Book Notes from Chapters 7 & 8

We didn't discuss much from these chapters because the activity needed to be done. Here are the things that you are expected to have read and understood:

• The discrepancy in the number of VC the platoon actually kill (why do they change the number?)
  

• Why do Johnson and Walowick get into a fight? How does the compare with your vision of how you thought army comrades should behave? Why the petty disagreement?
  
• Who got the worst end of the deal in the fight? Why?
  
• Why does Peewee have Richie write his girlfriend (or ex-girlfriend) a letter?
  
• Understand Richie's experience with the Charlie Company **this is a big event**
  
• The comparison of good versus bad, read World versus Vietnam
  • for example, Richie is talking about dragging the dead VC out from the jungle, but then Myers gives us a flashback to Richie's childhood where we learn about Richie's distant experience with a drive by shooting. Within a few paragraphs, Myers reminds us of the dead VC.
    
  • Another example would be when they boys are back with their one kill and as Richie is dealing with the death, he hears "Flowers in Your Hair" and he refers to it as a "nice tune". It's quite ironic that they can enjoy such pleasant music from the real World, yet they are experiencing such devastation.
    
  • After Jenkins was killed (much earlier in the book) Richie was very confused about his loss, yet the men sat down and ate a big meal with all the fixings. What did you picture military men to eat when fighting in a war?

   

Keep looking for more comparisons like that.

Answer 7 & 8 on your Strategic Reading Study Guide.

We completed the Letters Back Home Activity.

Chapters 9 and 10 are due tomorrow.