Thursday, October 10, 2013

"Speaking of Courage"


In Speaking of Courage, Norman Bowker shows similarities in many ways to Tim O’Brien in the chapter, On the Rainy River. These chapters illustrate how the two men view courage, and how it applies to themselves. The young soldiers feel as though they have somehow failed, so they find a place to go to where they can just think to themselves about either their future or their past.
Both Bowker and O’Brien want to be brave, but feel like they have failed to do so. It is clear in Speaking of Courage that Norman Bowker wants to impress his dad but the thought that his father won’t be proud of him always lingers in the back of his mind. He constantly tells his dad about all the medals he won, and even lists all of them, then says, “They were for common valor[…] but that was worth something, wasn’t it?” (135) seeking approval. It’s clear to the readers that his dad is proud of him, because whenever Bowker says something negative about himself, his father will respond with something like, “You have seven medals(...) Count ‘em. You weren’t a coward either” (136). Even with responses like this, Bowker continues to think that he could have done better in the war and have been more courageous.
Similar to Bowker, O’Brien “fear[s] losing the respect of [his] parents” (42), but in his case, if he decides not to go to war. Bowker desperately wants to and worries about impressing his family, even though no one had ever told him that they were not impressed. He envisions himself being humiliated by the whole town in the case where he would not serve in the war, but this is what he really wants to do. He does not want to go to war because he knows he is just not that type of person, yet he cannot bring himself to make that decision for himself. He goes to war, and because he chooses to do what everyone else does, and makes the moral decision, he no longer thinks he is brave. O’Brien tells himself that “[he] [is] a coward” (58) because he did what he was told to do and decided to go to war.
Bowker also thinks of himself as cowardly, saying, “I wasn’t very brave” (136) and thinking, “he had not been so brave as he had wanted to be” (147). Both characters reflect on how they could have been brave, but chose not to, and that decision sticks with them.
Tim O’Brien and Norman Bowker find places where they can go to get away from it all, and have time to reflect. O’Brien reflects on his future and the impossible decision he is forced to make by traveling to the Tip Top Lodge, near the Canadian border. Bowker’s place is the road along the lake, where he spends time here looking back on his past in the war.
O’Brien needs to take time to be alone, without the pressures from his family, so he finds this lodge that is isolated from his community. Here he thinks of all the pros and cons of going to war and of doing what he really wants to do and staying away from it.
Just like O’Brien, Bowker finds an isolated place where he can spend all the time he wants to thinking about the war. He drives almost obsessively around the lake over and over again, and spends a majority of his time imagining scenarios where he would be talking with his father about his time in the war. He also imagines telling Sally Kramer about a horrible experience he had while at war. In both these cases, he realizes that no one will ever be able to understand what he went through, but he still feels the need to imagine these scenarios.
Both Tim O’Brien and Norman Bowker feel like they have somehow failed to be brave. Since they view themselves somewhat as cowards, it makes them insecure about how others will view them. They also both feel as though no one back at home would understand the difficulty of their situation, so they have a place to go where they can be away from everyone.


N.d. Photograph. New England History Teacher's Association. NEHTA, 4 Oct. 2013. Web. 9 Oct. 2013.

11 comments:

  1. Good job, Christina! I like how you pointed out Bowker's desire to impress his father, but I feel like there is more to it than just that. Bowker describes his dad as always watching TV. His father is at home, but he is a distant and uninvolved figure in Bowker's life, as Bowker always feels like he has no one to talk to about his experiences. You did a great job comparing the role of a "special place" for both O'Brien and Bowker. The role these locations play is significant in determining the fate of both characters.

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  2. Good job! I liked your comparison between the two characters on how they were so desperate to please their families. I think that the constant desire to please is what caused them to enter the war and could have resulted in the downfall of both characters. However, O'Brien transitions nicely from war to peace while Bowker does not, and thus kills himself.

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  3. Nice post! I like how you found similarities between O'Brien and Bowker, but I think that Bowker does not want to be alone. He spends a lot of time thinking about what he would say if someone asked, but no one ever does (except for the intercom). I also liked how you were able to compare their thoughts on themselves. Awesome job!

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  4. Great job Christina!
    I really like your comparison between the two characters. Also how you talked about similar pressures they were both feeling and their thoughts about themselves was very well though out. Good job!!

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  5. Thank you for helping me see the connection between the two stories. I think you went into a lot of depth. I'm glad that you focused a lot on how both characters see themselves, and I think it goes to show that way that people see themselves influences who they are and the choices that they make.

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  6. I thought it was cool how you compared that both the people wanted to make their families proud. I think you also show that the constant desire to please other people is quite harmful, and the pursuit of pleasing others, often leads to dissapointment.

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  7. Great Job! I really like all the detail, it not only intrigued me but it really helped me understand more of the two stories. Also comparing the two Characters was a great move.

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  8. Christina, I think it was a great idea to compare two stories written by O'Brien. There are very clearly two different perspectives here, so great job addressing that. Also, your analysis of the two characters and their perceptions of bravery was very well done. Great job Christina!

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  9. I enjoyed how you compared the two stories/characters. I never thought of Norman trying to impress his father, but now after reading your analysis, I have a totally new view of the story. I also never thought of Norman or Tim relating; I just thought they were two soldiers in a war story. I like how you relate them because this helps me understand the book as a whole and not just as individual chapters. Great job!

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  10. I liked how you addressed the theme of cowardice because I think it is a very prominent one in this book and specifically in this chapter. I also liked how you talked about him seeking the approval of his dad because I think a lot of people can relate to him, and it bridges the gap to someone seemingly so distant.

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  11. I like how you compared Speaking of Courage to another story from The Things They Carried, On the Rainy River. In both stories being brave or cowardly is a big theme as is the water in both stories. Water represents cleansing and both Norman Bowker and Tim O'Brien need to cleanse themselves of their guilt. Good analysis Christina!

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