How does Rat Kiley's telling of the story add to the tension?
What does the story say about the Vietnam experience?
What was your reaction to this story?
O'Brien states: "What happened to her...was what happened to all of them. You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterward it's never the same" (114). What is your response to this quote? How does it apply to Vietnam? Can you relate this idea to life as well? How so?
The cause of Mary Anne's transformation in "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" was the land of Vietnam itself. According to Rat Kiley's story, and many other stories at that, Vietnam changed everybody. Whether it be a massive firefight, enduring the weather, or simply breathing in the air, it affected each individual differently. Rat Kiley added tension to this story through his troubled, distant reflection.
ReplyDeleteMy personal reaction of the story and the quote somewhat tie into each other - the world is a tough, tough neighborhood. In "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong", Mary Ann Bell shows the complete contrast of the Western world and the Eastern world. Vietnam invades these soldiers, sits inside of them, and soils them. Regarding Mary Ann Bell, Vietnam just got carried away with her.
In the chapter "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" Mary Anne is changed after visiting Vietnam. The experience of being in Vietnam and seeing there is more to life than just her life in America. Mary Anne grew curious with Vietnam and got carried away. Overtime she started to want ore of the Vietnam experience.
ReplyDeleteThe quote applies to Vietnam because the war took young men from their homes and exposed them to a different life. The war exposed them to death and taught them how to cope with it.
As soon as Marry Anne tocuhes the land in that campground she snaps. It's like Vietnam is an infectious disease that infects every soldier and mutates them to an extent. Marry Anne Just got a little more of the dose than everybody else did. Rat said she was a curios girl and you could tell as she wanted to learn how to take apart the guns and wanted to see the people of the village.
ReplyDeleteIt's sort of the same thing when we go visit other states and other countries. We tend to pick up accents, styles, and habits that people from that region have. The curiosity is the same too because as soon as we go there we want to go see and visit everything. It's like what they say curiosity killed the cat
The cause of Mary Anne's transformation is Vietnam itself. She comes wearing her pink sweater and clean skirt, from a life that was never affected by war before. She started out by having a mere curiosity for the differences between America and Vietnam. In the end she allows her curiosity to consume her and she is therefore swallowed by the land itself. Rat adds to the tension by drawing out the story for a lengthy time so he can create a dramatic effect to each "scene".
ReplyDeleteThe story shows that the Vietnam experienced soiled everything, no matter how pure or naive. My reaction to the story was that no matter how distant from the fringe of war one is, it can still find a way to worm inside of ones heart and mind; changing them until they are unrecognizable. The quote applies to that same corruption. Vietnam didn't necessarily do this, it was more through the affected peoples mindsets. Being a tourist in another country is different then being a soldier. In order to survive in a war a soldier has to learn about the culture and land that surrounds them so they can blend in. This action inadvertently changes people.
Mary Anne Bell. The typical mid-century 1960’s young adult…fresh out of Cleveland Heights Senior High School. As the girlfriend of Mark Fossie, a young medic, she arrived tired and weary. Rat Kiley describes Bell as having long, white legs, blue eyes, and complexion like strawberry ice cream. Thanks to his ceaseless track record for exaggeration, Kiley’s method of telling the story explains to the reader that Vietnam was in essence an opiate. This story tells the reader that serving in Vietnam is like being in another universe, almost as if you were serving and carrying out your duties in a haze because of the depth of your surroundings. This story is intensely poignant, touching the reader in an innumerable number of ways, my reaction was almost a matter of disbelief; I didn’t want to believe that Mark Fossie received a medical discharge, while Mary Anne Bell simply received the label “Missing in Action.” O’Brien’s quote applies to Vietnam considering that during the United States’ involvement, 9,087,000 Military personnel served on active duty, which is a staggering 9.7% of their generation, or 21.1% of the United States population. These statistics prove the country’s major need for soldiers during the Vietnam era, and to satisfy these needs, the nation turned to the Selective Service Act, instituting the draft for young men as they were graduating high school and then immediately shipping them off to serve in Vietnam, which forced men in America’s youngest generation to grow up far faster than they would have had to during a peacetime. This idea could be related to real life as well; for example, when you leave home for the first time and get the first taste of freedom, and all of the responsibilities that come along with it.
ReplyDeleteMary Anne Bell was a stereotypical perfect, innocent "Barbie Doll" who was so intrigued by such a different setting than she is used to in Vietnam. She was so restricted living in Cleveland, and then she was exposed to so much in Vietnam, it was too much, too intense. Rat Kiley adds tension to the story because most of the story was personal experience, he was there for just about the entire thing. Also, he loved her, just as everyone else did.
ReplyDeleteThere really are no words to describe the Vietnam experience, just that it turned a "Barbie Doll" into an Amazon Woman that lost all connections to her original home, friends and family.
When I began reading this story, I thought to myself "Fossie is going to bring his girlfriend to Vietnam and she is going to die," and that's it. However, I was a little surprised to know that she runs away and joins the wilderness of Nam. The details and imagery really brought her character to life, and that is what made it almost frightening.
First of all, I think this novel is deep-- the stories, and the way he writes, it is all very deep. So after the story of "Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong", I understood the quote "What happened to her...was what happened to all of them. You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterward it's never the same". The wilderness, the intensity, and the violence of war corrupts your mind and view of the world. Those memories just get imprinted in your mind and it is hard to forget, and I cannot imagine what it was like myself, but the novel made everything seem sort of real. I guess the same is for when you lose a friend or family member, or if you go through a traumatizing experience. That moment can follow you almost all your life, it all depends how you take life and its challenges, or consequences.
The story of “Sweetheart Song Tra Bong” is meant to show how the cruelty and rawness of war can cause someone’s personality to do a complete 180-turn. However, there is another factor involved that may be overlooked; drugs. The Vietnam War is where marijuana gained its fame and became much more prevalent in American society. It was used as relief from the hardships of war. Heroin also gained a boost in popularity during this time period.
ReplyDeleteDrugs relate to Mary Anne because of the way the war overcame her. She indulged in knowing more about the land, and eventually became too deeply involved for her own good. She became addicted to the kill and the thrill. Rat Kiley describes it perfectly while telling the story, “For Mary Anne Bell, it seemed, Vietnam had the effect of a powerful drug: that mixed of unnamed terror and unnamed pleasure that comes as the needle slips in and you know you’re risking something” (O’Brien 109). O’Brien uses this description to describe what Vietnam is to some; a drug. You hate it with all your heart and want nothing to do with it, but no matter what you do you always reach the same conclusion: One more shot, one more kill.
O’Brien again refers to the idea of drugs when talking about Mary Anne, comparing her with other soldiers that came over. They start out as young, innocent boys that have barely seen the real world. Then the drug takes over, twisting their minds, leaving them hurt, changed, and their dreams destroyed. Even after is all said in done, the dreams are still lost... a part of themselves is still missing.
Honestly, my reaction to the story was somewhat of relief. I assumed that Mary Anne would be assaulted sexually or cheat on her lover in some way. Luckily, neither of these things happened. The story also relieved me by saying how war affects everyone the same. O’Brien’s point is in this case that war is the same drug, and affects all who live it equally despite race or gender.
Mary Ann Bell was introduced into the story in "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" as the perfect American girl. She was young--fresh out of high school--, pretty, naive, and had a life full or options and opportunities. When she stepped off of that helicopter, she was just like any other boy who had arrived before her. I believe it was Vietnam itself that caused the change in Mary Ann Bell. The land seemed to affect every person it touched like a poison or sickness. Or like a drug. Mary Ann got her first real taste of Vietnam when she was taken to the village, and soon after it was obvious that she wanted more. So she helped attend to the wounded and learned all she could about guns and the land. But it wasn't enough to sate her, so she ran off with the Greenies, a group of soldiers who kept to themselves and would vanish into the forest for days or weeks at a time. That satisfied her for a while, but, as it is with all drugs, she still craved more. That's what pushed her over the edge and caused her to run off into the forest alone--no guns, no equipment, just her pink sweater and necklace of human tongues (disgusting, might I add). The land had called to Mary Ann Bell the moment she stepped foot on it, and it got her in the end.
