:30:10 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128474074 Liam Heaney https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128476131 -O'brien believe that War in a way is beautiful 
-O"brien uses more disturbing images and themes in his story 
-I am very surprised that the sister would not have the respect to write back 
-Both stories depicted the same war which was in Vietnam 
In O'briens story no enemies were seen just their traps and weird voices in the forest 
-Some of the stories told in O'Briens were said have made up pieces to them 
-Both stories depict a friend being killed and someone doing something as an act of vengeance for their death. For example in O'Briens story Rat tortured a water buffalo, In the five people you meet in heaven one of Eddies war buddies said they were burning the village for their fallen friend.

]]> 2016-10-05 13:35:20 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128476131 Alexi Sousa https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128481299 Each text coveys War as both positive and negative.  
In Eddies war story, two individuals he held close to his heart passed away. His leg was also sacrificed and he had to go on to live without its function. However, in exchange for those lives along with his leg during the war, he was able to live the rest of his life to the fullest. 

In ¨How to Tell A True War Story¨ The author Tim O´Brian describes how in war, everything that is ugly is also beautiful. This means every occurrence that is good is also bad. With every experience comes a valuable lesson. With every sacrifice, you receive some positive aspect in return. ]]> 2016-10-05 13:47:07 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128481299 Ellie Guerin https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128490105 -Positive and negative aspects of war.
-Strong comradery , but ends when the war does.
-O'Brien is raw and reveals the true, darker aspects of war.
-Albom's take was more positive and heartfelt because of the sacrifice.
-Both display the immoral nature of war.
-Albom talks of war through a more personal story. Formal language, more fantasy.
-O"Brien does not cut corners or sugar coat. Uses strong informal language adding to the rawness.
-War is sacrifice.
-Albom and O'Brien both seem to see the positive almost beautiful aspects of death.
-You can tell a story many times and switch it up, no one will truly get it if they did not life through it.]]> 2016-10-05 14:08:18 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128490105 Manny Cabral https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128490116 In the beginning of the text rat says "The guy was a little crazy, for sure, but crazy in a good way, a real daredevil, because he liked the challenge of it.... A great, great guy(O'Brien). Just like Bob Kiley, Eddie was also a great man. Eddie sacrificed his live for a stranger.  During the text, O'Brien really emphasis that the war is not pleasurable. This really connects with Eddie's story because when he talks about when he was help hostage it was not a good time. When O'Brien writes about war he is writing the truth, he says "In many cases a true war story cannot be believed" (O'Brien).  O'Brien also says; "You can tell a true war story by the way it never seems to end." This is true in both stories because Eddie got shot in his war, which was with him for the rest of his live. And in the text people are killed, which affects their family for ever and it the lose with be there forever.]]> 2016-10-05 14:08:20 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128490116 Anthony Rodrigues https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128490203 - Albom's war writes depict the sacrifices and how they are a great thing
- O'Brien is mainly about the mental/physical scar left by war
- Albom's character Eddie almost sacrificed himself to save 'someone', but they weren't actually there
-Albom's character the Captain sacrifices Eddies leg to save him from rescuing the 'someone' who wasn't there
-Albom's character the Captain also sacrifices his life when assuring the safety of his men
- O'brien's character Rat is hooked on his loss of a friend and the scar he has from it
- O'brien's narrator (not sure who it is) tells the story of all the men and how they were scared by the events the silence in the mountains, the death of a best friend, and the torture of the baby buffalo
- They stories may connect by how a sacrifice may leave a scar e.g. the Captains death or The platoons mountain experience, they went nuts
- They are different because most sacrifices are a great thing people sacrifice themselves for others -> someone is saved
- Both text suggest sacrifice is essential in dire situations to save the majority or spare a loved one]]> 2016-10-05 14:08:32 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128490203 Tye Skeldon  https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128491214  -Albom uses a much more moral tone, but O'brien is very straight forward and upfront. 
- Both authors use the truth as a difficult concept to grasp. The truth in the five people you meet in heaven is used to capture Eddie's character. In O'Brien's story they use the truth a Difficult concept. 
-In both stories the people in war are worried about legacy and how they are remembered 
-Real war stories never end, you just keep living them and it always stays with you. This is true for Eddie because his story resonates with him all the way until his death. 
-All soldiers sacrifice everything they have. 
-War friends do not remain friends after the war majority of the time, this happens in both texts. Eddie does not talk to his friends after the incident. In O'Brien's story when Lemon dies he losses his best friend 
-Many generalizations are made about war, but the only true way to know what it's like is to live through it 
-War brings immense sorrow  

