- On Wednesday, we will be discussing “On the Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien. This short story was published as part of a larger collection of loosely linked short stories called The Things They Carried. In preparation for Wednesday’s class, please read “On the Rainy River” (which you can find under the “Texts” tab above) and share three questions about the story in a comment on this post no later than 12pm on Wed. Your questions may be about things that confused you in the story, moral or ethical questions raised by the text, issues in the text that require further discussion, or anything else that occurs to you as you read and think about this story. Please have the story with you in class, either as a printout or on a screen.
- Please read the instructions for your next formal essay, the Literary Analysis. You can find this under the “Essays” tab above. We will be discussing this assignment on Wed, so please come to class ready with any questions you might have about it.
23 thoughts on “Homework for Wednesday, Oct. 25th”
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3 Questions:
– If the author left his home, shouldn’t he stick to his decision to make a new life?
– Was it intentional where the author discusses his current experience and transitions to past experiences?
– If Elroy didn’t ask questions how would O’Brien know if he is making the right decision or not?
Three Questions
– Why did Elroy avoid asking O’Brien questions? Had he gone through something like this, or did Elroy assume that O’Brien had been drafted due to the circumstances?
– Is it morally wrong to get drafted and avoid serving war?
– Why did O’Brien not tell his parents the day he got the letter that he had been drafted to war? Was he trying to avoid the reality of it?
1) How much information did the US let on about the war?
2) Why did O’ Brien not take the risk, what was so important for him to stay?
3) What if his small town didn’t care about his decision, was it just a made-up reason to go home?
3 Questions
1. Did O’Brien ever regret not sticking to his original plan of running away? Because at the end he said that while he survived, it was not a happy ending.
2. Why did O’Brien consider his survival a “not happy ending” seeing as through the story he hated the idea of dying for a war he didn’t agree with or want any parts of?
3. Was he really a coward for wanting to avoid the war, or was this an idea instilled by outsider sources, such as the Government, to encourage their men to die “bravely” for their country or be seen as wea ?
*weak (misspell)
– Why did the author call himself a coward even though he went to war?
– Why do you think the author brought up his younger self and compare it to himself right now?
– Why do you think the author didn’t discuss his affliction with someone? Is it because of embarrassment, anxiety, or simply not wanting to?
3 Questions for “On the Rainy River”
– Did the narrator have free will? Or was he controlled by the perception of others?
– Why would he force himself through these circumstances if he couldn’t handle it?
– Would sticking to the meat-packing job in Worthington be a more comfortable lifestyle for him?
– Why does the narrator view himself as weak and afraid of blood, yet worked at a meatpacking plant removing blood clots from pigs with heavy water gun machinery?
– With the impulsive escape plan to Canada that lasted days and with the help from Elroy, why did the narrator decide to go back home and go to war last minute?
-Why is this story kept a secret from his loved ones?
– Why did O’Brien view Canada as another life and was that his coping mechanism, escaping reality?
– Why does O’Brien feel the need to make that connection of a secret hero at the beginning of the story ?
– Why does O’Brien make such emphasis on tightness and pressure in his chest?
* What deeper symbolism might be associated with the river and the act of crossing it?
* This story really makes you think, why do people avoid taking the risk for what they believe in to satisfy other peoples beliefs?
* People tend to be uneducated about current events happening. How can we further educate people and help them define the difference between what is right and what is wrong?
– If he was planning on leaving, why didn’t he tell his parents how he felt about getting drafted?
-What made Elory want to help Tim?
-Does Tim think that if he had run away, he would’ve had a happy ending?
Three Questions from “On the Rainy River”
– Why is going to war cowardly for Tim, while for other it is seemed as courageous?
– Who is Elroy for Tim? Why does magically disappear at the end of the story?
– Both of Tim’s parents were veterans, why did he not inherit their courage and patriotism?
– Why did Elory disappear at the end of the story?
– What was the parents true reaction to him leaving? would they really be disappointed if he had left?
-Why did Tim see it as brave to leave and cowardly to stay ?
Why did seeing the border of Canada make O’brien change his mind and go to war?
What was O’Briens relationship with Elroy? What kinds of level do they reach through living with each-other for 6 days?
Did O’Brien ever tell Elroy about his strong opinion that he held for going to war? Did the topic ever come up between the two?
Three Questions
1) how would’ve the story been different if Elroy confronted and been upfront to Tim about why he was here and why he fled?
2) why did Elroy leave in the end and was assumed to never come back?
3)why did Tim consider fleeing away as bravery and going to war being cowardice?
Three questions:
– If he told his story to his family or his wife, how would his the pressure and decision on fighting in Vietnam change?
– What was Elroy’s significance of him leaving randomly?
– Why did Tim make his own decision on going to war rather than being scared of what other people think and societal pressure?
Three Questions:
1. When Tim was reading the draft notice, he used the word “hate” repeatedly while describing why he was unfit to go to war. Was this because of his ego, or was it because he was genuinely scared of dying at war?
2. Why did Tim change his mind about Canada?
3. Can people with mental health issues still get drafted to war? If so, then why didn’t Tim state that, or were drafting rules different back then?
T:hree Questions
O’Brien has his deepest thoughts on the boat. Why? He wants us to put ourselves in his shoes and self reflect. What would we feel?
The old man Elroy stays very calm. How does he control himself so well? Does owning the lodge or being a businessman make him more patient and quiet?Or is it because of his old age?
Why does O’brien keep on imagining to send a letter to his parents and did he ever send a letter again that he would be going to the war as he decided at the end of the story?
3 questions
1. When Tim received the draft letter is there anyway to avoid it other than running to another country?
2. Why did Tim just explain to his parents what he was dealing with since his parents were veterans?
3. Why did the old man feel sympathy for Tim? And why didn’t he tell Tim that he would help him from the start?
Do citizens of a country have an obligation to fight its wars? Are blissfully ignorant simple-minded patriots any worse than someone who believes they are above war? Can someone who reads history and philosophy have a better understanding of war than someone who’s been in one?
Reading this story reminded me of the quote by Princeton professor Robert George, “I sometimes ask students what their position on slavery would have been had they been white and living in the South before abolition. Guess what? They all would have been abolitionists! They all would have bravely spoken out against slavery, and worked tirelessly against it.”
Where did the narrator of the story go and what was the reason?
How come Tim did not attempt to legally find his way around fighting the war?
What makes fighting a war cowardly?
3 Questions
1.When did he get drafted?
2.Why did Elroy not stay to say goodbye?
3.Did he regret his final decision to go to war?
Why didn’t Tim try to use legal means to avoid fighting the war?
Why didn’t the elderly man inform Tim right away that he would support him?
What was the real response from his parents after he left?