ReplyDeleteThe transformation of Mary Ann Bell is caused by the excitement of Vietnam. In the war torn country everyday could be your last, so you have to live each day to the fullest. This mindset changed Mary Ann. Rat Kiley told this story seriously and slowly, two things he normally doesn't do. This implies the story is true, and builds anticipation for what will happen next.
ReplyDeleteI really understand the quote. These men fought in a brutal war with undefined battles and booby traps, in an unreal place. After experiencing that it's hard to go back to Kansas and work at the store.
In "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" the transformation of Mary Anne Bell is due to the completely different world it is at war in Vietnam than it is in her safe, quaint, and homely life back in Cleveland Heights. Everything about Vietnam is foreign to Mary Anne from the language, to culture, and everyday activities that have to be carried day in and day out which raises her curiosity about Vietnam even more. As usual with most of the Vietnam stories told by the soldiers, Rat Kiley's way of describing the situation is of such detail and length that it makes the story of Mary Anne Bell sound very dramatic. This story of Mary Anne and Mark adds to the Vietnam experience because it shows exactly how war affects and changes everyone in different ways. In this case, Mark writes for Mary Anne to come to Vietnam so she can comfort him and give him some peace while the world around him is in turmoil. However, when she does arrive she fully embraces the Vietnamese culture with such curiosity that she eventually forgets about Fossie and leaves him to be one with the land there in Vietnam. Personally, I agree with the quote in a sense that people come to war with certain expectations and come out of it completely changed with a whole new perspective, but regarding Mary Anne I think it was very foolish of her to just leave Mark and her entire life behind to run off wild in Vietnam.
ReplyDeleteIn "The Things They Carried", Rat Kiley tells the story of Mark Fossie's lover. He brought Mary Anne Bell overseas to visit him. His reason was that there wasn't really much commotion taking place at the location their camp base was at. Being in that type of environment made Mary Anne stronger and more serious as a person. She got to see the reality of the war from a totally different perspective. In the beginning of "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong", O'Brien describes Mary Anne as a picture perfect Barbie doll. He made her sound like the average stereotype for young blonde girls. O'Brien makes it seem like she has a relatively easy life, and at first Mary Anne was only interested in the cultures of the people surrounding her. Then, she started to chip in and help out around camp. I think from Mary Anne sorrounding herself in an environment where everything is very intense and serious, she learned how to really buckle down and take matters into her own hands. It seems to me that Mary Anne lost the shine to her smile that she once had. The way Rat Kiley tells the story and the way the men question whether everything he's saying is false makes you wonder if the story is made up to get attention and excitement from the other soliders. I think it's very important to take note in the fact that Mary Anne wasn't even involved in the very drastic measures of the war and she saw a very low-key aspect of Nam. Having said that, to me it's very shocking how the men described the environment as relaxed, while for her it was life changing. That shows how adjusted the men were to their surroundings and how quickly you learn what you need to do out in the field to get by and stay on your feet. In order to do what Mary Anne did for herself and for the men, you must have a lot of courage. I love the story of the Song Tra Bong because I feel that I myself could never accomplish something as challenging and terrifying as Mary Anne did. I think O'Brien's quote explains that once you've survived a war, you never see things the same again. Everything around you is happier and life is better once the war is over, but the memories will haunt you. No matter how much people will disagree, being in such a hostile environment will make you a different person. What kind of person that may change you into is your own decision.
ReplyDeleteWhen Mary Anne arrives to the war in Vietnam to accompany Mark Fossie she is immediately awe stricken by the war and what the surroundings have to offer there. She's fascinated by the culture and wants to participate in the tasks that soldiers have to do on a day to day basis like treating badly wounded soldiers. She no longer views herself as the girl she was before she left for the war. Mark brought her to act as how she would if they had been back at home but she immediately strayed away from the stereotypical woman. She started to feel as if she were equal to the men and could handle the war just as well as they could. When I read this story I wasn't expecting Mary Anne to develop into this inspired girl that actually wanted to be at Vietnam in the war. I thought that it would be proven too much for her and she would have eventually wound up leaving. I am happy the way things turned out because her character did not restrict itself to the typical woman at the time and she helped prove that women could handle being in the war. The story to me represents that even the sweetest or purest of people can venture to Vietnam and become the complete opposite. I think the war took advantage of this by stripping people of their innocence and turning them into people they never imagined they would be. Just as some of then men never pictured themselves shooting with machine guns and taking the lives of people, I think Mary Anne and Mark never would have expected the war to change her like it did. In life one person could experience something different and not be affected by it at all while another person could go through the same thing and have it completely change their life.
ReplyDeleteIn "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" the up-close and personal experiences of Vietnam caused the change in Mary Anne. Going from the freedom and peace of an American town to the crazy and unpredictable jungles of Vietnam can change a woman. Mary Anne found her true self out in the wilderness of Vietnam. She flourished from the thrill of knowing that at any moment her life could end, just by stepping on a booby trap or getting caught in a cross fire. She became something of an adrenaline junky. She slowly delves deeper and deeper into the Vietnamese culture and finds herself growing closer to this strange new country every day. Rat Kiley's desperation for the men to believe his story added to the tension because it made you want to hear more and understand why he is taking the story so slowly. The way that he never claimed anything to be falsified was also interesting for his personality and habit of embellishing stories. The story says that the Vietnam experience can really change a person's personality completely and let the nature of humans to explore and know more kick in. I was shocked that this sweet girl turned into a savage and ran off, not knowing whether she is dead or alive. My response to the above quote is that every trial that you go through in life changes you. It may be for the better, it may be for the worse. But you get a little dirt on that once squeaky clean personality. Things change, and innocence can't be salvaged completely.
ReplyDeleteIn "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" the sudden culture shock definitely changed Mary Anne. She was very curious about how everything worked. She liked to roam around the tents and ask questions. She loved the whole culture and the villages. She had a big longing for understanding of the people, war, and the land. Mary Anne eventually became "one of the guys". She stopped wearing makeup and jewelry. She chopped her hair very short and wore it in a green bandana. Mary Anne eventually learned how to clip an artery and disassemble an M-16. One night, Mary Anne didn't come back to her tent. Fossie had found her the following morning with the Greenies. Mary Anne changed completely. She wore a necklace of human tongues and she was ready for the kill. Rat Kiley wanted everyone to believe his story that it added tension. No one could really be sure if the story was true or not.
ReplyDeleteMy reflection to the story is that traumatic experiences really do change people. Mary Anne was a regular city girl who turned into a complete killing machine. She had experienced something she had no knowledge of prior and it really left its mark. It is exactly what the quote says, "What happened to her...was what happened to all of them. You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterward it's never the same". That could also be relevant to other things people go through. Whether it is a bad experience, drugs, or a bad crowd, life really does change you.
The cause of Mary Anne was Vietnam. Once she got there, she became very curious and wanted to know more about Vietnam. The story says that Vietnam will no doubt change you. You could go from being very loving and innocent but once you step into that land you will realize the world isn't that good and you could go cold hearted. Mary Anne was the "typical" girl who seemed fragile until she came here. She later proved herself to be strong and brave, wanting to fight in this war herself. I was happy at that turnout, it goes to show that even back then gender roles weren't all that important to some people. The quote, "What happened to her...was what happened to all of them. You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterward it's never the same", can be applied to many things. Whether is be bullying, a death, drugs, it will all boil up inside you and change your views on things you never thought would change.
ReplyDeleteIn "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," Mary Anne Bell was awed by Vietnam. It wasn't just the war but the culture itself. She was young and fresh out of school coming to a strange place that you don't hear or see everyday. When Rat Kiley tell O’Brien the story he adds tension by making it seem like the country swallowed Mary Anne into the wild. The story show how Vietnam changed everyone. War does strange thing to people and with being in a strange place must not help at all. My Reaction to the story almost made me think the wild took her and made her crazy. I know many soldier once they have gone to war they are never the same because they see gruesome stuff and they learn to survive the wild with minimal resources. O'Brien quotes:"What happened to her...was what happened to all of them. You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterward it's never the same" (114). This quote relates not only to war, Vietnam, but also everybody. When you have a bad breakup or something traumatic happens you never are the same again the hand print of the event is forever with you.