]]> 2016-10-05 14:10:42 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128491214 Sam Juntunen https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128492189 O'Brien writes "If you don't care for obscenity, you don't care for the truth; if you don't care for the truth, watch how you vote." One must care for the entire truth of the situation, no matter how bad it may be. They must learn to accept reality as it is which may be hard for them. When Eddie learns the Captain shot him to save him he becomes angry. But the truth is the Captain shot him that way Eddie could live. Though it was terrible he was crippled, his life was saved. 
- O'Brien homes in on a soldiers life during war and their experiences.
- Both men are deployed away from home overseas, they make new brothers in the army though, new friends to support each other
When Eddie is first told that the Captain shot him he was skeptical if it was truth. He couldn't believe that someone who he looked up to and admired had cause so much trouble in his life. O'Brien says that "if you believe it, be skeptical." Never trust  until you get the full picture. 

]]> 2016-10-05 14:12:46 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128492189 Brittany Martel https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128506450 O'Brien believes that a true war story is never moral. However, in the novel, there is a war story with moral. Eddie learns of sacrifice and safety. Yet, "How to Tell a True War Story" and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" have some similarities. O'Brien says "You can tell a true war story by the way it never seems to end". Eddie's story proves this true. Eddie never learned of what happened to his leg or how his Caption died until he dies and goes to Heaven.]]> 2016-10-05 14:44:35 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128506450 Casey McKinnon https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128596409 -In both the novel and "How to Tell A True War Story", over time the soldiers have trouble determining what is real and what is not real. In "How to Tell A True War Story" the soldiers thinks that they are hearing the mountain, rocks, grass, and fog singing to them. As a result of this, the soldiers ordered fire power and they smoke the entire mountain. In Eddies war story, he thinks that he is seeing a little girl in the fire, even though there is no one there. Because of this he runs into the fire to try and save someone who didn't even exist.

- "Often the crazy stuff is true and the normal stuff isn't because the normal stuff is necessary to make you believe the truly incredible craziness." (O'Brien). This connects to when Eddie couldn't believe that his captain had shot him. He didn't want to believe that his captain would do something like that to him. But what Eddie didn't realize is that if the Captain hadn't shot him, he may not be alive. The Captain wasn't shooting him to hurt him, he was shooting him to save him.

-In the beginning, O'Brien talks about how war is not moral. This connects with when Eddie was being held hostage because he describes this experience as being horrible. The had horrible living conditions and they were forced to mine coal even though they were weak from being malnourished. It was also immoral when Eddie and his crew got revenge on their enemies by burning down the entire village. 

-O'Brien is much more straight forward with his writing. He doesn't hold back any details where as Albom tends to be less gruesome and uses more proper language in his writing (aka. doesn't curse and uses stronger word choice).

-All soldiers are prepared to make sacrifices when they join the war. 

-Albom focuses more on Eddie as a character rather than his specific experiences in the war. He talks more about Eddie's reaction when he found out that the captain had shot him and what that says about his character. O'Brien talks specifically about people's experiences in the war instead of focuses on their character. He simply talks about what it is really like to be a soldier and how they suffer many loses and sacrifices.

-O'Brien says that, "You can tell a true war story by the way it never seems to end. Not then, not ever." The soldiers in the war will never forget the loses they suffered and the experiences that had while they were overseas. Likewise, Eddie will never forget his war story. Even now that he is dead, his war story is still a part of him and it will never stop being a part of him.

]]> 2016-10-05 18:15:26 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128596409 Nicholas Lizotte https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128610179 The theme of sacrifice in the five people you meet in heaven and the short war story that was read in class was evident throughout the text. There also was the perception of war similar to the one that the Captain saw in heaven and the one Eddie saw differs just like the war perception that was talked about in the short story. The death  lemon  also similar to the death of the Captain.


