The internal conflict that Tim O'Brien goes through in this chapter is intense. He has no idea what to do now that he has been drafted. He has two options: stay and fight, or leave for Canada. O'Brien kept running both option through his mind: "Run, I'd think. Then I'd think, Impossible. Then a second later I'd think, Run" (pg 42).
While I was reading this chapter, I felt surprised about how much this situation was actually bothering Tim. I didn't really understand how much conflict he felt until he was standing in Elroy Berdahl's boat crying about the fact that he was in a moral freeze. Then he asks the rhetorical question "What would you do?" (pg 54). My response is that I honestly don't know. I understand the difficulty of turning your back on all your family and everything you are, but in that moment, with all those emotions of hatred and distress, I don't know what I would do.
Overall, I feel like he made the right decision. One should not run away from fear, but find the courage to face it.
Showing posts with label rhetorical question. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rhetorical question. Show all posts
Monday, August 9, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
External Conflict
Chapter 6 starts off with Jake having a drink with Harvey Stone. Then Robert comes to join them, and later so does Frances. In this chapter, the author uses direct characterization to describe the true character of Robert. We find out how he dresses, what he looks like, and how he acts like after he has fallen in love with Brett. Since this novel is in the first person point of view, Jake is the one describing Robert.
When Frances tells Jake that she thinks Robert is going to leave her, I was not surprised. Robert was already married and divorced twice so what is going to stop him from leaving the woman who is only his girlfriend?
Frances then goes into a rant that completely rips through Robert and his reasons for why he want to leave her. I found her speech very interesting and entertaining. I thought it was great how she could say whatever she felt like saying to him to make Robert feel really bad. Her use of rhetorical questions added emphasis to her argument and made Robert feel even worse. If he were to answer one of those questions, she would have gone off even more. For example, she said "You won't mind, will you?" (pg 57). If Robert were to answer that question, she would have either kept going as she was, or kept going but as even more angry. Her rant eventually made Jake walk away and leave them.
When Frances tells Jake that she thinks Robert is going to leave her, I was not surprised. Robert was already married and divorced twice so what is going to stop him from leaving the woman who is only his girlfriend?
Frances then goes into a rant that completely rips through Robert and his reasons for why he want to leave her. I found her speech very interesting and entertaining. I thought it was great how she could say whatever she felt like saying to him to make Robert feel really bad. Her use of rhetorical questions added emphasis to her argument and made Robert feel even worse. If he were to answer one of those questions, she would have gone off even more. For example, she said "You won't mind, will you?" (pg 57). If Robert were to answer that question, she would have either kept going as she was, or kept going but as even more angry. Her rant eventually made Jake walk away and leave them.
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