ReplyDeleteWhat causes the transformation in Mary Ann Bell was excitement and how different Vietnam was from everything she knew. Vietnam happened to be the place for her where she fit in well. Her character was almost best suited for the action in the war. She was addicted to the action. She loved the feelings she got from being a part of it all. A part of the people, the land, the war, the soldiers. She could do everything she never thought she could. And the way Rat Kiley told the story made it more complicated than it had to be. He started out with being less than enthusiastic about the story telling to over-exaggeration which emphasized the transition of Mary Ann. Any story that was told in the book reflected either the sameness of the boring aspects of the war or the extreme flips. My reaction to the story was that I was not surprised. People change, especially in such exotic environments where nothing is the same at all. I'm sure I'd be the same way if I was put into her shoes. The quote makes sense to me because I understand how Vietnam can change someone.
ReplyDeleteThe war, and the land itself, changed Mary Anne. She loved the thrill of the danger, of running dangerous missions, and she was addicted to the high of knowing that you lived and someone else didn’t. The land, the people, and the traditions spoke to Mary Anne. It all combined to transform her, into someone entirely unrecognizable. Rat Kiley telling the story added to the tension because he was there. He wasn’t just someone passing down the story secondhand, he was there. He saw it all happen right before his eyes, and it gave him an emotional link that made the story more real. This story basically sums up the “Vietnam Experience.” You go in as one person, and come out someone entirely different. Sometimes it’s as if a person never came back at all. Not really. My reaction to the story is a little bit of disbelief, but also a bit of apprehension. I never wish to encounter something that could so completely change me as Vietnam changed Mary Anne. Rat’s quote makes complete sense. In one sentence he manages to say everything about war that needs to be said. Those young soldiers went to Vietnam as naïve, idealistic youth, and came back different people, hardened by the tragedies they witnessed. This can be related to a number of things in real life. Drugs for example; you try it once, thinking, “Hey no big deal,” and suddenly you’re in deeper than you expected, and have no idea how to get out. Over time you transform into someone you can’t even recognize, all due to that first decision to “just try it.”
ReplyDeleteThe obvious cause of Mary Anne's transformation from school girl to greenie was the greenies themselves. Looking more superior than the rest of the troops even without speaking. Everyone wants to be a part of the bigger and better. Not only in war but in school, work, and every day life. What also caused the change of Mary Anne was the land of Vietnam. Breathing in the wet air and wading through the muck after long nights of doing the same thing can change anyone. It can make their body tired. Not only the obvious need for sleep becomes presently apparent but the permanent exhaustion that lives on the surface. Each expression now comes with drooping, sleepy eyes and a sunken smile.
ReplyDeleteRat's way of pausing and clarifying and adding personal flicks into his stories heightens the tension. This becomes a problem when some of the other troops in the platoon when they simply want to hear a story that flows and gets on way to the point.
The transformation in Mary Anne Bell was caused by the cruel adventure of war. She came from a small town and was given a chance to experience something other than what she had grown up doing. She took the chance and it changed her. She changed for the better in some ways, but in the end the war took her mind and body captive. She could never return to life as it had been because she had been able to live outside of the path that was laid before her. The telling of the story by Rat created more tension because he would leave parts hanging because he sometimes didn’t know the answers either. Also, Rat felt more pain in talking about Mary Anne Bell because even though he was not close to her he had loved her. After all there’s not much to love in Vietnam. Vietnam was not a happy experience for anyone. The war changed people and left them forever under its hold. Once they were there, there was no going back.
ReplyDeleteThis quote by O’Brien is saying that there are things in life that change everyone, and that after we have experienced them we can no longer look at things the same way. In our lives we experience this too. Changes such as moving, divorce, and learning the hard truth can leave people in a whirlwind, and after the storm there is no way to return to what was. In Vietnam lives were changed by the war. Dreams were yanked away from people because they were drafted to go to war, and after the war they could never go back to those dreams because they were a different person. They no longer held those same dreams and what was once present in their lives was gone.
Vietnam in itself is what changed Mary Anne. Being in the heart of the action. It was a laid back camp but once a chopper landed she was all in. That’s when she started changing. That’s when the bubbliness in her disappeared and that’s when her eyes became cold. When she started patrolling with The Greenies there was no going back. That says a lot about the place. How it can change this straight out of highschool girl into this savage beast with tongues strung around her throat ready to go into the wild.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I thought Rat had a great way of telling the story. I know Tim wrote it down but still. I was really entranced with that story and I thought it was humorous when it would cut back to Rat and Sanders abruptly. It added to the story like he was actually there telling it to you.
To be honest, I was surprised by the ending though. I didn’t expect her to run off, I actually thought she’d get killed because she went off alone into the jungle for some reason. Like, she was going to patrol herself and it’d end badly but it didn’t. She just ended up leaving.
My response to the quote is that war can obviously change anyone. If you know a veteran and they have any stories of combat or anything, it’s probably changed them in one way or another.
The transformation is caused in Mary Anne Bell by Vietnam and how she feels when she spends some time there. The war and all the things that go along with it fascinate her. Rat Kiley’s telling of the story adds to the tension because he was there to experience the transformation first hand. Also, he loved her. He was one of the men that did get close with her and saw just exactly how Vietnam changed her. The story says that the Vietnam experience is very unlike anything that any person has ever been through before. It says that in Vietnam, every incident, every person, every day changes your life. I thought that this story was really interesting. I couldn’t believe how in such a short amount of time, a normal 17-year-old girl was suddenly transformed into a completely different person than she would have ever thought to be. I think the quote means that Vietnam changed innocent people’s lives forever. Every experience they had in the war changed them as a person, and they will never go back to how they were. I think that in my life, I have never had a very life changing experience. But in less important terms, after anything happens to you, during a friendship or a relationship, you take away so many things that make you a different person than you were at the start of the relationship.
ReplyDeleteIn the chapter “ Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” Mary Anne has changed dramatically after visiting Vietnam. After visiting Vietnam Mary Anne realizes there is more to life than just her life in America. Mary Anne grew more and more curious about Vietnam while she was there and finally got carried away. Just over a short period of time she realized she wanted more and more of Vietnam experience. Mary Anne also realized she liked the action from the war and she loved the feelings she got from being apart of it all. And the way Rat Kiley told the story was too complicated. He made it seem like there was a dramatic change in Mary Anne over a short period of time, when in reality she was starting to change from the day she entered the boot camp.
ReplyDeleteOnce Mary Anne comes over to Vietnam , her own curiosity about the mechanics of the war leads into her transformation. The first physical manifestation of this is her trip to a nearby village. She marvels at how simple village life seemed to be. After that, she starts to change, at first physically. She stopped grooming herself, and cleanliness became of less importance. After that, things only get worse.
ReplyDeleteAdding to the sad nature of the story is the way in which Rat Kiley tells it. Even when the story seemed funny, Rat always kept a straight face. This tells us how Rat wanted the story to be taken as: a terrible thing that happened to nice people. Later, Rat tells us the point he was trying to make: that the war can make even the cleanest people dirty.
I of course found this story pretty depressing, but I found its irony interesting. Mark Fossie's attempt to bring them together resulted in their separation. If he had never tried to get Mary Anne over to Vietnam, his life would have gone on as planned.
The quote easily applies to Vietnam in that it somehow touched everyone present in it, and in doing so made them dirty. It also applies to life in general; any major event in someone's life has the power to change them, for better or for worse.
The transformation in Mary Anne Bell is caused by Vietnam and everything that comes along with it. When Rat Kiley told the story he made it a long story because he was there and saw what happened. The story says that the Vietnam experience changes a person. A person could come to Vietnam acting normal, stay for a short time, and leave feeling a change inside them. The things you see, learn, and do in Vietnam can change you. When I read this story, I thought that Mary Anne would not like being in Vietnam. I didn’t expect that Mary Anne would come back to Vietnam and want to stay. I think that the quote is true for anyone who went to war. It applies to Vietnam because in a war many people die. If a soldier sees a dead person or has to kill someone they may never be the same person again.
ReplyDeleteMary Anne Bell was transformed into the girl in Vietnam simply because of how young and changing she was in this hostile and different environment. When Rat Kiley shares this story it just adds to the tension because instead of Sanders telling his one of many stories, Rat explains it from exactly what he'd seen. The story just shows the tension and fear spread in the war, and what it could do to a person's mind, like it did to Mary Bell's. When I read the whole story and heard the quote it just made more sense to me showing what tension on a high level like that can change you. How you won't be yourself if something like that pushes you so far, and it could happen to ordinary people that get caught in the moment and something is just pushing them too far. It shows the fear and pain spreading throughout Vietnam and what can spread if some person is put into a high tension environment.