]]> 2016-10-05 18:45:23 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128610179 Samantha Estrella https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128618800 - Both authors have negative and positive view point of war. 
- All soldiers sacrifice and leave many things behind whether it's their life or a loved one
 - Both authors seem to have different point of views on death. Like when O'Brien saw Lemon die he said it was almost beautiful however Eddie still see's death as a tragedy. 
- O'Brien states, "you're never more alive than when you're almost dead. However that is the exact opposite way Eddie felt. When he was burning he just gave up and was done with everything that has happened to him. 
- Every soldier has a memory that scars them for life. 
- Soldiers gain many friends but lose them in the end. 
- Lemon would make war seem like fun like how the Captain would always comfort his soldiers by saying he would never leave any man behind. Soldiers took comfort on anything they could latch onto. 
- Some soldiers just have that thought and "hard, aching love" of what the world would be like if there was no war. 
- Eddie made many friends in the war similar to how Rat and Lemon were good friends. But by the end they all separate from each other just to forget about what they went through. 
- War, loss, and suffering sometime make soldiers furious like Albom says. When Eddie was freed from being kept hostage he was angry and burnt down the whole camp site with his friends. This similarly happened when Lemon died and Rat took all his anger and sadness out on a baby buffalo and just kept shooting at it not just to kill but to hurt. 
- Sacrifice in the end can also come out to be a positive outcome and not a negative. Without the Captains sacrifice to save Eddie's life, he would have never been at Ruby Pier to keep all those children safe. Just like how Lemon sacrificed his life by accidentally stepping on a trap and in the end his friends would be okay. ]]> 2016-10-05 19:08:53 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128618800 Riley LaPre https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128633968 Tim O'Brien "How to Tell a True War Story" is based mostly on the positive and negative aspects of War. It also shows the hardships that Rat and the others had to face. Throughout the text it enlighten us with the knowledge of what was mentally happening. "The five people you meet in heaven" focuses on the physical hardships Eddie had to go through.
 In both text Eddie and Rat had to sacrifice something that was important to them. Rat has to give up his best friend who was the last thing he had and Eddie gave up his leg in order to survive. ]]> 2016-10-05 20:03:27 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128633968 Cole Cayer https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128637510 -All soldiers sacrifice everything they have, including their relationships with loved ones
-O'Brien states that it is difficult to separate what happened with what didn't happen. Similarly, when Eddie had finally fought back and escaped imprisonment, he thought he had seen someone run into the hut he had just set on fire. Eddie did not realize that it was all only in his head.
-O'Brien says that the crazy stuff in war is often the most true. the things you find hard to believe, or the most inhumane, horrible actions are usually the truth. the things in Eddie story, such as juggling the rocks and killing his four captors, are all real, but seem unimaginable.
-Eddie grew strong connections with his comrades, and so did O'Brien and his other soldiers.
-In both text, the soldiers have to deal with loss.
-O'Brien talks about the beauty of war, and how it is impossible to generalize it. He says that you admire the flood of troops, the moon overhead, the astonishing rocket's red glare, and even the harmonies and sounds it brings. Just like O'Brien, the Captain found peace within war; so much so that his heaven was the battlefield in which he died. He had only ever known war. 
-Lemon died by stepping on a booby-trap, just like the Captain.
- At the end, O'Brien says, "In the end, of course, a true war story is never about war. It's about the special way that dawn spreads out on a river when you know you must cross the river and march into the mountains and do things you are afraid to do." Similarly,  the Captain's story, and Eddie's, wasn't about war itself. Rather, it was about the way the two linked together, and why Eddie was meeting the Captain in his heaven 
-Albom used a moral tone while O'Brien was much more straight forward
-Albom focused on just Eddie's experiences, while O'Brien went into a more broad spectrum of what w true war story is.]]> 2016-10-05 20:18:32 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128637510 Leah Motta https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128638627 -O'Brien writes, "It wasn't a war story. It was a love story. It was a ghost story" (O'Brien). This can relate to Eddie's experience in the war because his experience does not just have to do with violence and patriotism, it has to do with the relationships he gained with fellow soldiers and also what he lost, like friends, family, and even his physical ability because of his leg.
-Eddie and soldiers in O'Brien's story all have events from the war plague them later in life.
-Albom focuses on sacrifices both positively and negatively, while O'Brien portrays the war as unforgiving and ruthless 
-O'Brien says that the crazy parts of war stories are true while the normal parts aren't. This can be shown by the instance  of the baby buffalo, and how it continued to survive despite enormous abuse, but also in Eddie's story as well how his talent of juggling allowed him to finally kill his captors and escape where he was being kept hostage.
-Eddie gained many friendships in the war, as did soldiers in O'Briens story like Rat and Lemon. However, when the war is over, Eddie does not see his war friends again and it is implied that O'Briens character does not either. Despite this, the friends that they lost still have impacts on them later in life.]]> 2016-10-05 20:24:30 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128638627 Dylan Parmentier https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128644745 Similarities from Eddie's story to O'Brian's story
-Sacrifice tends to have a negative connotation, but it should be viewed as a positive. 
-In times of distress one must abide by their morals
-Society creates a fantasized believe of war that falsely demonstrates the true gravity of war 
-Wisdom is found through fear, serenity, and the "silent man"-(O'Brian, 7)
-It is a sin to steal the innocence of a man
-Conviction coincides with passion-The more passionate the story the more convincing it is
-War makes people numb to death 

