Things They Carried: Speaking of Courage and Notes

Speaking of Courage and Notes

1. One definition of rhetoric is “the study of how spoken or written language works.  In short fiction, rhetorical analysis is the analysis of the choices an author makes in telling a story.”   

Rhetorical Awareness in Notes

In pages 149-152 of “Notes”, O’Brien talks about the decisions that he made while writing various versions of the chapter “Speaking About Courage”.  Identify three or four decisions that he made concerning setting, tone, emotional core, dramatic frame, characters, unity, etc.  Which ones apparently worked and therefore are present in this, the most recent version of the story?  Which earlier choices did not work?

O’Brien’s comment on his story telling choice (page #)	Was this a successful or unsuccessful choice? Why? What does O’Brien say about it?
“The emotional core of the story came directly form Bosker’s letter; the simple need to talk” (152)

1. What problems does Norman confront when he returns home? What seems to prevent him from dealing with them successfully?

 2. Why is this story called “Speaking of Courage”? Assume the title does NOT hold any irony. In what sense does this story speak of courage?

3. Why is Norman unable to relate to anyone at home? More importantly, why doesn’t he even try?

HW: Read "On the Rainy River" (37-58)