The Sorrow Of War by Bao Ninh
"The NVA were not robots...We were human beings. That is what you must tell people. We were human beings."
- Bao Ninh
http://www.vvaw.org/veteran/article/?id=168
Discussion Questions:
Jungle of Screaming Souls (p. 3-8)
Jungle of Screaming Souls (p. 3-8)
- How is sentence structure used in the opening paragraphs? Why is it used?
- What is the situation? What is Kien's job? Where is he and what is he doing?
- How does Bao Ninh create the idea of 'somnambulism', a sleepwalker's confusion between waking and sleeping? Watch for other areas in the novel in which this takes place.
- How is the passage structured in terms of time? What effect does this have? Focus on verb tenses.
- What is the purpose of the imagery? Choose a specific image and describe its function in the opening few pages.
- What is the effect of the story about the orangutan on page 5?
- What tone is created in the opening extract?
Kien and the soldiers (p. 8-25)
1. Opening Discussion: In what ways are the soldiers in Kien’s NVA (Northern Vietnamese Army) regime similar to O’Brien’s? Provide specific examples 2. Partner discussion:
4. Whole class discussion:
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3. Passage for Discussion
Kien waited for death calmly recognizing that it would be ugly and inelegant. The thought of his expected end brought a sense of irony. Just the week before, in a battle with Saigon commandos on the other side of the mountain, Kien had truly made fun of death. When the Southern ARVN had faced his own Northern NVA troops both sides had quickly scattered, rushing to take cover behind tree trunks and then firing blindly. But Kien had calmly walked forward. The enemy had fired continuously from behind a tree ahead of him but Kien hadn’t even bothered to duck. He walked on lazily, seemingly oblivious to the fire. One southern soldier behind a tree fired hastily and the full magazine of thirty rounds from his AK exploded loudly around Kien, but he had walked on unscratched. Kien had not retunred fire even when just a few steps from his prey, as though he wanted to give his enemy a chance to survive, to give him more time to change magazines, or time to take sure aim and kill him. But in the face of Kien’s audacity and cool the men had lost courage; trembling, he dropped his machine-gun. “Shit!” Kien spat out in disgust, then pulled the trigger from close range, snapping the ARVN soldier awawy from the tree, then shredding him. “Ma…aaaaa!” the dying man screamed. “Aaaa…” Kien shuddered and jumped closer as bullets poured from all sides towards him. He hadn’t cared, standing firm and firing down in to the man’s hot, agonized body in its death throes. Blood gushed out onto Kien’s trousers. Walking on , leaving blood-red footprints in the grass, he slowly approached two other commandos hiding and shooting at him, his machine-gun tucked carelessly under his arm, his shirt open. He was unconcerned and coldly indifferent, showing no fear, no anger. Just lethargy and depression” (p. 15).
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The Three Sisters (25-51)
- Why does Kien refuse to do what his duty requires and stop the soldiers from visiting the young women? In narrative terms, what is love opposed to in this novel? (It might help to look at Kien's memories of a time when he experienced love described on page 30.)
- Compare the descriptions of being in love with the passage detailing what life is like during war (see page 31.) What contrast is being drawn?
- How is the girls' house described on page 32? How is simple imagery used to create a certain tone or impression? Does this establish another contrast with the world at war?
- Look at the description of the girl in the photograph on page 38 - what impression are we meant to get of her? Why does Bao Ninh want us to get this impression?
- Why are the men who raped and killed the young women Vietnamese? Why not American? What point could Bao Ninh be making about war and humanity?
Dreams, Memories, Writing, and Lan (40-57)
- What happens to the temporal setting on page 40? Why does Bao Ninh confuse the time structure so much?
- Kien and the driver have an exchange or argument about the nature of war and peace. What is the purpose of this exchange? Does it fit in with any of the big ideas we have seen developed already?
- “Damn it, peace is a tree that thrives only on the blood and bones of fallen comrades” (p. 37). What does this metaphor reveal about war? How does the truck driver’s attitude contrast Kien’s attitude?
- “Oh my lost years and months and days! My lost era! My lost generation” (p.41)! What is the significance of this line? To what extent could this line be a political or social commentary by Bao Ninh?
- Compare both quotations with “The future lied to us, there long ago in the past. There is no new life, no new era, nor is it hope for a beautiful future that no drives me on, but rather the opposite. The hope is contained in the beautiful pre-war past.”
- Why does Kien keep returning to the Jungle of the Screaming Souls? He visits it in memories, dreams, and realities. What could the larger symbolism be?
