Tim O'Brien Response

Tim O'Brien has a talent when writing. He shows the reader and doesn't tell the reader.  Through the writing passage he demonstrates depth, voice, and pulls the reader in quickly with his amazing writing ability.  When I watched the video clip I loved the way he explained his goals versus other authors' goals.  Tim explained how other authors' goals in their writing was more abstract whereas his goal is "to capture the heart, the stomach, and back of the throat."  That's definitely showing and not telling.  He also said the word war has a glaze.  When I hear this I immediately think of a dying soldier or men in combat, yet I've fallen into the category he explains as the mythology we have created about the war.  The reality of war is fighting doesn't solve everything, sometimes it's just a word to resolve the matter.  He had to serve in the military to make this observation.  I would say that him serving in the military during Vietnam has affected his morals and how he wants to portray his voice through his writing.  From his experiences he can visualize what he has been through in Vietnam. It helps others who have never served in the service.  We are lucky to have a strong writer that's willing to help us paint a picture in our minds, and eliminate the label we have created for war.