]]> 2016-10-05 21:01:38 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128644745 Brianna Turchetti https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128645074 -O'Brien says, "a true war story is never moral." This is similar to Albom's way of telling a war story, as Eddie lived, believing that he was shot by an enemy. However, despite immorality, Captain was the one to shoot him in order to save his life. This does not seem like the moral choice, but that is what happened, as war does not wait for one to ponder what is right.
-O'Brien also states that it is hard to separate what happened from what seemed to happen. This is similar to when Eddie could not separate Captain's heaven from the actual war, when his heaven was actually peace where they had fought.
-O'Brien writes that there is a beauty to war, whereas Albom writes as if war is just pain.
-Eddie and O'Brien both became close with their brothers in arms, and they both lost one of their numbers.]]> 2016-10-05 21:04:16 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128645074 Amber Kulz https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128645166 - Eddie had a good bond with his group just as Rat had friend
- "A true war story is never moral." I believe that a war story can be moral. In The Five People You Meet In Heaven the Caption died saving his group. This shows that he saved his group even through this hard time of war.
- In the text, How to Tell a True War Story, it says everyone has different perspectives on what really happened in a situation. You can never really know what truly happened. For example Eddie thought that an enemy shot him in the leg but really the Caption did. Eddie didn't find out until he died. Therefore they both had different perspectives
- Some war stories can't be believed because they are so crazy that no one will believe them.
- People in the war have many crazy experiences that take a long time to tell and some are never told. Sometimes it is hard for them to express what they are trying to say to make people believe them.
- "...if there's a moral at all, it's like the thread that makes the cloth." (Page 6) I believe that there are morals in war because even during a war people do the right thing. For example the Captain saved everyone but sacrificed his life in doing so. This is not a small thing because it saved many lives.
- I agree that a true war story tells that war is ugly. The death, the blood, and the cruelty. Eddie and his group were captured and they were slaves. They saw the cruelty the enemy had.
- "...you are filled with a hard, aching love for how the world could be and always should be, but now is not." (Page 8) The Captain's place that he picked in heaven was the place he died in the war. This is because he wanted to see the beauty before the war.
- The last page states that a true war story isn't about a war but about the memory, love, sorrow, and sacrifice.]]> 2016-10-05 21:05:08 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128645166 Brooke Turnbull https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128655408 -O'Brien and Albom view war stories in very different ways. O'Brien views them as negative seeing that he tells us all war stories are mostly false.
- Albom views war stories as being positive but also that sacrifices are made.
-A big connection made through these stories however is how after a while in the war everything starts to come alive "After a fire fight, there is always an immense pleasure of aliveness. The trees are alive. The grass, the soil--everything" Just relating to Eddies war story when they set the building on fire and he thought he saw the girl. 
-Albom is more calm in his writing does go into so much detail as to what is happening. O'Brien does the opposite he views the war as having a big impact on the soldiers so he tries to have a big impact on the readers by using much stronger words are cursing often.
-In the beginning of the passage "how to Tell a True War Story" the author talks about how if you feel uplifted at the end of a story you have been lied to, which means he views war no matter what happens to be negative.
-They also seem to know really know what happens when one died in both stories or how it seemed to happen.
-Even through all the negativity O'Brien talks about him and Albom agree that war is beauty and even at the end of the horror amazing things can happen to make you see beauty.]]> 2016-10-05 22:34:59 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128655408 Gianna Bedoya https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128655772 -O'Brien starts by telling the story of  how Rat wrote a letter to the sister of his friend who recently died. Although the letter was intended to be nice and comforting, it shows the immorality of war. Rat mentioned these things in the letter because they seem to be on the more uplifting end of war (the "happy" times). Like Rat, Eddie was searching for one good thing to happen during his war experience. This explains why he was insisted on running into the burning hut where he saw a child running. He thought if he could save someone, that would be the light in the rest of the darkness brought on by the war. 