- Look at the section on dreams and memories (p. 44-48). In what ways do Kien’s memories stay with him? Find two memories that he cannot shake.
- Why does Kien write his novel? How does his writing style reflect the writing style of Ninh’s The Sorrow of War? What might this convey about war and memories? (Beginning at p. 48).
Stepfather, Prewar/Postwar Peace, Nature
- Describe Kien's stepfather. What was the purpose of revisiting Kien's visit to his stepfather?
- What significance could the stepfather's job hold in regards to Vietnam and the war?
- Pre-war peace versus post-war "peace" - Download the worksheet to keep track of examples.
pre-war_post-war_peace.docx | |
File Size: | 49 kb |
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Wednesday: Minor Characters: Hahn, Green Coffee House Girl, and Sinh
- Hanh: 63-68 (my copy: 58-62)
- Green Coffee House Girl: 71-74 (my copy: 65-67)
- Sinh: 76-79 (my copy: 69-72)
minor_character_web.pages | |
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Thursday: Writing and Memories
p.48-51 (my copy: 43-46)
p. 56-57 (my copy: 51-52)
p. 74-76 (my copy: 67-69)
p.48-51 (my copy: 43-46)
- In the previous few pages, the narrative perspective changed to first person. Why, on page 48 (43) has it shifted back to third person? Similarly, why has the verb tense changed in this section?
- Why is Kien the writer 'terrified' by his realization that his 'hero' has 'disintegrated' and 'inconsistent'?
- How does Kien's writing style mirror war and his emotions?
- Why is Kien writing this novel, given that "in writing this work he has driven himself to the brink of insanity?" What advice are we getting about how to read it?
p. 56-57 (my copy: 51-52)
- To what extent is writing cathartic for Kien? Find quotations to prove your response.
- On page 56 (51), Kien asks several questions. What could these questions reveal?
- Why does Ninh personify the pen? What does this reveal about Kien's writing?
p. 74-76 (my copy: 67-69)
- Describe the new war that is about to break out in Vietnam on page 74 (67).
- Why could the following quotation be considered powerful when considered in context: "If war came they would fight, and fight courageously. But that didn't mean they loved fighting. No. The ones who loved war were not the young men, but the others like the politicians, middle-aged men with fat bellies and short legs. Not the ordinary people" (75 / 68)?
- Why has Kien been moved to begin writing his novel? Why has it taken Ninh 76 (69) pages to tell us that he "started to write his first novel"?
close_reading_analysis_-_truth_and_storytelling.doc | |
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Phuong pt 1 69-71, 82-85, 116-146 (Sam: 63-64, 72-78, 106-135)
- List the roles that Phuong plays in Kien's life (69/63).
- What is the significance of Phuong having another lover at the same time she is reunited with Kien? What could Ninh be trying to say about war? Find a quotation to support your idea. (83/76-77)
- Why does Ninh begin our introduction to Phuong with the end of their relationship?
- How has the post-war let him down?
- Highlight or make a list of the words and phrases that characterize the tone on page 118 (108-109).
- Bao Ninh: "In the Vietnamese’s culture, there are two different types of yellow. The first would be called “golden yellow” and the second “fading or dying yellow.” In America, autumn is interpreted as romantic, but Vietnam does not follow these terms. In Vietnam yellow is usually seen as a harsh colour, just as autumn is a prelude to the harsh season of winter. Kien’s father in this case paints himself around fading yellow. This represents his knowledge of death; Kien’s father has foreseen his last stage in life. In the end he burns all of his paintings; this is symbolic of winter, which culminates in his death. Burning the paintings is like the falling of leaves at the end of autumn" (http://www.ibo.org/ibworld/sept2009/baoninhinterview.cfm). In what way is Kien's father and stepfather similar? How can we make sense of Ninh's symbolism, as described above?
- Describe Phuong's personality and spirit before the war. Why did she connect so well with Kien's father?
- What is Phuong's attitude toward the future? How do you know?
- Compare/contrast this pre-war feeling to the post-war feelings on pages 82-85 (72-78). Add detail to your Prewar Peace vs Postwar Peace document.
Hoa's Sacrifice pg. 183-193 (Sam: 170-180)
- Kien's attitude: How and why does Kien's attitude towards Hoa shift throughout this section?
- Contrast and Gender/Male and Female Soldiers: How and why does Ninh represent gender in this section?
- "Victory": What does it mean to win a war? How has Hoa's story impacted Kien?