ReplyDeleteIn “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”, Mary Anne Bell’s transformation can be blamed on the frightening uncertainty of the Vietnam War. When she first came over from Cleveland Heights, she was described as a cute blonde carrying a cosmetic bag, wearing a sexy pink sweater. As more time elapsed and as Mary Anne’s curiosity towards the war expanded, her experiences changed the person she used to be. She was now portrayed as a girl with an utterly flat and indifferent look in her eyes. She now proudly wore a necklace made from human tongues. The reader knows Mary Anne has completely changed when she states “Sometimes I want to eat this place. The whole country- the dirt, the death- I just want to swallow it and have it there inside me” (O’Brien 106). Rat Kiley adds to the tension by explaining every detail, sometimes stopping almost midsentence, which drove Mitchell Sanders crazy. Rat wanted his listeners to always think “What’s next?” As I read the story I thought it was completely possible for a person to change that dramatically. I can see how one goes into war pure and sane, and come back from war the complete opposite. There are things you see during a war that you won’t, and don’t want to see anywhere else. Those up-close and personal experiences change people. O’Brien’s quote applies to Vietnam because a substantial amount of people truly never come back from war mentally, even if they are physically here. Norman Bowker came home alive, and ended up hanging himself because he didn’t know how to live life after war. This idea is related to regular everyday life as well because one may experience something that changes their life forever. Whether the experience is good or bad, you may try to forget, but somehow it just stays in the back of your mind, altering the way you live your life.
ReplyDeleteIn the "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," Mary Anne Bell goes through a transformation from a sweet city girl from Clevland Heights to a somewhat "savage" woman who was not phased by the dangerous enviorment of Vietnam. This is caused by her wanting to explore the world of war and war area in Vietnam. It was said that Vietnam really changes a person because of all the anticipation and uncertainty of what could or would happen next. When Mary Anne first came to Vietnam she could be described as a typical "girly-girl". As she spent more and more time there she transformed into this girl who cut her hair short, didnt change her clothes for three weeks, and flaunted the neckalace of human tongues. Rat Kiley made the story more intense because of the way he told it which was very serious, slow, and with lots of pauses creating a dramatic attraction to the story, almost like cliff hangers. O'Brien's quote is trying to get the point across that people don't expect their lives to be affected that much but in the outcome they are a completely changed person.
ReplyDeleteIn the "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong", Mary Anne Bell goes through a dramatic change while she is in Vietnam. Mary Anne Bell was caught up in all the excitement of the war, she wasn't scared of the dangerous environment of the war. Rat Kiley made the story more intense since he told the story in a very slow, serious, and dramatic way. O'Briens's quote relates to Vietnam because the people that come back from war are not mentally here even though they are physically here, since the war can really change people.
ReplyDeleteIn the "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong", Mary Anne Bell goes through a dramatic change while she is in Vietnam. Mary Anne Bell was caught up in all the excitement of the war, she wasn't scared of the dangerous environment of the war. Rat Kiley made the story more intense since he told the story in a very slow, serious, and dramatic way. O'Briens's quote relates to Vietnam because the people that come back from war are not mentally here even though they are physically here, since the war can really change people.
ReplyDeleteIn "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong", the transformation of Mary Anne Bell is caused by her curiosity and Vietnam itself. When she arrived at Vietnam she was an innocent, young blonde girl wearing a cute sweater but as time went on Mary Anne became more like one of the army men and became proud to wear a necklace of human tongues. Rat Kiley's telling of the story added more intension because he was there and was able to tell every detail he could remember and made it slow to make the listeners wonder what next. This story really showed how dramatic things can change and the quote shows how the troops will never be the same coming out of the war, as they were going into the war.
ReplyDeleteIn "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," curiosity was the reason why Mary Anne transformed from a sweet girl from Ohio into a soldier in love with Vietnam. She started out with learning simple phrases in Vietnamese to ammunition and procedures and then finally war itself. Rat Kiley’s over dramatic telling of the story added tension that kept the soldiers listening until the almost-end of Mary Anne’s time in Vietnam. Mary Anne was a different type of soldier that was unlike the other men. May Anne mixed with the culture and people of Vietnam and since she was so far from home the still sexist ideals of America were also far away giving her an equal footing with the men and smashing traditional gender roles. The men distanced themselves from the native people and were forced to fight in a war that they may or may not have believed in making them reluctant and dispassionate soldiers. They represented the majority of young soldiers that were frightened and thrown into a battle over communism that they could care less about. I could totally understand the reluctance to being drafted to fight in such a brutal war over something I didn't believe in and I could also understand how liberating Vietnam could be for a girl whose only possible future would be to get married and have kids and live in Ohio for the rest of her life.
ReplyDeleteWar opens a soldier's eyes to true brutality and not even when the wars over, not even 20 years later safe in bed can they forget what they’ve seen or what they’ve done to another living person. To the wrong soldier the memory of it can haunt them for the rest of their lives. It can drive them to drink away the pain, to drink until they’re out on the streets homeless. Or until they end their life because what they’ve been through and what they’ve done was something they can never forget or take back.
In "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," Mary Anne transformed from being the normal, conformist woman from Ohio who was supposed to have a husband and family, into a liberal, fighting soldier in Vietnam. Curiosity causes her drastic changes. Rat Keiley's dramatic telling of the story adds to the tension of the war because it symbolizes that anything can happen and it shows how much a war can change a person. The quote shows that the war exposed young men to the rest of the harsh world and it forever changes people, but not necessarily in a good or bad way.
ReplyDeleteMary Anne was transformed and poisoned by the land of Vietnam itself. She was an innocent young girl who had a bright future ahead of her and Vietnam changed her for the worse. When Rat Keiley tells the story of Mary Anne, there was a very tense atmosphere because the story was not a happy one. It was an example of the war doing a horrible thing to someone and because it was from Keiley's personal experience, it made the story more real. Not to mention his slow, dramatic, and almost cruel way of telling the story to the listeners, making them want to know more. O'Brien's quote is very powerful and relevant to what happened to Mary Anne. She came over to Vietnam a bright young woman she ended up drastically changing. O'Brien is saying that this happens to every soldier that comes to Vietnam. Their innocence is stolen by the cruel and gruesome nature of war and they can never fully return to their pure state. This is true in real life and not just this novel. Soldiers who fight in wars come back home and suffer from PTSD because they cannot forget the horrors they have seen and they are changed forever.
ReplyDeleteIn “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” Mary Anne Bell was transformed because of her curiosity, and simply how the war changed everyone. Vietnam was full of mysteries and darkness that Mary Anne Bell wanted to see. Rat Kiley told the story dramatically, pausing to add his thoughts and clarify actions. The soldiers were waiting to hear the full story but they had to listen to Kiley’s reflections. This story shows how Vietnam changes anyone, how it can transform a young pretty girl from Ohio into an intense, emotionless Greenie. The quote perfectly explains the Vietnam experience. Mary Anne was just an innocent girl who became addicted to the rush of the war. The young men who were drafted changed into harsh, rugged versions of themselves.
ReplyDeleteIn “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” the transformation of Mary Anne Bell is caused because of her curiosity, and the different world that she had encountered in Vietnam. It is nothing like her quiet home back in Cleveland Heights, and the simple life she used to have. Pat Kiley’s telling of the story added to the tension because of his rich descriptions he used. This story tells the reader that serving and being in Vietnam is like being in another galaxy, almost as if you were carrying out your duties without knowing because of the unique, and different surroundings you had encountered. This story says that Vietnam is like a drug to outsiders, and people that weren’t from the area like Americans. They were so amazed at the way of life, and the adrenaline rushes of not knowing what could happen next. This is what happened to the sweet Mary Anne. My reaction to this story is what in the heck is Mary Anne doing, and why does she love Vietnam so much. What is the fascination, and curiosity. Then I analyzed it and came to conclusion that Mary Anne wanted adventure, and change. She just didn’t want to sit back the rest of her life and watch, she wanted to achieve, and explore. My response to the quote I what I had just said, she basically got carried away with Vietnam. When somebody wants something badly they go get it, and this is what Mary Anne did.
