"Speaking of Courage" and "Notes"

Please choose ONE of the following prompts to write about. Then, reply to two of your classmates posts. 1) How does “Speaking of Courage” show us the complex relationship between one man, his fellow soldiers, and his family and friends in his hometown? Does learning about Norman Bowker’s post-war life change the way we feel about his actions during the attack that took Kiowa’s life? “Speaking of Courage” is the only story other than the title story, “The Things They Carried,” that is written in the third-person point of view. Why might O’Brien have chosen this narrative stance? 2) In “On the Rainy River” O’Brien writes, “Courage, I seemed to think, comes to us in finite quantities, like an inheritance, and by being frugal and stashing it away and letting it earn interest, we steadily increase our moral capital in preparation for that day when the account must be drawn down.” Do you think there are any heroes in the book. If so, how do they display courage? Does the narrator’s opinion of courage change during the course of the book? 3) How does the chapter “Notes” expands the way we read“Speaking of Courage.” How does the last paragraph of “Notes” demonstrate O’Brien’s struggle to find the “truth” about the Vietnam War? 4) 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? 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.? 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? Why is Norman unable to relate to anyone at home? More importantly, why doesn't he even try?