O’Brien’s reading in
Arlington
journalentry2truewarmovies2.docx

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English 120: “Life During Wartime”
Fall 2016
Journal Entry 2: “True War Movies”:
Link to O’Brien’s reading in Arlington
After watching the reading O’Brien gives and answer the following questions:
1. In your own words, why does O’Brien fictionalize his experiences even though he is a
Vietnam War veteran? (approx. 1 paragraph) [Be specific — why does the real story fall
short in O’Brien’s eyes?]
2. What aspects of “The Man I Killed” and “Ambush” were fictionalized? In your opinion, do
these fictionalized details get O’Brien’s ideas and feelings across more clearly than the
actual story? Why or why not? (approx. 1 paragraph)
3. If O’Brien fictionalizes his stories, could anyone, even someone who is not a Vietnam
War veteran write an equally strong war story? Explain why or why not with at least 1-2
paragraphs of reasoning drawing from the logic O’Brien uses in the talk. If you believe
an individual can only “write what they know”, be thorough in explaining why the “facts”
matter even though facts can change era to era.

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