ReplyDeleteMary Anne Bell is transformed because of her curiosity for Vietnam and the war. Even right when she arrived she would ask questions about almost everything. She was curious about the people and the land. She eventually started going on missions with the greenies. She loved being out in the wild, so she just blended in with the jungle. Rat Kiley adds tension to the story because he is telling it very seriously, he was there he watched as Mary Anne Bell transform into a different person. I was showed that Vietnam can even change a sweet innocent teenage girl into a complete different person. The quote Tim O'Brien said is very true. Vietnam changed many people like May Anne Bell, Norman Bowker, and Tim O'Brien, and thousands of others. It shows that certain things can happen through your life that will completely change you as a person.
ReplyDeleteThe transformation of Mary Ann Bell is caused by the excitement and anticipation of the war. In Vietnam, each day could be your last. This mindset changed Mary Ann. Rat Kiley told this story seriously and slowly, two things he normally doesn't do, which implies the story is true.
ReplyDeleteO'Brien is saying that this happens to every soldier that comes to Vietnam. Their peace of mind, stolen by the cruel nature of war. This is true in real life; soldiers who fight in wars come back home and suffer because they cannot forget the horrors they have taken in. They have been changed forever.
Mary Anne Bells transformation is due to the excitement and atmosphere of Vietnam. When Mary Anne had first arrived to Vietnam she wore a pink sweater and was a true American girl. AS time went on and she became more hands on in the war she became one of the soldiers herself. She participated in night watches and going into the field with the men. When Rat Kiley tells the story of the once vulnerable Mary Anne he adds suspense by elongating the story and adding in his emotions of the time. Like many other stories that come from Vietnams, Mary Anne’s story tells about a once normal person begin changed into a completely different person. My reaction to the story “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” was a new realization to the hardships of war and what it does to people. The quote by O’Brien "What happened to her...was what happened to all of them. You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterward it's never the same" (114) shows how Vietnam changed everyone who was involved in it. You can relate this to the idea of life because in the real world people are still being changed by their environments.
ReplyDeleteThe cause of Mary Anne Bell's transformation in "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" is the land and the surroundings. She has fallen in love with the war, the people, the land, and the action. Rat Kiley adds to the story with his own reflection and making the story more dramatic.
ReplyDeleteThe story says that the Vietnam experience was either dull and slow moving or exciting and intense. My reaction to the story was that no matter how hard you try to forgive and forget the war, it will always be with you. The war changes people. The quote makes total sense. No one comes out the same because of the harsh, crazy conditions of Vietnam. The tragedies are even more changing because of the things people have to do. This relates to life because everything you do changes you as a person. Whether you want it to or not.
The Vietnam War changed Marry Ann like it did to a lot of people. She yearned for more and more of the excitement of the war and not knowing if today was her last. Rat Kiley makes her story more dramatic by adding his own feelings and relations to the her story. He made it more drawn out and detailed. The war was a very remember-able time for anyone who was apart of it. War changes everyone in either a positive or negative way.
ReplyDeleteThe transformation of Mary Anne Belle is caused by being in Vietnam. The land, being in the scene of the war and seeing things she wouldn’t normally see at home completely transform her from the average American girl, to a member of the “greenies” which were a group of soldiers. The story goes to show that being in Vietnam at the time could change anyone. Going out and seeing parts of the country and the war scene became addicting to Mary Anne. At first, she begged Rat to take her to the village by the hill. Next she even went for a swim in the river, soon she started treating casualties, refused to go home, stopped caring about her hygiene and eventually went out on ambush. This story makes the Vietnam experience seem like a drug. Once you start, you can’t get enough and eventually you become addicted and want more and more. I thought this story was kind of crazy. If I went to Vietnam during the war, I wouldn’t even want to stay for a day so when she stayed for weeks, I thought that was weird. The quote applies to Vietnam because it explains exactly what happened to the soldiers that went to war. Mary Ann completely changed from a woman to a soldier. Norman Bowker changed from a small town guy to a soldier and then he was never the same because he felt he had no purpose when he wasn’t overseas fighting. Being in that kind of environment can change anyone.
ReplyDeleteThe change in Mary Ann Bell was caused by the Vietnam War. A transformation during this time happened to several people, it was not uncommon. Being around the war environment made her think of life differently. People believe Rat Kiley because he told the story slowly and very seriously, which he didn't do very often. it added much tension and anticipation to the story. It a very long, intense story of the war experience. It basically explained that once you're in the war, you never get out. Those experiences and thoughts will always be with you, good and bad. I found the story to be bittersweet. It shows how much strength and patriotism it takes to go into war and every soldier should be proud of that, but it also explains how much of a struggle the rest of your life will be. No man will ever be the same walking out as they were walking in.
ReplyDeleteIn “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” Mary Anne Bell slowly integrates herself into the Vietnam war. She walks into the village because she is curious about the culture, and she is not scared because she simply does not understand. She starts to change when her curiosity makes her understand. She learns how to do the soldiers jobs and performs them just as well as the guys. They way Rat Kiley tells the story makes the reader want to know more facts about this strange girl and how exactly the war changed her. He gives out little bits of information and then inserts his own opinions and thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThe Vietnam experience is that war can dirty even the purest of people. I personally loved this story because I felt I could relate to Mary Anne before she changed, and it was interesting seeing a character develop like she did.
I found O’Briens quote to be very true. Vietnam gives the soldiers experiences that they can never forget, and in life people have things that change them as a person. One bad or good experience can make it so someone is never the same as they once were.
What caused Mary Anne's transformation was the adventure and danger of the Vietnam wilderness. Rat Kiley adds tension by adding some exaggeration to the story and how he acts as he tells it. The story shows how Vietnam can talk even the most innocent person and completely change them. My reaction to the story was that I could believe how Vietnam could change someone, but I highly doubt that a civilian girl would be able to come to Vietnam and join with a group of military men and eventually be taken by Vietnam. My response to the quote is that I find it highly believable. The quote relates to Vietnam because at first all the soldiers are "green" but the gore and danger changes how they see things. The quote also relates to life because everyone is born perfectly innocent, but what happens to them or what they see changes them.
ReplyDeleteThe transformation in Mary Anne Bell during "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" was due to the different surroundings and the action that took place in the Vietnam war which fascinates her. She wasn't used to all of this because back in Cleveland Heights it was considered more "homely". Rat Kileys telling of the story added tension because he loved her deeply and he was also there to experience the transformation. The story says that Vietnam is an experience that one will never forget. I think the quote means that the war changed many peoples lives forever! All experiences that were encountered during Vietnam changed someone to the point that they will never go back to the person that they "used" to be. In my personal life as a 16 year old girl I have yet to experience something so life changing. I know that in the future I definitely will but as of right now I have not.
ReplyDeleteIn “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”, Vietnam itself causes Mary Anne Bells transformation. Mary Anne went to Cleveland Heights Senior High School and was an average everyday 17 year old girl. She had never been exposed to the war. When she went to Vietnam it had changed her. Vietnam changes everyone, whether it’s for better or for worse. The environment is such a dramatic change from America. The sounds, the people, the language, it’s all different. Mary started liking the war and it grew on her. She found out who she was and she was addicted to adrenaline. She loved the thrill of the war and loved putting herself out there. It was like a drug to her and it gave her a buzz. Every day she would develop more of a growth to the country. Rat Kiley’s telling of the story added more tension. He got to know her better during the war and he fell in love. He knew her better than anyone else there did. I thought that this was a very interesting story. I liked how it told a story about a girl that is only 17. She’s around my age so I thought that was very interesting. I could never picture my life like hers. My response to the quote, "What happened to her...was what happened to all of them. You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterward it's never the same" (114), is that everyone changes. It applies to Vietnam because everyone that goes either changes for the better or for worse. I can’t really relate that quote to my life because I have never been in a life changing experience.