- Both Rat and Eddie show unnecessary acts of violence. Rat when he tortures and kills the water buffalo, and Eddie when he burned down the village after escaping. This could be because the horrors of war turn people into someone unrecognizable. After seeing all of these terrible things in war they become filled with anger and resentment and they have no other way to express it. 
- O'Brien says "In any war story, but especially a true one, its difficult to separate what happened from what seemed to happen" (2). This relates to Eddies situation with the child in the hut. It seemed to him that he saw a child running into the hut, but it very well could have been all in his imagination]]> 2016-10-05 22:38:15 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128655772 Jean Ganek jganek19 https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128656409 -In Eddie's war story, the men  also bond through the war like rat and and Curt, but after the war they fall out of contact. Eddie said it was because they wanted to forget. I think Curt’s sister just wanted to do the same.
-The idea of a war story never being moral is very true. Even in Eddie's story, the men get revenge on the people holding them captive, burning down the whole camp. This was completely immoral, but I feel like it was justified. I think in war, the idea of people being moral or unmoral no longer applies considering war itself is immoral. 
-I do not think I would have believed the story if Eddie and the Captain and Morton had just knocked out the “Crazies” and left the camp going directly to find help. They wanted revenge and deserved to get it. 
-The Captain and his men swore as well. I think this is because the “proper words” are not strong enough to express what war is really like. 
-“In any war story, but especially a true one, it’s difficult to separate what happened from what seemed to happen.” Eddie’s version of the war story was different from the Captain's and I’m sure both their stories would be different from Morton’s version of what happened. 
-“The pictures get jumbled; you tend to miss a lot” Eddie did not remember what happened after he was shot in the leg and even if he was not injured, he probably would have remembered things differently than how they actually happened. 
-“Often the crazy stuff is true and the normal stuff isn’t because the normal stuff is necessary to make you believe the truly incredible craziness.” I think for people who not experienced war, they do not understand how insane it really is. The whole concept of killing people over land or a disagreement is crazy in it of itself. If someone told me they were able to escape after being taken as prisoners by juggling, I don’t think I would have believed. In war everything becomes skewed. What “normal” people find crazy is different because it is relative to what they know/see on a daily basis. 
-“You can tell a true war story by the way it never seems to end. Not then, not ever” Mitch Albom has the same concept at the beginning of his book when Eddie first dies
-The water buffalo was like the girl Eddie thought he saw in the tent. Both rat and Eddie’s group were upset about losing someone they cared about, but someone or something totally irresponsible had to suffer instead of the person who was actually responsible
-“To generalize about war is like generalizing about peace Almost everything is true. Almost nothing is true”
-“Though it’s odd, you’re never more alive than when you’re almost dead. You recognize what’s valuable”
-Both writers use a lot of colors when writing
-“You can tell a true war story if you just keep on telling it”
-Last paragraph of O’Brien’s writing talked about how a how true war story is never about war. This was the same in Eddie’s case. The war stories that happened in Albom’s book were not about war, but about sacrifice and revenge. 
-Both texts convey the message war stories stay with people forever
Albom was more focused on what people sacrifice and O'Brien was more focused on the truth in war stories
]]> 2016-10-05 22:46:25 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128656409 Casey Farrell https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128656732 Similarities between the two texts:
-Both text mention how the soldiers bond with each other but then end up losing them due to the tragedies from the war.
-“You can tell a true war story by the way it never seems to end. Not then, not ever” This reminded me of the very beginning of "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" because just as the war story never seems to end, neither does a person's life
- Both authors refer to the positive and negative aspects of war. 

