Style, Speaking of Courage, Notes

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Group One (Speaking of Courage):

(1) To begin with, why is this story called "Speaking of Courage"? Assume the title does NOT hold any irony. In what sense does this story speak of courage?

(2) Why does Norman Bowker still feel inadequate with seven metals? And why is Norman's father such a presence in his mental life? Would it really change Norman's life if he had eight metals, the silver star, etc.?

(3) What is the more difficult problem for Norman--the lack of the silver star or the death of Kiowa? Which does he consider more and why?

(5) Why is Norman unable to relate to anyone at home? More importantly, why doesn't he even try?

Group Two (Notes):

(6) In "Notes," Tim O'Brien receives a letter from Norman Bowker, the main character in "Speaking of Courage." Why does O'Brien choose to include excerpts of this seventeen page letter in this book? What does it accomplish?

(7) Consider for a moment that the letter might be made-up, a work of fiction. Why include it then?

(8) In "Notes," Tim O'Brien says, "You start sometimes with an incident that truly happened, like the night in the shit field, and you carry it forward by inventing incidents that did not in fact occur but that nonetheless help to clarify and explain it." What does this tell you about O'Brien's understanding of the way fiction relates to real life?

Compare and contrast possible versions of Kiowa's death in Speaking of Courage and the end of "Notes".  Who is responsible?

Group Three (In the Field): 

1.  Explain why the following people feel they are to blame for Kiowa’s death?

Lt. Jimmy Cross

The young soldier searching the field for his girlfriend’s picture

Tim O’Brien

Discuss O'Brien's comment that, "When a man died, there had to be blame" (198).

What, in the end, is the significance of the shitfield story (or stories)?