ReplyDeleteMary Anne Bell is consumed in everything about Vietnam. She grew up in a small town and was, without realizing it, quite narrow minded when it came to the rest of the world. When she goes to Vietnam, everything is so different from America. She can't help but be completely engulfed by the culture, exploring, the way the war makes her feel. This results in a total transformation of Mary Anne. Her perspective on life changes - she no longer is a sweet, innocent girl, but is hungry for danger. Rat Kiley's telling of the story adds to the tension because he had gotten to know Mary Anne very well. He kept a close observation on her and watched her ruin herself day by day. He cared about her very much and was clearly hurt by the way things turned out. I was swallowed up in Mary Anne's story because it reminded me of myself. I think as a teenager you plan for the future and think that you know what you want. Mary Anne and Mark Fossie had set plans for after the war and wanted to get married. But when it came down to it, things don't always work out how you thought they were going to. O'Briens quote is really stating that the war changes everyone permanently. The soldiers came over from plush America. They may have thought that they knew how to handle Vietnam; but what they see, what they do, what they endure changed them mentally and physically. I could try to relate this to high school. As of now, it's the most changing thing there is. You come into it as a 14 year old thinking that you know what you do and do not want to be, you try to be focused. Eventually you get lost along the way and find out things that you really wish you hadn't. All of these experiences change who you are as a person and your perspective.
ReplyDeleteIn “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” Mary Anne Bell’s transformation is caused by the land of Vietnam, she enjoyed the trill of going out at night and staying with the Greenies. Her curiosity gets the best of her and she becomes engulfed in her fascination with the land and the people there. She becomes a completely different person since she came from America. Rat Kiley continually pauses throughout the story to add to the tension and leave the guys wanting to know what happens next. The story says that the Vietnam experience changes people. I was shocked after I read this story and how much it changed Mary Anne Bell. My response to this quote is that it’s true all of them were changed because of the war. This idea can relate to life as well because if people go through an experience such as an accident or fighting cancer they’re never the same afterward.
ReplyDeleteMary Anne Bell’s transformation in Vietnam comes mainly from watching what goes on around their compound of residence at the time. As Rat Kiley tells the story of Mary and Mark, he tells it with more of what he felt rather than what actually happened. This story portrays the powerful attitude change during the war, and shows that anyone can be broken by it. My reaction to the story was that I was quite surprised. I didn’t think that was going to happen, and Mark would have forced her to go home. My response to O’Brien’s quote is that I think it is very true, once you head to the war, you never come back the same person. A war is related to a life lesson in that both things can change you in many ways, whether it’s attitude toward something, or your personality in general.
ReplyDeleteThe cause of Mary Anne's transformation in "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" was Vietnam's land. She was head over heels in love with the people, the action and the war. She absolutely loved everything about it. Rat Kileys storytelling makes the story more dramatic because he adds his feeling and thoughts to Mary Annes story.
ReplyDeleteThe story shows that the war can change a person. The person going into the war may be a completely different person when they come out of the war. The experiences they encounter changed their mindset of the world.
Mary Anne Bell’s transformation happened all because of nativity. She went from living in her own little world consisting of only the people and places she knew. World affairs were not her interest. Rat Kiley told the story of Mary Anne in a perspective that showed all of his feelings. Though parts may have been exaggerated, the reader got to feel exactly what Rat Kiley did and experience the distressed emotions that he did. Because she had few opinions on the rest of the world, when she began seeing Vietnam, she was swept away in the current of the war experience. She was exposed to combat. She grew hard. She became unrecognizable to the ones who knew her as the naïve Mary Anne. I feel this story is true in the fact that the war can corrupt a person in the most unimaginable ways by making combat a part of everyday life. Because of this, I agree wholeheartedly with O’Brien’s quote about change. The idea is the same in life. If you pull yourself down into a dark or difficult place it becomes part of you forever by exposing one to new emotions, places, and people.
ReplyDeleteRat's telling of the story was from his point of view, his emotions and his "story truth", were involved in the telling. This is not a bad thing though, seeing and understanding what went through the tellers head is an important aspect of listening to a story. The story shows that the Vietnam experience is not something you want to go through. War changes men, a hell of sorts. It is the main reason why some men get PTSD after serving, it messes with people. I was surprised by how much Mary Anne changed after it, it really gave me a sense about how much war changes a person.
ReplyDeleteIn the chapter "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" Mary Anne's transformation is caused by just being in Vietnam itself. It shows how much it really can, and did change someone completely. Rat Kiley makes the story very lengthy by telling it slowly, and it adds to tension because it's all personal experiences and him telling it slowly built up suspense. My reaction was that I was confused and kind of surprised with how much her personality completely changed after war. My response to the quote,"What happened to her...was what happened to all of them. You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterward it's never the same" is that no matter how much time passes or how much you try to forget what happened, you won't ever really be the same after the war.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that causes the change in Mary Anne is the curiosity and willingness to learn about the culture that surrounds her and also the fact that she accepted the chance to go over to Vietnam from Mark Fossie her high school sweetheart. Rat’s way of telling the story causes tension because he often pauses and the way he tells this story is very different from the way he tells any other story. When he tells different stories he laughs along with the other men, but during this story he is very somber. This story tells us Vietnam is not for the week and you may not be who you think you are and challenges or new adventures may bring the real you out of a shell.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was reading this story I felt conflicted I thought it was totally awesome that Mary Anne didn’t fit the mold of a typical woman and that she was willing to get down and dirty with the guys and yet she totally creeped me out too with the human tongues on a necklace. There is rebellion or finding yourself, but there is also an extreme and I think that is what Mary Anne did. I totally agree with this quote none of the people who went to Vietnam and returned were ever the same because of what they did and saw over there. Which no one can really expect them to be exactly the same it is an intense thing to seem combat and have to kill people. I believe you can relate this principle to life as well because anything and everything you do should help you grow as a person whether it be positive or negative everything you do affects you.
Marry Bells transformation was caused by curiosity for the war. She was originally from a small town and was so interested in the war over in Vietnam that she learned some of the language and all the other parts of just to experience something new. The war did change her though. She changed for the better in some ways but mostly for the bad because the war took over her mind. Rat Kiley was able to add tension when telling the story because he made the story much more dramatic. He also didn’t always know all the answers to the story so it would leave everyone hanging. My response to the quote is that it is a way of showing how the war can really change people. It most defiantly applies to Vietnam because after seeing all the terrible things that happened over in Vietnam, it changes your outlook on life. We can relate it to are everyday life, by all the different things we get exposed to in are life; Things like divorce affects the kids and the parents. Especially for kids after going through the divorce with their parents it many times changes there outlook on life and love. After something like that and for all the kids that go through it so young there outlooks or innocence will be that same.
ReplyDeleteWhen Mary Anne comes over to the war it is almost like she undergoes a taste for blood. When she first got there it was like she was highly curious about everything. The longer she stayed the more she wanted to be apart of things. It was almost like a disease. It said on page 91 that she asked a lot of questions and wanted to explore things. As time went on she wanted to be apart of the war. She eventually left what she came there for, which was her boyfriend, and ended up doing missions with the greenies. This to me shows you how war changes you. When O'brien was first picked to go to war he dreaded it, but as soon as he got the taste of the war it was almost like he couldn't get enough of it. He even admits to missing the war after he got shot and was put on rest. I believe you can relate this to life by any kind of change. At first when you here of change you dread it, it is natural for us humans to despise change, but as you go on you start to adjust and then you don't want to change back, i believe that ties into the war-life. At first it sounds dreadful but when you get there you don't want to leave, you become addicted to the thrill.
ReplyDeleteRat Kiley’s story “The Sweetheart Song of Tra Bong” provides me with a little bit of a different perspective. No matter who you are, where you come from, how you were raised, when a person experiences the traumatic events that a soldier does during war, it will change you. Taking another person’s life, knowing that they have a family waiting for them to come home is not something that is easy to sleep on. Imagine seeing one of your best friends sitting right beside you , and all of a sudden then are no longer alive. This is what people of the military see daily, and it gets much worse. Of course they are going to change.
ReplyDeleteIncluding Mary Anne Bell into the story makes it much more powerful. The way Rat Kiley describes her makes me feel that anyone even myself would be changed by experiencing war. A seventeen year old, blue eyed, blonde haired, perfect all American girl changes in the matter of weeks. This shows how traumatic the war is. I would have never thought that such a fragile, loving girl could become so obsessed with the war. After the story Rat tells about Mary I soon came to realize that the war changes those who are innocent the fastest. “ What happened to her.. was what happened to all of them. You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterwards it’s never the same” This is how the author explains the shattered innocence of all the soldiers. The war opened her eyes up to the dangers of the world too fast. Mary was curious at first, then became eager to get out of her comfort zone. Vietnam implanted itself into Mary and forever changed her. She couldn't get enough of the danger and fight. She fed on it.
