Playlist for "Stockings" and "Church" Chapters by Kate Ray

Songs as Complementary Texts

2026-03-11 12:12:45 UTC

A central claim that is made in the chapter "Church" is that religious spaces still harbor a sense of comfort and innocence despite the complexities and immoralities in warfare.

I chose "Colors of the Sun" by Jackson Browne because of its connection to O'Brien's vivid imagery. In the song, Browne uses deep, introspective sensory details like "Colors of the sun, flashing on the water top, echo on the land" to immerse the reader in the environment. O'Brien similarly immerses the reader in the jungle when describing his killing of the "innocent" man.

Church

2026-03-11 12:16:47 UTC

A central claim that is in the chapter "Church" is how religion spaces can show contradictions between human behavior and moral beliefs.

I chose the song, "Take Me To Church" by Hozier, because the song argues upon how the true meaning of "worship" can come from human connections instead of institutions. Both touch up on the idea of human interactions contradicting ideals of morality and purity.

"Stockings" & "Golden" By Harry Styles

2026-03-11 12:16:53 UTC

For 'Stocking' the claim is that having an emotional attachment to items, provides (in this case a soldier) people with comfort, and a safe space of mind.

A song that represents this is " Golden" by Harry Styles.

I choose this song because it uses the rhetorical strategy of imagery to describe the warmth and comfort of feeling safe, which connects to the text because the nylons that Dobbins uses are his version of a safe place while he is out risking his life.

Both the song and the chapter explain how people hold onto things in order to feel comfortable.

Lyrics: “Pink and orange skies", “You slow down time”, "My radiant beam in the night”

"Church" and "Holy War" by Matthew Sweet

2026-03-11 12:17:04 UTC

In the chapter "Church" Dobbins and Kiowa discuss religion and its context among war whilst camping out in a monastery. The characters decide it is wrong to set up in the church with the monks, they also discuss what they want to do after the war, Dobbin's saying he's interested in becoming a minister. Part of the purpose of this chapter is to show the basic human kindness that soldiers have, even in a war they didn't sign up for. I chose "Holy War" by Matthew Sweet because it connects to this idea of soldiers wanting to be good and descent even while killing other men. "'Cause I'm not in for killing another man/ Defending my holy land/ As if there's a god who would understand". This songs connects to the moral conflict being presented in this chapter of wanting to be "be nice" and "treat (people) decent" whilst also being forced to kill.

"Stockings" & Iris by Goo Goo Dolls:

2026-03-11 12:18:10 UTC

One major claim in "Stockings" is that Dobbins is hiding his identity behind an object. The song I chose was Iris by Goo Goo Dolls because this song directly relates to a loss of identity. Dobbins doesn't reveal who is really is since the stockings function as a metaphor for Dobbins' vulnerability. The text directly stated that he was invulnerable. This rhetorical strategy relates to how wearing stockings is a way to cope in a war that is meant to break the men. One of the lyrics is, "And I don't want the world to see me, 'cause I don't think that they'd understand, when everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am."

"Church"

2026-03-11 12:18:13 UTC

A central claim that is made in the chapter "Church" is a mix of war and the soldiers' morality. The chapter shows how war blends the ideas of faith and morality. But how the men still find their faith in sacred grounds at the church?

I chose the song "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel because the song brings together random objects, people, events, and mixes them into one complete song. There is no clear connection between them, yet they somehow work together in the context of the song.

Stockings Theme and Song

2026-03-11 12:18:22 UTC

A central claim that is made in the chapter "Stockings" is that a superstition or even an item that one holds dear can provide a sense of security and comfort during challenging or scary situations. A song that I feel like reflects this is "Change" by J. cole I feel like this represents the mental toughness that one may achieve through the use of these superstition. In the song rather than an item the artist talks about how he wants the world to be a better place for his daughter and how she gives him reason to do this, or a reason to change.

Church

2026-03-11 12:18:24 UTC

A central claim in the chapter "Church" is that even during war, soldiers still search for peace, faith, and moments of kindness.

I chose "A Sky Full of Stars" because the song talks about seeing hope and beauty even in hard times. In the chapter, the soldiers experience kindness and peace when they stay with the monks, even though they are surrounded by war. Both the song and the chapter show how people try to find moments of hope during difficult situations.