Differences between the two texts:
-Albom writes about sacrifice and betrayal while O'Brien writes about the propaganda of war stories and that the war is not as it seems to the public
-Albom writes about the war and the effects on Eddie while O'Brien writes about one person and the war and how the war effects on majority of the soldiers
-In "How to Tell a True War Story", the author often uses antonyms when describing his feelings towards the war "
The truths are contradictory. It can be argued, for instance, that war is grotesque. But in truth war is also beauty. For all its horror, you can’t help but gape at the awful majesty of combat." He is proving that the feelings you get when you are a soldier are love and hate. You love the feeling of fighting on behalf of the country and experiencing the war but you hate having to leave your loved one's behind and risking your life.
Social Responsibility:
It is important for society to realize all of the emotions soldiers face when they enlist. Both text prove it is very hard to leave the people you love behind but we have to acknowledge the ones who are brave enough to sacrifice all their lives for us.]]> 2016-10-05 22:50:16 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128656732 Lexi F.  https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128657758 In both texts it shows the positive and negative sides of war. They both show that war is an honorable sacrifice of your life. However I believe that when they said that "a true war story is never moral"is true. I agree because in both texts they get revenge, instead of doing whats right. On the other hand, fighting in the war created a strong bond among the men fighting together. I think that bond is the only reason why O'brien's team and Eddie and his team stayed alive. Sacrifice is both a big part of these stories, Eddie gave up so much when he became a soldier and so did O'brien. ]]> 2016-10-05 23:04:07 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128657758 <b>Craig Hobin</b> https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128660543 -Between "How to Tell a True War Story" by Tim O'Brien and the scene in the second lesson of the book, there are multiple similarities and differences
-In the book when Eddie escapes his imprisonment he looks back at the burning building and thinks he seeing something and relentlessly tries to go save the figure he sees
-In "How to Tell a True War Story", O'Brien recollects a friend in war telling him a story about how six men went patrolling on a mountain for a days. After a while of confinement they start to hear parties happening and call in air strikes and other artillery
-O'Brien also states that "often the crazy stuff is true and the normal stuff isn't". This is represented in both texts. In the short excerpt the baby water buffalo, through tremendous amounts of harm, seems to persevere. Likewise, in the text when Eddie says the ability to juggle allowed him to kill his captors. Though these things don't seem true, the most unimaginable things are the real events.
-These war stories are still different by the way they are told. The way Albom tells a war story is more traditional while O'Brien, in his opinion, tells a war story the correct way by getting into depth and speaking the truth about what happened and not glorifying what happened.]]> 2016-10-05 23:38:21 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128660543 Chris Barger  https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128661454 "In the end, of course, a true war story is never about war. It's about the special way that dawn spreads out on a river when you know you must cross the river and march into the mountains and do things you are afraid to do. It's about love and memory. It's about sorrow. It's about sisters who never write back and people who never listen." Tim O'Brien
The way Tin O'Brien explains it his war stories focus on what happens in the war and they go in depth about the experiences and events that had been had from different people. O'Brien's focus sheds a light on the experiences and the sheer brutalities of war. He brings the reader into taking on a whole new aspect and perspective of war. O'Brien also believed that "If at the end of a war story you feel uplifted, or if you feel that some small bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste, then you have been made the victim of a very old and terrible lie." His opinion on what you take out of war stories differs from Albom's. In Albom's story he conveys the idea to the reader to find a deeper meaning or learn a lesson with Eddie's war story. Where as O'Brien writes in a more dismal tone. However, they both focus in on the hardships and conditions in their war stories. ]]> 2016-10-05 23:49:33 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128661454 Nicole Paolo https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128661559 In both "How to Tell a True War Story", and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven", the theme of the war never officially being over is portrayed. "He heard thunder-or something like thunder, explosions, or bomb blasts- and he instinctively fell to the ground..." (Albom 57). Eddie still remembers the skills and tactics he used while in war, therefore, the war is not completely over, and he will carry these for much of his life. 
-Lemon and Captain died in the same manner. (booby trap).
- O'Brien continually discusses the concept of morality being an important component in war. Just as Captain practically saved Eddie by using his reasoning and shot him to make the enemy believe he was already dying. Eddie did not know at the time however. 
- The stories are different as in ""How to Tell a True War Story" war is talked about in a broader sense while in the novel it is Eddie's story and his experiences. ]]> 2016-10-05 23:50:43 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128661559 Mackenzie Vallely https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128664632 -Albom's writing is very moral, but O'Brian just states the facts and is more straightforward
-Both texts describe their relationships and bond with other soldiers, and then they end up losing them
-Obrien says war is not moral and this connects to when Eddie was being held hostage because he describes his situation as horrible
