Writing Prompt #7

I think that there is some truth in this book whether the author meant for it to be or not. He probably got some of the stories or ideas for the stories from real soldiers or things that he has heard. Based on the criteria in the book, the novel is definitely a war story. It might not always be a "true" war story, but it portrays real feelings and emotions of what real soldiers would have truly felt. I would recommend the book because as it says on the book: It isn't only for readers interested in war but also interested in the craft of writing as well.

Writing Prompt #4

My favorite story in the book was the very first one, "The Things they Carried". I liked it because it introduces all the characters, not by just describing what they looked like but what was important to them and what their feelings and emotions were. It was a very interesting story to me because it also listed many tools that soldiers actually use in war and how much stuff they had to carry. All the equipment they have to carry doesn't leave much space for their personal belongings and all the responsibilities of war doesn't leave much room for their own thoughts and feelings, but what they did carry with them was revealed. My least favorite story was "How to Tell a True War Story". The story was all around confusing to me and I couldn't really follow it. I can't really explain it because it went in so many directions and actually I got bored with it. After Kiowa was assigned to my group in class, he became my favorite. He was such a realistic person and he didn't let the war get to him. The rest of the men all respect Kiowa and try to take his useful advice. One of my least favorite characters was actually Jimmy Cross. He seems kind of like a flat character to me and he wasn't really focused on his job and it costs him in the end.

Writing Prompt #2

I'm not sure if I could explain the semi-truths to someone else, because I'm still not exactly sure what is definitely truth and what is made up. I chose when reading the book to beleive everything even when I knew that some of it was not true. I didn't see the harm in beleiving it, especially since I have never experienced war. I would tell them to look for all the symbols and and relations in the book because it actually got to be quite fun, figuring out what evrything meant on a deeper level and then what it was related to. I don't think that there are specific things to pick up on, but I did like the soldier, Kiowa, and he has a great impact in the book, so I would advise to paay close attention to him and his story.

Writing Prompt #1

The movie "To Save A Life" is based on a true story. I have written about it before in a previous writing prompt. I chose to write on it agian because it is a type of story that can be very true, but people don't want to believe its true. It's about highschool and the whole scene there, with bullying, in-crowds, and the "un-cool" kids. My opinion of this movie is: it is a movie that really shows how high school can be and can make you realize how you treat others and it doesn't matter what other people think about it. At the end of the movie is where it told us that it was based on a true story and it made me realize how real the whole movie could be even if parts were made up. It enhanced the viewing for me and then I went back and thought about what lessons I had learned from it.