44371
Assignments for Session 11 (ENG-2206 Summer 2022) I. Reading
Tim O’Brien’s “How to Tell a True War Story”
1. How does the letter Bob Kiley writes to his sister change in content and tone?
2. Summarize in a short paragraph of about 50 words the story of how Curt Lemon dies.
Curt Lemon dies by accidentally stepping on a grenade. Lemon and Rat Kiley “were
playing catch with smoke grenades” in the shade during a break their platoon took from being on the move.
3. What story does Mitchell Sanders tell the narrator? How does he then confess to
the narrator about that story?
Sanders recounts the experience of a troop that goes into the mountains on a listening
post operation. He says that after a few days, the men hear strange echoes and music—
chimes and xylophones—and become frightened.
4. What does the narrator and his group do with the water buffalo they cross by? What
does the narrator later think about the story of the buffalo, among others, in retrospect?
The platoon witnessed and caught a newborn water buffalo on the day Curt Lemon died.
Rat Kiley petted it after supper and offered it some of his food, which it declined. Rat
shrugged and then shot the animal several times, taking care not to kill it. Everyone else just
stood there silently. The animal was then kicked. It was hardly breathing. Dave Jensen
stated that he had never saw anything like it in his life. Kiowa and Mitchell Sanders carried
the young buffalo to the village well and dumped it. Everyone sat there waiting for Rat to
gather himself. Dave Jensen was still taken aback "A novel twist. I'd never seen anything like
it before." Mitchell Sanders yo-yoed and remarked, "That was Vietnam, the Garden."
5. Enumerate the moments in the short story in which the writer talks about what a true war story is.
-Mitchell Sanders told him about a six-man patrol in the mountains.
-next night at O'Brien's foxhole, Sanders touched O'Brien's shoulder and said the moral
was that no one listens: the colonel, the politicians, girlfriends.
Nguyen Huy Thiep’s “The General Retires”
1. Who are the members of the narrator’s family, including the
helpers? Thuan-his father,mother-6
2. What is the name, job, and ideology of the narrator’s father? What rank does he get when he retires?
His name is Thuan He was a high-ranked officer in North Vietnam Army, His rank is major general
3. What is the name, job, and ideology of the narrator’s wife? Thuy is doctor,
4. What does the narrator’s family do to celebrate his father’s retirement? What is his
wife’s attitude towards those activities? What is her position in the family?
This family celebrated small party.His wife did not agree this way of celebrating.
5. What is the narrator’s uncle’s attitude towards his family?
He was bitter when the narrator’s wife take a promission note
His father had money to borrow,had to be master of ceremonies.His uncle wife
still recognizes his father as general.
6. How does the narrator’s wife help raise the dogs and pigs at
home? The narrator’s wife cook the placenta
7. What happens with the narrator’s mother after his father and Co and Lai goes to
Thanh Hoa? How does she reply to the narrator’s uncle’s question to her? What is the
uncle’s reaction to her reply?
His mother collapsed in the garden after that she died. “human being”,then you must love me a lot
8. What does the narrator’s father do before he leaves for visiting his old unit?
What happens with him after the trip?
He think he had a fraud, they has another trip, to old battlefield and died in there
Viet Thanh Nguyen’s “War Years”
1. What does Mrs. Hoa come to visit the narrator’s family
for? Hoa visited to raise money to against communist
2. What are the reactions of each member of the narrator’s family to Mrs.
Hoa’s continuous visits?
My mothersounded tired.The boy’s mother says she’d like to help, but Mrs. Binh,
refused to give money, the boy asks the boy’s mother why she doesn’t want to help
soldier. The boy’s father adds that they believe in taking other people’s money—
which he had experienced when his old auto parts store was taken under Communist ownership.
3. What is Mrs. Hoa’s tragedy? In what situation do the narrator and his mother know
about it? How do their reactions and attitudes towards her change from the beginning to the end of the story?
Her husband and son went missing during the Vietnam War, and she is haunted by
the possibility of getting them back. She told about his husband and son II. Writing
Supposedly you’re going to write an essay (of about 2000 words) whose topic is “Play in
Tim O’Brien’s ‘How to Tell a True War Story’”.
Write an “Introduction” and a “Conclusion” for that essay. Introduction
Note: you need to find some journal articles related to the topic, mention them in
“Introduction”, and put them in an APA format-based list below the paragraphs.