On another note, life that we all experience today , although not as extreme as the during the war. We are always changing. We experience things in life that guide us to become the person we are today. Whether it’s losing a family member or witnessing someone being bullied. We go from innocent elementary kids to rebel teenagers who grew up too fast. Just as Mary Anne did in Vietnam
In Rat Kiley's story "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," he shows how the war can change anyone. A basic, all American, blonde haired, blue eyed girl is dramatically changed just from being in the war for a few weeks. This transformation of Marry Anne Bell is caused by her wanting to learn more about Vietnam due to the surroundings she is currently in. This story adds to the tension because it throws in some drama. The men were all being changed by the war and then for a young seventeen year old girl to come and be altered even more than them is a big shock. Kiley's story shows that the Vietnamese experience is a scary thing because you go in unknowing of what might happen when you come out. I was shocked to learn how dedicated Marry Anne actually became to the Vietnamese culture and lifestyle in such a short period of time. It was also shocking that she stayed there in Vietnam even when Fossie, the person she came for, left. My response to O'Brien's quote, "What happened to her...was what happened to all of them. You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterward it's never the same" (114)., is that anyone can be changed by the war and that it is mostly out of your control because the soldiers cant change what they are seeing or their surroundings so they are basically being forced to conform and change themselves. I can relate to this idea in a sense that when I start something and it is different than what I had thought it was going to be I have to stick trough it even if it isn't what I wanted or had planned on. Sort of like the men in the war. They knew it would be extremely difficult but they didn't know how difficult until they actually lived it.
ReplyDeleteThe war itself changed Mary Ann she became less human and became more of a animal. Rat KIley's story telling is known to sometimes stretch the truth which made the story better than usual. He would take breaks at suspenseful parts which made the story have a greater tension. The story told of a girl who flew out to see her boyfriend. At the begging she was a curious girl but as time went on she got more involved and slowly lost the cuteness and curiosity and became a soldier. The Vietnam experience made her turn into something no one thought was even possible. I thought it was crazy how just being in a camp in Vietnam can change someone that much and how Vietnam was one terrible war full of change. My response to O'Brien's quote is that everyone changed during the war even the ones that seemed could never change. Vietnam Changed every person that was involved in the war even if you just visited. Vietnam was like a terrible addiction somewhat like a drug addiction. In life there are many addictions but some you just can't go to rehab for.
ReplyDeleteIn "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" the bazar culture and up-close experiences of the Vietnam War changed Mary Anne Bell. Although Mary Anne was a curious woman, the wild jungles in Vietnam which are quite different than America can change a woman. Mary Anne loved to explore the wilderness and she constantly asked questions to get to know more about the land. Eventually, most of the soldiers realized Mary Anne became just “one of the guys”. Rat Kiley's telling of the story added to the tension because it made you question what was going to happen next and why he was taking the story so slowly. My reaction to the story was that I was not shocked. Anyone who undergoes such a traumatic experience, especially the Vietnam War, would have to lose some of their innocence and change. The quote from above is expressed by how much Mary Anne changed when she came to Vietnam. Almost all soldiers come back home from war with at least a small change in them. Many soldiers witness horrifying fatalities and plenty of other gruesome scenes. This quote can also relate to day to day life because no matter what we all experience some form of hardship in our life that changes us in some way. For some it may make them stronger and for others it may break them down. Each experience in life gives us a better understanding of the world around us.
ReplyDeleteThe transformation of Mary Anne Bell is caused through the change of her lifestyle once she is in Vietnam. The adjustment from knowing what to expect in her day to day life, to a whole new world of different culture that remained unpredictable thrilled her. She began to find her true self in her independence and she thrived on the feeling of living on the edge. For once she felt like she was a part of something that was big. Something she never imagined she would be able to be. Rat Kiley’s description of the story was very over-dramatic and added tensions by the way he spoke of it to the men. The story shows how the Vietnam experience really has the power to change a person at heart even in the most unsuspected ways. I was surprised by the story and the change that she underwent but I understand that in such circumstances the outcome can be capricious. The quote above shows that every obstacle you come across in life may dirty you up. Experiences will change you, and from them you will never be the same. The dirt of the world may begin to corrupt you, but that’s the only thing that prevents you from being naïve to it all.
ReplyDeleteMary Anne Bell transformed because of the various things she witnessed, participated in, and the area itself dragged her in. She found she was good at shooting guns, performing medical treatments, ambushing with the "greenies." All around she was a natural soldier, but at the time women couldn't be soldiers. She was doing something no other woman had done and got caught up in it. Rat Kiley of course adds to the tension using story truth rather than the happening truth. By sprinkling on little exaggerations and embellishments it made the story more interesting and when he would do his little pauses the listeners were practically begging for more. The story definitely highlights how Vietnam changes people in unimaginable ways. Physically and mentally most people who fought in that war changed completely when they came back. This story just showed one of many ways people can change. The experience is overwhelming. My reaction to this story was from the moment she set foot on Vietnam she isn't going back. It was terrible idea to bring her.
ReplyDeleteIn "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," Mary Anne Belle transforms from a young school girl to what could be seen as another man in "Nam." The whole experience of being there is what changes her: shooting guns, giving medical attention to who need it, and the atmosphere of Vietnam itself.
ReplyDeleteRat Kiley tells the story in such a way that keeps everyone's mind open and jaw hanging in suspense. With his sudden pauses and his pondering gaze, all the men listening to the story could not resist to ask for the end.
To me, this story represents what O'Brien has said."What happened to her...was what happened to all of them. You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterward it's never the same" (114). As I said, to me, the Vietnam war itself is change and this story shows it. No matter who they were, what they did, or where they were going in life, Nam changed them and that is what the war did to everyone. It changed them.
I want to say that if I had fought in Vietnam, that I would resist change. Although this is what I have imagined I do not believe I would stay the same. Many a great men have changed from fighting in Vietnam. I'm not to sure I would stay the same myself.
In the chapter "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" Mary Anne Bell is changed in many different ways through the horrors of war. She was naturally a curious woman and loved to learn about the land of Vietnam. Rat Kiley added a lot of tension to the story by leaving many parts unfinished and telling it slowly. I have heard and witnessed too many war stories of the ways that war changes people to be surprised by this particular one. The above quote is used to express how soldiers go into the war and come out a changed person. The war has a huge impact on soldiers lives and they will never be the same person they were before it. The quote can also relate to everyday life. As you grow up many different things change you and you become corrupted and loose your innocence.
ReplyDeleteWhile Mary Anne Bell was visiting her boyfriend, Mark Fossie, she was changed into a different person because of the war and the never-ending element of fear and adrenaline rushes. When Rat Kiley was telling the men of Alpha Company the story of Mary Anne, he paused to add his comments and he was editing the story to make it seem more interesting and true. This particular story shows how being in Vietnam and being part of the war changes everybody, and is a symbol for how soldiers arrived and left Vietnam. I think that when O’Brien says "What happened to her...was what happened to all of them. You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterward it's never the same" (114), he is summarizing that change that the soldiers went through while in Vietnam. This quote also relates to life, because at some point in your life you go through a change and it is impossible to go back to the same person you were and forget about those things that changed you.
ReplyDeleteMary Anne Bell's own curiosity changed her during her time in Vietnam. She allowed for this to happen because she was so entranced by the culture of the country and how different it was from her home land. She tried whatever she could to get involved with not only the Vietnamese culture, but with the solider's habits as well. She became caught up in doing what women were not permitted to do at the time; she was being a solider. Rat Kiley adds suspense by telling the story slowly, and using story truth over truth happening. His exaggerations make the story more appealing. It was clear that Vietnam changed people before the story was told, but after the story was finished, it was plainly obvious. Like many other people have said in their posts, I was shocked by the story. I knew that bringing someone over was far from a good idea and I thought it selfish of her boyfriend to even invite her.
