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Sweetheart Of The Song Tra Bong Summary

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O’Brien’s writing in chapter Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong (85) reflects a lot on how real war is. He gives a great description of how war changes you but he adds a little bit of extra and unreal details in parts of it.When Rat Kiley is telling the story everyone knows that it is going to be a little bit of false information in between. You have to really pay attention to understand what O’Brien is getting at with the story.Reflecting the surreal nature of war helps to get a somewhat perspective of how war was and how it took its pull on people. When reading this chapter you start to really visualize everything he describes about the villages,people,and everything else.O’Brien is very descriptive when he describes how Mary Anne is changing …show more content…

You would not think that war cause change such a kind good hearted person in such a matter of time.In the beginning he descibes her as ‘’She had long white legs and blue eyes and a complextion like strawberry ice cream.Very friendly too.’’ (89) before she started to change Mary Anne was bubby and always smiling and laughing,she was to never thought kill a person let alone be in the army. As time went over O’Brien starts to write how she changes emotionally and somewhat physically. She was changing completely it was surreal you would never have guessed it,’’ Really,nothing. To tell the truth,I’ve never been happier in my whole life.Never.’’ (95) I do not really believe that the place she is now is like a kid going to Disneyland ‘’The Happiest Place on Earth’’ they are happy they are there.’’Mary Anne walked off into the mountains and did not come back. No body was ever found. No equipment,no clothing. For all he knew Rat said, the girl was still alive.’’ (110) Mary Anne could have been captured by the enemies but the way O’Brien describes her patterns it is hard to believe she would not come back. O’Brien also lead you to believe that she was now apart of the forest staring at you or just a shadow you see as you continue your walk through.

Surrealism can tell a lot about a person just by hearing them tell their story to you.It helps develop character, you can tell if they like to exaggerate the truth or if they like to keep it completely true. In O’Brien’s book the chapters I have read so far you can tell that on some of the stories he stretched the truth

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