-Both texts write about the idea of sacrifice and that it is necessary in war
-Soldiers have to sacrifice everything they have for their country
-Both the Captain and Lemon died the same way
-In "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" the story is said where the captain stepped on the booby trap instead of his other soldiers, the same story is talked about in O'Brien's text but instead he says that is not true, it is too moral 
-"You can tell a true war story by the way it never seems to end." In both texts you can see how it affects the individual long after it has happened
-In both texts they have an altered vision of what happened because they were actually there in the moment it happened
-O'brien has a more accurate writing about war because he tells the truth of what really happened
 ]]> 2016-10-06 00:25:55 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128664632 Elise Curren https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128665053 -both texts convey characters deeply disturbed by their war experiences --> Tim Obrien "For the common soldier...war has a feel...There is no clarity. Everything swirls. The old rules are no longer binding, the old truths no longer true."(Obrien). Describes how after the war, nothing was the same for the soldiers, and there was a shift in how they saw the world. In Albom's he states, "War had crawled inside of Eddie...He came home a different man."(Albom 85). In both stories, the war fundamentally changes the characters´ perception of their world and their lives. 
-However, O'Brien has a more twisted and disturbing approach and a more accurate telling of war stories than Albom because of personal experience
-Both tell of sacrifice--> In the 5 People You Meet in Heaven, Eddie was willing to sacrifice himself to save the person in the burning building, and when he threw the rocks at the guards. In Tim O'Brien's, the soldiers were all willing to sacrifice their lives for their country
-Also, there are parallels in the stories, such as when Obrien described the feeling you experience when you are near death, stating "Proximity to death brings with it a corresponding proximity to life...you're never more alive than when you're almost dead. You recognize what's valuable."(O'brien). This relates to the Five People You Meet in Heaven when Eddie is in captivity on page 69 when he tells about the picture of Marguerite in her helmet. The closer he got to death, the more he realized what was important to him -Marguerite.
-The Tone of the stories is different--> O'Brien is more gruesome and brutally honest about the series of events, whereas Albom uses a slightly "friendlier" tone (although it isn't friendly, he presents the information in a less grotesque way)
-Albom's seems to focus on both the positive and negatives of war-the captain was able to keep his promise to his men and protect them, but he lost his life in the process. Eddie was able to keep his life, but he would be impaired because of it when he got home and it would continue to hinder him for the rest of his life. ----> O'Brien focuses on the downfalls of war- Lemon lost his life, soldiers in the mountains went crazy, and Rat was desensitized to pain and empathy as he shot the water buffalo. ]]> 2016-10-06 00:29:23 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128665053 Juliano Silva https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128670087 Both war stories are intertwined with the common trend that war can be cruel and unforgiving. O'Brien and Albom both reveal that there is more to war the just blood and gore. O'Brien talks about the comical side of the war and the bonding between men when they are fighting together for the lives. Albom conveys that after war every surviving member will have of moment that they will vividly remember for the rest of their life. Eddie also has a physical memory with his leg being shot by his own captain because he went insane and lost his head. War tests every party of body physically and mentally and sometimes can make you go crazy.
- The difference between the two stories is that one is described in a more moral tone and the other is the real violent tone]]> 2016-10-06 01:20:21 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128670087 Sara Carvalho https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128671182 --O'Brien writes how he believes that a true war story is never a moral. Though, in the novel the war story is a moral.
-Each of the texts explain how the soldiers bond with each other. 
-Eddie and Rat each had a good bond with another in their group.
-These strong bonds brought the soldiers closer,  allowing them to fight and stay alive.
-In both the novel and "How to Tell A True War Story," the soldiers have difficulties understanding their surroundings. In the novel, Eddie tried saving someone from the fire, even though no one was there. In "How To Tell A True War Story," the soldiers think they are hearing many noises causing them to fire on the mountain.
-Both war stories were told differently.  O'Brien focused on the events that happened throughout the war. His main focus was telling the reader what happened throughout the time there. On the other hand, Albom conveys Eddie's story and his emotions throughout the war. He wants the readers to focus and think about Eddie's experience and find a meaning to all of it.
-Both stories also show how one can build up anger very quickly. Since they were both in the war they did unnecessary actions that were caused by anger. Like, Eddie burning down the village, and Rat killing the water buffalo.]]> 2016-10-06 01:31:54 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128671182 Gregory Joyce https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128672484 -O'Brien believes that a proper war story should never have moral or showcase any virtue. But instead concentrate on the obscenity and evilness of the war. It should never uplift the reader or teach any form of lesson. In the 5 people you meet in heaven Eddies war experience depicts the lesson of sacrifice and its importance. "Sacrifice, you made one. I made one. We all make them. But you are angry over yours. You kept thinking about what you lost… You didn’t get it. Sacrifice is a part of life." (pg 93), "hear that quiet man, there's your moral".

