A week after his friend is killed, Rat Kiley writes a letter to the friend’s sister, explaining what a hero her brother was and how much he loved him. … Kiley, frustrated, spits and calls the sister a “dumb cooze.” O’Brien insists that a true war story is not moral and tells us not to believe a story that seems moral.

Why does Rat Kiley get angry after writing a letter to his friend's sister?

Why was he upset? He write a letter to Lemon’s sister explaining what a hero her brother was and how much he loved him. He included details about the crazy stunts he attempted. Rat believed he was doing the right thing by writing the letter.

What does Rat Kiley do to a baby buffalo?

Rat Kiley and Curt Lemon After Curt dies, Rat struggles to deal with the pain of losing his best friend. O’Brien describes Rat taking out his anger by inflicting pain. He brutally shoots a baby water buffalo in front of the rest of the platoon, who just stand by, watching.

Does Rat receive a response to his letter?

The first example is the “few stories” Rat Kiley includes in his letter to Curt Lemon’s sister. … On the one hand, Lemon’s sister does respond, but on the other hand, her response is in the act of not answering Rat’s letter.

What did Rat Kiley's friend do on Halloween?

What did his friend do on Halloween? … Rat pours his heart out saying that he loved him and that he was his best friend in the whole world that they were soul mates or twins.

Why is a true war story never moral?

It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior, nor restrain men from doing the things men have always done. If a story seems moral, do not believe it.

Who does Rat Kiley write a letter to and what happens after he writes the letter?

A week after his friend is killed, Rat Kiley writes a letter to the friend’s sister, explaining what a hero her brother was and how much he loved him. Two months pass, and the sister never writes back.

How Does Rat Kiley's friend go fishing?

How does Rat Kiley’s friend (Curt Lemon) go fishing? He uses “a whole damn crate of hand grenades,” presumably to kill the fish so that they float to the top of the water.

Who does Rat Kiley write a letter to why does he put so much effort and detail into the letter?

Why does he put so much detail an effort into the letter? Rat Kiley writes to curt lemon’s sister to let her know that he was his best friend and how much Curt meant to him during the war. Rat hopes his bond with Curt will transfer over to his sister, but she does not return the feeling.

What did the listening Patrol hear?

What did the listening patrol hear? Music. Chimes, xylophones, voices at a fancy cocktail party, a glee club, a choir.

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Why do you think Rat Kiley tortures and kills the baby water buffalo?

Why does Rat Kiley shoot the baby water buffalo? The day that Curt Lemon died, the company found a baby water buffalo in the woods. Rat Kiley tortured it and shot it because he had just lost his best friend. … He cried because he was wrong, because he couldn’t bring back his friend or the innocence they’d all lost.

Why does Rat Kiley shoot himself?

Lesson Summary This chapter in Tim O’Brien’s book is told by a narrator, based on what he heard from fellow platoon member Mitchell Sanders. Rat Kiley develops a tenuous grasp on reality because of the things he’s seen in Vietnam, which prompts him to shoot himself in the foot so that he can be sent home.

Who killed the water buffalo Tttc?

In The Things They Carried, Rat Kiley shoots at and eventually kills the baby water buffalo because of his feelings of grief and anger at the death of his friend, Curt Lemon.

What did Rat Kiley and Curt Lemon play with?

Lemon and Rat Kiley “were playing catch with smoke grenades” in the shade during a break their platoon took from being on the move.

Who was curt lemon?

Curt Lemon was a childish and careless member of the Alpha Company, who was killed while tossing a grenade in a game of catch. The preventability of his death and the irrational fears of his life—as when a dentist visits the company—point to the immaturity of many young American soldiers in Vietnam. …

Why did Curt Lemon have his tooth pulled?

Curt Lemon has the dentist pull out a healthy tooth because of the shame he feels for not being the “macho soldier” he’s been trying to be during this war. He feels his fear of the dentist is causing him to not be the soldier he wants everyone to believe he is.

Which of the following historical facts referenced by Tim has a direct effect on his conscription to the army?

which of the following historical facts referenced by Tim has a direct effect on his conscription into the army? in college, Tim “made a modest” protest against the Vietnam War. Which of the following is not a form of modest protest?

What is the purpose of placing this chapter directly after How do you tell a true war story?

What is the purpose of placing “The Dentist” chapter directly after “How to Tell a True War Story”? It shows that traumatizing events can change the way people behave.

How do you tell a war story paradox?

In “How to Tell a True War Story,” Tim O’Brien employs paradoxes throughout his narrative to develop complex thoughts on the subjects of war and memory. A paradox is a statement that contains a literal contradiction, but makes sense figuratively as you consider its meaning.

What was the pact that Dave and Lee made together?

What was the pact that Dave Jensen & Lee Strunk made together? Whoever this happened to, the other would kill the other person.

What does the baby water buffalo symbolize?

The puppy and baby water buffalo symbolize innocence and purity. In the beginning, O’Brien recalls when a fellow soldier, Azar, strapped a puppy to a mine and squeezed the firing device. Azar rejoices in the animal’s violent death because it gives him a sense of control over his own circumstances.

How does O'Brien distinguish between a war story and a love story?

In the work of fiction The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, the author said that this war story is not about war, it is about love and memory. This is true because if his story is only about war, the story would be incomplete and would make us feel disconnected.

What does O'Brien mean when he says that true war stories are never about war?

What does he mean when he says that true war stories are never about war? … O’Brien explains that this story was “not a war story. It was a love story.” In what sense is this a “love story” and why?

Why does this story begin with the line this is true?

In what sense is “this” true? Tim O’Brien, starters the chapter with the sentence “This is true.” to draw in the reader. The sentence prepares the reader by making a clue that he is going to tell us how we can determine if a war story is true or exaggerated. You just studied 5 terms!

What story haunts Tim's dreams?

North Vietnamese Soldier (“The Man I Killed” and “Ambush”) Haunts Tim’s dreams.

What chapter does Rat Kiley shoot himself?

QuestionAnswerHow did Rat Kiley get out of active duty in Vietnam?By shooting himself in the foot.

Who dies first in the things they carried?

Ted Lavender is a young, scared soldier in the Alpha company in Tim O’Brien’s book The Things They Carried. He is the most afraid to die, and dies first.

What does Dave Jensen borrow?

Summary: “Enemies” Finally, crazed by apprehension, Jensen fires his gun into the air and calls out Strunk’s name. Later that night, he borrows a pistol and uses it to break his own nose in order to even the score. The next morning, Strunk is amused by the news, admitting that he did steal Jensen’s jackknife.

Who tells the war story about the listening patrol?

1. The anecdotes in Tim O’Brien’s “How to Tell a True War Story”–the story of Curt Lemon’s death and Mitchell Sanders’s story about the listening-post patrol–are told several times with several revisions.

What does Sanders later admit about his story?

the next day Sanders admits he made up parts of the story. … The story isn’t about war; it’s about love.

What did Rat Kiley carry?

The medic, Rat Kiley, carries morphine, malaria tablets, and supplies for serious wounds.