QUIZ - CRITIQUE 3 - O_Brien Salinger and Komunyakaa
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Gavin C.
Quiz/Critique 3
1.
Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” contains many lists of the items the characters carried. What are some of these items? In your opinion, what is the effect of the author giving the reader such lists?
A grandfather’s hatchet, M&Ms, pictures of loved ones, comic books, M-16 assault rifle.
The randomness within the items listed shows how different individual soldiers were. There are mission necessities and personal necessities, and the author goes into great detail explaining both categories. This shows the commonness between physical, emotional, and mental burdens that soldiers had to “hump” around while in the field.
2.
Near the end O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried,” the author explains that Lieutenant Cross “would dispense with love; it was now not a factor.” What experience brought Lieutenant Cross to this decision?
When Ted Lavender was shot and killed outside of Than Khe. LT Cross feels that his distracted state (in love) led to the negligent death of one of his men. 3.
Early in Salinger’s “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” Muriel’s mother says of Seymour, “it was a perfect crime the Army released him from the hospital.” How does this statement relate to the story’s ending? His pre-mature discharge from medical/psychological care was essentially a path to suicide. It was labeled a perfect crime as there was no direct “fault” against the Army, even though they ultimately killed Seymour. 4.
There is a suspenseful sense of dread throughout Salinger’s “A Perfect Day for Bananafish.”
What specific details contribute to this sense of dread? From the beginning, Muriel’s mother hinted at a previous incident with trees, insinuating there was an accident. There was a lot of confusion (for the reader) during that conversation, but it had a suspenseful sense throughout, especially with the little knowledge about Seymour’s condition at the time. Following that, Seymour’s conversation with Sybil regarding banana fish and their potential fate seemed rather grim, and it was obvious that Seymour related to the fish’s actions. The elevator outburst was a rude awakening to how severe Seymour’s psychological state was, leading to the most dreadful moment, the suicide.
5.
Out of these two stories, which do you feel is the most effective? How did the author make this story so effective?
“A Perfect Day for Bananafish” was most effective to me primarily because of the symbolism. Seymour is so full of complicated emotions and struggles with societal norms, that he ultimately kills himself. The banana fish is relatable, as stated in the story: "Oh, you mean after they eat so many bananas they can't get out of the banana hole?" ; "Well, I hate to tell you, Sybil. They die."
6.
What aspect of either story do you feel is the most ineffective? How did the author make this
aspect so ineffective?
Gavin C.
The opening conversation between Muriel and her mother in “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” was rather confusing. There was some connotation around the tree(s) that was yet to be discovered, but it may be that the writer wanted to build some mystery surrounding Seymour’s struggles. 7.
Connect one of the two stories we’ve covered this week with another story we’ve covered from a different week
via themes. What theme(s) do they share?
“All Summer in a Day” and “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” both exhibit the sickness of alienation. Although Seymour is more detached than he is alienated, there is a common struggle between him and Margot when it comes to their place in the world(s). Seymour’s key moment was centered around the trees (the accident), creating a hard divide between him and normalcy, while Margot had incidents like her shower episode that set her apart, incurring a label of zealotry around her. Seymour’s persona was just as weird (to the other characters) as Margot’s. Although Seymour’s demise is far more grim, Margot’s alienation leads to some wicked actions when one considers life on Venus as a child.
8.
Name the crisis action, or the pivotal action or choice made by the protagonist in each story.
The pivotal action in “The Things They Carried” occurred when Lavender was killed. LT Cross’ awareness was compromised by his distractive thoughts and daydreams. He ultimately blames himself for Lavender’s death, examines his mental and emotional presence, and cuts ties with his imaginary love to solely become a leader.
For “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” Seymour’s elevator outburst was the crisis action. There
wasn’t any hard evidence of him having a psychological condition until this moment, as it was only speculation throughout the story. His character almost reflects a split personality, and his slander used towards the woman, i.e., “But don't be a God-damned sneak about it” almost sounds like an attack on the greedy, materialistic world he’s fallen upon.
9.
What is the resolution of each story, or how the central conflict is resolved?
The resolution in “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” was Seymour’s suicide. After the elevator outburst, he proceeded to the hotel room to put an end to his trauma. His longing for simplicity and innocence was never going to be satisfied in the world he was in, and the emptiness took the best of him.
In “The Things They Carried”, LT Cross telling himself “No more fantasies” was the resolution of the story. At that point, he was determined to perform his duties firmly and without negligence. What happened to Lavender would not happen again and with that said,
he imposed more discipline. His obligation was not to be loved, but to lead. 10. Close your eyes. What are the two or three most important images for each story?
“A Perfect Day for Bananafish”
The moment Seymour kisses Sybil’s foot seems like a hidden message. The dialogue used during that scene sort of bridges the symbolism between the bananafish and Seymour, with the bananas being all the trauma and heartache he carried. It was immediately after Sybil mentioned seeing a bananafish with
Gavin C.
bananas in its mouth when Seymour kissed her, and then he guided her back to the hotel. That goodbye seemed more powerful than a simple farewell.
The green dress that was mentioned when Muriel was on the phone with her mother (pg 5). There was a moment when Muriel was explaining how Seymour was on the piano and people were asking if he was sick. It’s obvious that Seymour felt out of place in the hotel, and Muriel was oblivious to his mental state. The fact that they completely disregarded Seymour’s actions and even other people's concerns for him just to gossip about dress wear shows exactly why Seymour hated this greedy, materialistic world.
“The Things They Carried”
LT Cross burning Martha’s letters and photos to make things right regarding Lavender’s death and free himself from the hold she had on his heart and thoughts.
The green, plastic poncho that was said to have been used for Lavender during his MEDEVAC. O’Brien goes into a lot of detail about the soldiers’ items and their
purposes. The poncho was worth carrying, being not only a raincoat, sheet, or makeshift tent, but also an improvised litter to carry Lavender out of the field. Poetry
Read Yusef Komunyakaa’s poem “Facing It” from the Poetry for ENGL 114 collection. Compare and contrast this poem with “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien and “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” by J.D. Salinger.
1.
In your opinion, which story does this poem most closely align to? Explain why.
The poem relates mostly to “The Things They Carried”. The clear connection between their setting in Vietnam was one thing, but the phasing between the present reality and horrific memories reminds me of LT Cross’ mental escapes to his “what if” life with Martha. 2.
If you were to turn this poem into a short story, how would you characterize the protagonist?
The protagonist would be an African-American Vietnam veteran with PTSD, who not only bears the trauma and loss but also a lack of recognition. He believes society does not value the sacrifices black soldiers endured while fighting for the very country that oppressed them.
And even at the memorial, where one goes to solely recognize sacrifices, he feels invisible to others. 3.
What images are most effective in the poem? How does the poet make this image so effective
“No, she's brushing a boy's hair.” stood out to me the most. I feel like this is a line that emphasizes the sadness around war. I think the writer was showing a grieving mother who lost her young son in Vietnam, and her actions of wiping away the names had an alternate meaning as if she was brushing the boy's hair again with the same motion.
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