“bartleby, the Scrivener” and “the Man I Killed”

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Bartleby exhibited. The lawyer was intrigued by the by the unreasonableness and perverseness that Bartleby continued to display and that he let it go every time.

Quote: “I would prefer not to” This line was one of disrespect, stubbornness, and laughter. I can’t believe how this line made me kind of mad in the beginning mainly because of him being snobby but by the end it was very funny. Bartleby ’s monotone description made the quote seem even more hilarious.

The story, The Man I Killed was about the first soldier that Tim O’Brien killed in Vietnam. The description of the corpse was very graphic. I’m glad that I wasn’t eating my dinner while reading this story. It was probably good for O’Brien to write about this horrid event to help him deal with death.

Unfortunately, during Vietnam many soldiers were introduced to war as teenagers. Many were gassed with Agent Orange and subjected to torture when they were caught. O’Brien may or may not have been exposed to these events but the death of this soldier hit him hard. He wanted to believe very badly that the soldier was a mathematician with a girlfriend who proudly served his country for his parents.

The story O’Brien conceived in his head was probably a good way to also honor the soldier. He noticed simple details about the soldier like his clean hair, fingernails, gold ring on his finger and his frail body. These images helped him put together a story of glory for the young soldier before he stepped back into the war.

Word: Guilt- O’Brien was so ridden with guilt that he had to stop and reflect on what he had just done. The killing of the soldier made him realize that this guy was just like him and that he probably had no choice in being there either. O’Brien also couldn’t help but think good thoughts about the man. He implied that he was probably a scholar and loved his family. Even with Kiowa telling him that he was a dead man as soon as he touched the trail didn’t do anything for easing his conscience. O’Brien just ignored his friend and continued to honor the soldier’s death.

Quote: “Tim, it’s a war. The guy wasn’t Heidi – he had a weapon, right? It’s a tough thing for sure, but you got to cut out that staring.” Kiowa is unfortunately right, it is a war and there are no winners. The harm or death you cause to others will haunt you for the rest of your life. I would never want to be put into a situation like that. I completely understand why O’Brien stood there and stared at this soldier. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I found out that the soldier was a scholar, who was married with a family. There are no winners when it comes to war! Unless your name is Shell Oil.

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