- In both stories, the soldiers gain personal connections with one another. Rat morns the loss of his buddy Bob Kiley  who had died and who Rat shared a personal connection with. Eddie cared for his own commemorates and knew he had to take responsibility for them. This relates to "Am i my brothers keeper" because in a time of war soldiers must place a great deal of trust on each other and except responsibility for one another.  

-In Albom's depiction of the war, after the war everyone seems to just try and forget that it had ever happened and move on with life. But in O'Briens story, he concentrates on how the war affected the soldiers after it had ended. The face challenges of metal and physical scaring that will affect them for the rest of their lives. But to contradict this, Eddie stills holds a grudge against the captain for shooting him in the leg because it had caused him physical pain. "you can tell a true war story on how it seems to end."

-O'Brien describes a point in which the soldiers become so engulfed in the war that their perception between real and take is altered. "The rock-it's talking . And the fog too and the grass and the goddamn mongooses. Everything talks, the trees talk politics, the monkeys talk religion. The whole country. Vietnam the place talks."

-Both stories depict violent acts of revenge on the innocent, for example the killing of the water buffalo was pure cruelty and drastically irreverent to the cause at hand. This relates to Eddie burning down the huts in the village. By letting emotion come before logic and committing violent acts of revenge shows that in a way, they are not better than the enemy.

-]]> 2016-10-06 01:46:33 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128672484 Sydney Trudeau https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128674836 -O'Brien writes how the listener should truly believe and feel for the story
-Each text show that there is always sacrifices to be made, especially in war
-The word choice/way of telling the story is different for both authors. O'Brien is adding in more detail  and focused on events that occurred in the war while on the other hand Albom is displaying more emotion and is trying to leave a lasting effect on the reader.
- I agree with the way O'Brien describes war. He uses specific adjectives that are detailed and are also very negative: "War is hell... war makes you dead" (How to Tell a True War Story, O'Brien)
- Both O'Brien and Albom have their own way of writing but they are both writing in a way that is memorable to the reader and will leave a lasting effect on them
- both texts display violence in their own way. In "How to tell a true war story" the violence was conveyed in killing the water buffalo. In Albom's "The five people you meet in heaven", the violence was conveyed when Eddie was burning down the huts in the village
- In both texts, it is stated that there are multiple views of each war story, but no matter the view of the story, it will still be something that can be remembered by the reader/listener by adding effect and good word choice into the story]]> 2016-10-06 02:14:59 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128674836 Isabel Arribas https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128681473 1. How do the messages connect?
~Both explain how war  "a true war story is never moral" which means actions are based on your will to survive. If war stories were moral, people would not die.
~O'Brien's and Albom's stories connect because everyone has a different perspective on what they experienced in a war.

2. How do they diverge?
~In O'Brien's story, he talks about how some people may not listen to the stories of soldiers which means many do not recognize the sacrifice soldiers make for other people.
~In The Five People You Meet in Heaven, the Captain says "Sacrifice is a part of life. It's supposed to be. It's not something to regret. It's something to aspire to" (Albom 93).
While both talk about sacrifice, O'Brien's talks about the reward or recognition you receive from it. Albom's talks about it being a part of life and accepting everyone makes them.
~O'Brien believes war can be negative and positive

3. What do both text suggest about social responsibility in relation to war and the surrounding events?
Both texts explain how men go to war because they feel an obligation to do so.]]> 2016-10-06 03:34:05 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128681473 Jason Diedrich https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128813379 The two stories are connected in the relevance of war and how it can be unforgiving and cruel. O'Brien and Albom both depict how there is a more of an emotional connection to war than just people dying from weapons. O'Brien starts to talk about how brutal war can be, but how every person is connected and when a man dies it can affect others greatly and how memories will be created. Also Albom shows how Eddie has the memory of his leg being injured and  not being able to walk normal again. This memories are mainly created from sacrifices others have to make in order to guarantee safety for one and others. Overall war can test how you are physically capable of handling it and how memories are created from sacrifices.
The two texts diverse because one is in a more moral tone and others are graded in a more relevant term and what gruesomeness actually occurs.]]> 2016-10-06 13:54:47 UTC https://padlet.com/Kusinitz/kxnw05nv505u/wish/128813379