Question #6

The usage of profanity within this book is quite overwhelming at first but it helps portray the real life of the soldiers. Most people do not realize the difficulties, worries and fears a soldier faces while in a foreign country and the utilization of profanity helps the reader understand more accurately each and every one of their feelings. It informs the reader that a soldier's life is indeed unpredictable and anything could happen at any moment. Profanity, whether we like it or not, is also something that we hear every single day so by Tim O'Brien putting curse words in his dialogue I believe he wants the reader to relate with each individual soldier to help see that there is rarely a difference between them and us.

I did question number 9, which in a way tied in with what you were saying. Question 9 was about how exactly the author achieves credibility. You stated that profanity is used in a way that shows the horrors of the war and everything that comes with it. That is completely true. I liked how you basically said that profanity is in real life, so it is in the book. This is how the book is so realistic! If there was no profanity, no blood and guts and all-around revolting imagery, this would not be a book about war; rather, it would be a watered-down, politically-correct book suited for a younger audience. Without the profanity, I believe that the book would not be complete. This is a great example of why books in schools should not be sensored-they would not be an accurate representation of real topics. What's the point in that?