http://www.vietnam-war.info/facts/

Were confused souls, clinging to hope

they said it would be over soon

this was years ago

just grateful to be around sometimes

some days I wish I would die

like a lifeless body with empty thoughts

I am so scared

my mind wanders

will I ever make it out alive

every day they die around me

but I am still standing

I can’t even describe what consumes me anymore

every day I wait

http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/au-obrien-tim.asp

The story of the Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong by Tim O’Brien is about a tale brought to Alpha company by a man named Rat Kiley. The story is about another soldier named Mark Fossie who brought his girlfriend to Vietnam to spend time with him. During the course of her stay she forms a fatal attraction to the county and the war. She learns to live like a soldier and to participate in the duties just like another one of the men. After learning all there is to know from her boyfriend Mark she ventures off to hang out with the Greenies for some new excitement. Upon spending to time with the special forces and going out on secret missions, the call of the jungle eventually entices her in and she is never seen again.

The Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong is a story about a soldier Mark Fossie who has his girlfriend flown out to Vietnam to spend time with him. during her stay she becomes enchanted by the call of the jungle. A person who once started out a innocent girl becomes one of the jungles coldest inhabitants.

I would argue that this story is about the liberation of woman. Once thought to be to soft and fragile to ever survive such a place as Vietnam seems to welcome her curiosity with open arms.

http://www.poetsagainstthewar.org/

The essay written by Sam Hamill in my opinion was very refreshing, and a exciting eye opener. Sometimes I feel like I have never been introduced to the complete potential of poetry. But on the other hand I will admit that I have never given poetry a fair shake.

There is a lot to think about in this reading. There are quite a few ideas that are presented to the reader, one might take offense or not. Sometimes I think people need to be offended to wake up. Many times in my own life I have been offended, then gone home and reflected on the situation. Either found out I was in the wrong or perhaps someone else saw something that I did not. We need people to call us on our wrongs. We also need to become accountable for our actions. This is part of becoming a productive member of society.

We have created a society where if you don’t like something you just walk away and find something else, not everyone has this option. Usually poor societies have to deal with there problems, but apparently when you sit on top of the food chain these issues are passed to someone else to deal with, and we move on our merry way.

I think the media has a lot to do with our misinformation. The fact that only savory info gets reported, and when important issues do arise we just turn the other cheek and be glad that its not happening in our neighborhood. Most of the time the only way people get excited is when problems are happening in the own backyard. Its is just easier that way right!, Its just easier to not deal with things that don’t concern us. Society has gotten lazy or maybe just less compassionate of the needs of others.

I have had to personally call the cops on a friend when he was hitting his wife. The sad part is for the moments leading to my call I was wondering if it was the right thing to do. I think back to my decision and am glad I made the one I did, but why was there hesitation. Was calling the cops not the obvious thing to do.

The author is right, we are controlled by fear. When I was a kid I remember watching my parents argue. My natural instinct was that this was not right. But we are taught to stay out of other peoples business, but at what point does someone else’s become my problem, or my business. These are the questions that we need to ask ourselves.

I am not happy with what is happening in the world, mostly with the U.S’s continuing need to war. Especially when at home we have more that enough problems to deal with. If this was the sixties we would be rioting in the streets. At what point did it all change. When did we lose our voice.

The first poem that I chose to read was the Rite of Passage. What a interesting and dark interpretation of the lives of little boy’s, but even more disturbing was how accurate it was. The poem made me think back to when I was a child running around the yard, with my cousin, playing army. We would shoot things at each other and blowing stuff up, we were always at war. The conversations of little boys are filled with fighting, destruction, death and violence and has been like this since the beginning of time. It is almost like from the first day of birth a young man is set on a mission to find his place amongst his peers.

The boys eyeball around the room sizing each other up and falling into a natural chain of command. Those who do not subside to the given position, will fight for a new one. The arguments never seem to cease about whom is more powerful, and if all else fails there is always “my dad can beat up your dad”.

Finally, like a commander preparing his troops for battle, something powerful must be said soon, “we could easily kill a two year old”(Olds). I can imagine all of the boy’s raising one hand in the air cheering in approval for these profound words, the king has spoken.

The second poem that I chose to read was The Colonel. I had to read this poem quite a few time just to start to pick up on things. It seems like one of the people in the poem is writing it and this is there testimony of what happened that night.

I see two people pleading to the Colonel for the right of there people, perhaps in South America. I get the feeling that this Colonel is involved in some type of underworld element or maybe the leader of a cartel. It seems that the Colonel lives in fear or maybe he receives threats of some kind due to the way his home is set up, with grates on the windows and broken glass embedded in the walls. It is clear that he has all the power in this situation. He has a bag of ears, maybe one from each person that crosses his path. The poem leaves me guessing of what might happen next, kind of spooky.

There is nothing that I can relate to personally in this poem, I just found it interesting. Both of the poems that I chose both stuck me as being out of the norm for what I would expect from poetry. I found it to be refreshing and also gave me some ideas for the future. I would have never expected poetry to be written this way with these topics.

olds, sharon. Poetry Foundation n. pag. Web. 16 Jun 2010.archive/poem.html?id=176440>.

http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/205

http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/forche/life.htm

Vladimir Nabokov discusses "Lolita" part 1 of 2

Nathan Hutchinson
Eng 102
6-8-2010

I believe that Nabokov is asking of a reader to be open minded and to really have a thirst for reading. Only the true aficionado’s possess the ability to truly understand what is being said. He is asking when approaching a read to enter it with a blank slate. To approach it as a learning process.
To some degree I agree with what is being said. I think that at times it is hard to not form some sort of opinion, especially with Authors that you have read many times before.
I believe a good reader is someone who is willing to give the time needed to let the author get the point across. Someone who can be patient and understanding. I think a good reader will become a character in the book.
I am a terrible reader. I have a hard time paying attention and get lost quite a bit. I can get frustrated easily with this a will get discouraged and just choose not to do it. Of course I don’t practice very much either. Reading is a skill thats gets better with practice. I have never invested the time. I must admit though, the books I have read I have truly enjoyed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Nabokov

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