Structure

Ninh's structure of this novel is that even though he doesn't put divide this book in chapters, when there is a start of a story and when it ends, there's a big space before and below it to indicate that there is a new story. I like how he does this. It makes this novel very unique because this is the very first book that I've seen this. Other structure that Ninh put in this novel is not Kien's stories but other soldiers' stories. This whole novel isn't just talking about Kien's struggles through the war but about others also.

This information can be helpful in the reading of The Sorrow of War because it makes the reader know that this is how he divides the novel into chapters; by writing short stories. It is also helpful because myself and other classmates has talked about this structure in this novel!

SETTING

Crocodile River is a river on the north of South Africa. But, there's also a Crocodile River in the northeast of South Africa, border river to the south of Kruger National Park. Sa Thay River and the Jungle of Screaming Souls is probably a made up river and jungle because with my resources, I couldn't find any information about these two places.
Ngoc Linh Mountain 2,598-metre high in Vietnam. It is considered "the roof of Viet Nam". "After 30 years, a wild root growing inconspicuously on Ngoc Linh Mountain has become famous not only in Vietnam but also foreign countries," says Dr. Dao Kim Long who is the discover of the Vietnamese ginseng.
Yes, Leprosy Village really did exists. I think it really exists everywhere since leprosy is a disease. Leprosy is a chronic disease caused by a bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae. Leprosy is not highly infectious, it is transmitted via droplets, from the nose and mouth, during close and frequent contacts with untreated cases. There was a leprosy village in the east east of Ho Chi Minh City. Today, the village is home to 359 people, including 120 children. Not everyone living in the village is infected with leprosy, but if one family member contracts the disease, societal stigma and ignorance force the entire family to move into the community.
The Central Highlands run through the middle of Central America. They are also a part of a circle of volcanoes known as the Pacific Ring of Fire that runs through Japan and New Zealand.

The Jungle of Cong Ho Rinh is like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie. Its a very creepy village where you can see human bones, broken weapons, and other war materials, that lies on the ruined, flat ground like garbage. Cong Ho Rinh was once a beautiful place like little Dien Binh Village. When I first saw it, it was a pretty scene along the Dac Po Xi river.


quote: "But life would not let go of him that easily." (page 121)

Book Research

What others are saying about this book is that this book is a MUST read book because this book puts a face on those nameless NVA soldiers who died in what the Vietnamese call, " The American War." Others are saying that this book jumps around a lot but some people doesn't find that a distraction. As other's say, it is a book of love and war but one of the saddest story ever told.

Some study questions can be:
1) Explain what you believe the author means by "the sorrow of war."
2) Put yourself in Ninh's shoes, would you choose a different title name or keep it?
3) Describe your reaction to the main character/author's attitude towards the Americans.
4) Do you find the main character, Kien, sympathetic?
5) Why did Kien join the army? Why did he continue to fight?
6) Do you believe the author had a girl friend similar to Phuong, or is this character in the novel a symbol/metaphor for something else? Or both? Explain.
7) What about the book particularly moved you, why?

GOOD FORM

After reading "Good Form," I felt very awkward because I really thought that this whole time, some stories can be very true about being in the war. In a way I still want to finish this noval even though I feel like I shouldn't since some of it is fiction. Eventually, his thoughts, stories and this noval is somewhat fiction so it makes me not fully understand of whats the truth and whats not. So, chapter helped me realize that it decresed my understanding because he threw out a lot of mix words that flipped my understandings to this noval.

The difference between " happening-truth" and "story-truth" is that happening-truth is when something happened and it really did happen. Story-truth is what others saw and heard, words in stories can be reverse to make the story seem true.

" What stories can do, I guess, is make things present."

Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong

I n this chapter, Rat Kiley is talking or telling a story about how this guy sends money to his girlfriend to fly her over to Chu Lai. When she arrived, she had on white culottes and this sexy pink sweater.
That big-boned blonde was Mary Anne Bell. When she first arrived she seemed tired and somewhat lost, but she smiled. The war, the land and the mystery intrigued her. She was a very curious girl who wants to know about every little detail that happens around there. So, she asked her boyfrien, Mark Fossie to take her down to the village at the foot of the hill. He told her it was way too dangerous but she kept after him anyways. She said she wanted to get a feel for how people lived, what the smells and customs were. But it did not impress her that the VC owned the place.
What I liked about this chapter is that it explained to the readers that a girl came over to Chu Lai and picked up on things quick which makes me feel, or others feel that what guys can do, girls can too. I think that this part of the book, the author was probably trying to tell us that girls can go into combat and learn as fast as the guys do. The author shows this affections to the readers by the way how he wrote about Mary Anne Bell.
The way how I see it, Mary Anne Bell's affection to war is that she doesn't really know what's dangrous and whats not. She makes it seem like she so comfortable and like she's at home while she was in Chu Lai. This story is probably in this book because it's explaining about how all girls is so curious about war and that they should have a chance to experience it.

One quotation from the book is: Mark Fossie says on page 94,
"Thing is, you just got to want it enough."

Why or why not?

" The necessities of condoms and gunshots, six miles from from in this little village on the Batangan Peninsula."

This combined text is from the book on page 85, the poem " The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" and from my first journal entry which I had to list of all the things the soldiers carried in the first chapter.

This book is relevant today because of the war in Iraq. I personally want to read farther into this book because I am someone who is looking into going into the Navy; for which I want to know what they do at war. Unfortunately, the Navy barely goes on land unlike the soldiers in this book. this book is relevant today because teens and most people is curious about what they do at war, how's the feeling of war, and what to carry during war. I mean, maybe not to others but I think that people today is curious about this war in Iraq. So, this book is relevant today!

COMMENTS AND THOUGHTS

So far so good, I didn't really have time this weekend to look or read. I feel bad, I mean, really bad. I would return to the book tongiht. But as for now, this book is okay and I am looking forward to finishing my chapters required for this week!

Affections

What really suprised me from the 1st speaker, Lt. Joe Noackk is that he looked very young and healthy. I mean, I thought that he was going to look a bit more older and probably have any missing pieces of body parts; but, I guessed wrong. What stood out from this guest speaker is that, he was bad in school but loved sports and was very good at them.
The other guest speaker, the older one; I honestly, forgot his name. I think it was Dick something, I know it was Dick though. What hit me hard was that Dick survived after getting shot. I thought that he would have some major injuries showing but he was pretty much in shape also. What suprised me from this guest speaker was the first thing he say to us. He said that we should be grateful for each morning that we wake up and see that we're still alive. I never really thought of that before, but after that phrase; everyday I am happy to see that I can still wake up and see that I am still alive; breathing.
The guest speakers gave me modivation of reading The Things They Carried because they showed/told me that they were glad they took the chance to serve their country. Also the fact that their stories are kind of similar to the book!

At the Begining

At the begining, I seriously thought that this book was really lame. Yesterday was the very first time I touched the book. The first thing I did was looked at the cover, then think to myself, "Wow, I should really read this since I'm thinking about going into the Navy." Finally, I forced myself to read the very first chapter, " The Things They Carried."
This chapter was about all the materials that the soldiers brought with them to war. Some of the things that they carried was very heavy and useful. But some, it was just better left at home but I guess those things make them feel like their at home and that they are safe. There was a soldier that died in this chapter, his name is Ted Lavender. He was shot while taking a piss, I mean that is a sadly that he was in a sad position of his death.
Well, as of now, this book is interesting, I can't wait to read the next four chapters!