ReplyDeleteMary Anne Bell, a young, small-town girl, is completely transformed due to her experiences in Vietnam. Growing up, she is essentially "trapped" in one city, leaving her unexposed and naïve to the other cultures of the world. When she goes to Vietnam, she is very intrigued by the new culture and completely immerses herself. Her curiosity starts off with a trip to the village. It is very innocent and something to be expected of from someone with as little life experience as her. But Mary Anne takes it a step too far and completely delves in to this new culture. She learns about guns, chops her hair off, stops wearing makeup, and is seen one morning with the Greenies with human tongues strung proudly around her neck. She has pretty much turned into a soldier, which is completely different from the cute, innocent young woman she once was. Rat Kiley's telling of this story adds to the tension because he is telling this based on first-hand experience, whereas it would be less believable if it was told in a "he said, she said" fashion.
ReplyDeleteI interpet the quote "What happened to her...was what happened to all of them. You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterward it's never the same," as you cannot go back to being the person you once were after a major event/change. Every life experience influences a person's actions and decisions and over time (or in Mary Anne's case -- almost immediately), they become a completely new person with completely new morals, whether good or bad.
In “Sweetheart of The Song Tra bong,” there were many factors that caused transformation of Mary Anne Bell. I believe that Vietnam had changed everyone but her more than others. She was very lady like at first but then she became very manly. I believe this happened because she was around many men that did not care. She became one of those soldiers that went in clean and came out dirty. Rat Kiley telling the story added tension because he was distant and you could tell he was saddened. I believe when it comes to the Vietnam experience the story tells you that once you go in you will never come out the same person. It can change even the most free hearted. When I heard this story my reaction was not surprised. You cannot expect to fly a girl into Vietnam and be around a bunch of men and remain the same person. I do not believe that you can teach someone a new way of living and have it not affect them. My response to this quote would be that I agree with it. If you send a man in to see death that has never seen it before it will change him inside and out. New experiences good or bad would change anybody. It applies to Vietnam because you were sending men into a trap rather they wanted to go or not. I cannot relate to this idea of life because I have never been put in a life or death situation.
ReplyDeleteIn “sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong,” Mary Anne Bell’s transformation is caused by a combination of the things that she witnesses in Vietnam, from the disease and pain in the medics tent to the excitement and danger of the greenies duties. Rat Kiley had admired Mary Anne along with every other man on the campus and his telling of the story made the facts and details seem more important and true, even though Sanders was not pleased with the way he was telling it. This story embodies the Vietnam experience entirely and shows the gory truth of what can happen to a person during the war. This story was my favorite of this book and it made me think differently about the things that are experienced during war and exactly how much it can change a person. The quote directly applies to Vietnam because war desensitizes you to the gore and reality of the cruelness of war. This quote applies to anything that desensitizes you or your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteIn "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”, The cause of the transformation of Mary Anne Bell was being in the war and around the environment of war. She was very curious about Vietnam and the war itself and she loved to explore and discover new things while she was there. She becomes facinated and fully embraces the Vietnamese culture. My response to the quote, "What happened to her...was what happened to all of them. You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterward it's never the same" is that everyone must adapt and change there lifestyle once they come to the war. What happened at the war changes you forever because of the memories that they experienced
ReplyDeleteMary Anne Belle's change comes about in "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," because of course the war experience itself. She was usually a giddy school girl but the war changed her to a serious woman. Rat Kiley adds tension to the story because of all the sudden pauses he makes. In the tone he tells it, you can almost tell that something bad is going to happen to Mary Anne Belle which of course would keep the listeners ears wide open. Rat Kiley's story about Mary Anne is a prime example of how the Vietnam war affects and changes people. To me, I was really surprised that someone such as Mary Anne would be transformed in such a way as this. It was extremely unexpected that she would hang out with the "Greenies," when the other soldiers were wary of even approaching them. The quote by O'Brien perfectly states what Vietnam did to people and I agree with it fully. Everyone was changed because of that war, whether it be because of the relationships lost at home, or the friends lost in battle. I can relate to this because if I happened to have gone to Vietnam or any war in general I truly believe change would be brought upon me as well.
ReplyDeleteMary Anne Bell falls in love with vietnam, which in turn makes her want t help as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteRat Kiley's telling of the story added to the tension because he would just stop at certain parts of the story
The moral of the story is that being in vietnam gets to you and people underestimate the stress and events that the soldiers go through.
i thought that i was a bunch of stuff made up to keep the soldiers entertained, but i thought it was an entertaining story.
i feel that this quote is true for an example of how boys enter the war not knowing what is happening, but leave the war having lost friends and seeing things that no man should ever have to see. i do feel that this is true for life as well. When you are young you are sheltered from the cruel reality of the world and the corruptness of people. But when you get older you realize that you have been sheltered but you are kind of angered by it and so you end up knowing things that you didnt know before.
Mary Anne Bell is in love with the country of Vietnam and the she wants to be helpful.
ReplyDeleteRats story is adding stress to people, and he is leaving cliff hangers.
The moral though is vietnam gets to your head, and others dont understand how hard it is on the head
I didnt really enjoy the story because it seemed very made up, and it seemed a little far fetched, and the cliff hangers i didnt like
The quote however is true, people join armed forces not realizing how hard it is going to be.
What caused Mary Anne Bell to change was due to her being in the war environment and loving the area of Vietnam itself. She winesses all the things that war entails right in the country itself. Rat Kiley adds tension to this story by taking pauses and waiting for dramatic tension. This story show that war changes people. It can change someone like Mary Anne Bell, an innocent, pretty girl, into a someone drastically different. The change even caused her boyfriend, Eddie Diamond, and Mary Anne to grow drastically apart. My reaction to the story was I was shocked to see how far apart Eddie Diamond and Mary Anne grew apart. What started as him innocently bringing his girlfriend over, led to her completely changing and leaving him. My response to the quote was that it was utterly true, meaning that everyone went into Vietnam happy and clean, and left changed and dirtied from warfare. In a way, this can relate to life in the sense that everyone is born as a clean, blank slate that is changed and (in some cases) dirtied over time.
ReplyDeleteIn "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," Vietnam is the cause of the transformation of Mary Anne Bell. The way she loved the land and everything about it transformed her. My reaction to the story was disbelief just because first of all who would ship there girlfriend over to a war zone and secondly what are the chance this girl goes out with the green berets and disappears forever. The quote, "What happened to her...was what happened to all of them. You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterward it's never the same,” applied to Vietnam because like O’Brian and many other soldiers they went over to Vietnam whole and lost a little bit of themselves.
ReplyDeleteIn “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong,” Rat Kiley tells a story about a young woman who came to Vietnam to be with her boyfriend, but ended up changing drastically since she arrived. Her name was Mary Anne Bell. The transformation in Mary Anne Bell was caused by being exposed to the adrenaline rush that fighting in Vietnam offered. It was often said by many of the men who fought that after they left, everything felt like it was going in slow motion compared to the fast paced lifestyle of the war. Mary Anne got addicted to the high that fighting gave her, and she became sucked into the war. Rat Kiley added to the tension of the story as he told it by keeping a somber tone. He didn’t push anyone to believe the story, he just painted the picture for the listeners and they could interpret it on their own. Rat also added little digressions here and there, which mostly just interrupted the flow of the story and irritated the listeners. This story has a lot to say about how Vietnam changed people. The war took regular and innocent people, exposed them to terrible things, and threw them back into the world as a whole new person. This is exactly what O’Brien means with his quote on page 114. Vietnam was full of very real, horrible, even unimaginable things and once one has been exposed to something like that, they won’t be the same person afterwards.
ReplyDeleteIn "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong", Mary Anne Bell comes to Vietnam to be with her boyfriend. For a while they are both happy and she helps improve the mood of the camp. After being in Vietnam for a while however, she began to change. As she became more accustomed to Vietnam, and learning more about how to be a soldier, she became addicted to it. She was sucked into the war, drawn by the fast paced lifestyle of a soldier. Rat Kiley increases the tension of the story by adding in his own opinion and explaining parts of the story when everyone just wanted to hear what happened to her. The story tells a lot about how the war changes people. You expect to be changed when you go to war as a soldier. But when you bring your girlfriend and she ends up turning into a soldier herself you can see the power that war has over people.
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