"Church"

2026-03-11 12:18:30 UTC

A central claim that is made in the chapter "Church" is that war creates moral confusion. In this chapter, the soldiers set up in a church and are treated kindly by the monks, yet they are preparing for war. This chapter highlights the contrast between peace and violence in this war.

I chose the song Unwritten because it focuses on searching for a purpose. The soldiers in the war struggle to find their role in the war and the meaning of being in the war.

"Stockings" and "Don't Let Me Down" by The Beatles

2026-03-11 12:19:48 UTC

A central claim that is made in the chapter Church is one of relying on other people or things to get you through difficult times. Henry Dobbins relies on the memory of his girlfriend, and then the "magic" of the pantyhose to get him through the Vietnam war. He doesn't stop wearing them even after they're broken up because he needs that connection to home, and truly believes they're a good luck charm that have been keeping him safe. I chose "Don't Let Me Down" by the Beatles because of the connection between reliance on something else. The song says, "I'm in love for the first time. Don't you know it's gonna last. It's a love that lasts forever, It's a love that had no past. Don't let me down," Dobbins relies on his girlfriends love, and then later the faith in his good luck charm, and he hopes their "magic" won't let him down like she did in Vietnam.

2026-03-11 12:20:25 UTC

A central claim that is made in the chapter "Church" is that religious places during time of warfare and hardship are place of comfort, and its a safe place for people in the war.

I chose the song "Hallelujah" by(doesn't have a writer I am pretty sure its a religious song). This is because this song is about bringing people together in there faith, and almost reflecting on their spirituality. In this chapter they are communicating with the monks and have found peace and safety in this religious space. Which is what the song "Hallelujah" is all about.

2026-03-11 12:20:57 UTC

A central claim that is made in the chapter Ambush is that the guilt you feel from killing someone or doing something that causes trauma doesn't end when you leave war. It carries out throughout life, you might think about it less but it still can pop up in your mind.

I chose "How it Was It Will Never Be Again" Because it reflects meaning of life changing and getting older and loss of moments in the past. During the chapter he is reminiscing on the moments and remembering them.

The Central Claim For Both “Stocking” & “Church” would be the Faith as an anchor

2026-03-11 12:21:56 UTC

A central claim that is made in between chapters is faith. This would correlate directly to the song lyrics Anchor By Hillsong Worship “I have this hope As an anchor for my soul. Through every storm” In every “Storm” Henry Dobbins Faced, he routinely put that stocking around his neck, he would know the steps he would have to do for him to feel secure enough to go out on missions. He felt that the pantyhose was an anchor that kept him sane even. “Church” We see how others see their faith. How Kiowa feels anchored whenever he’s grabbing his bible or even talking about it.

"Church" and "Kindness" by Steven Curtis Chapman

2026-03-11 12:23:17 UTC

In this chapter, the monks show extensive kindness to the soldiers, even though the soldiers were against the monks and their country. The monks probably knew that the soldiers had the ability to kill them at any moment, yet they still chose to show them hospitality and kindness. Later on in the chapter, Henry Dobbins talks about his aspirations as a little kid to become a minister to simply just be nice to people. For me, the clear theme throughout this chapter is simply kindness. A little kindness and thoughtfulness can go a long way and it's important to show kindness to everyone even if they disagree with you or if they're against you. In the song "Kindness", by Steven Curtis Chapman, it says What if we lived with a heart of kindness
"What if we loved like we've been loved
If that's all that we're remembered for
Well, let that be enough." The monks lived this out when they showed the soldiers love and kindness and it clearly made an impact on the soldiers, specifically Henry Dobbins. Another line in the song says, "Let us wrap ourselves in mercy, compassion, and humility" and I love this because this was displayed here in the chapter.

"The Man I Killed"

2026-03-11 12:46:56 UTC

A central claim that is made in the chapters 'The Man I Killed' ' is that trauma is not a single event, but something that would always come back to you. I chose the song 'Stan' because of the connection to the rhetorical strategy of the obsessive monologue. Much like O’Brien’s repetitive descriptions of the 'star-shaped hole' in the man’s eye, the song uses a structure that was repetitive to show how a person can become trapped with their own thoughts, beginning to eventually lose the ability to recognize between their imagination and the tragic truth.