On the Rainy River Study ?’s – Flashcards
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What was O'Brien's theory of courage
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Building up/store until needed
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What happens to O'Brien after graduating college?
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He got drafted into the military
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How old was he?
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21 years old
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What was "the only certainty" that summer?
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Moral confusion
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What had O'Brien done during college in response to the war?
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He wrote an editorial in the college newspaper
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Identify 3 reasons O'Brien thinks he shouldn't go to war?
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Too smart, too good for war, can't kill, hates woods
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What law does O'Brien think should be enacted for those who support war?
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Be a part of war and bring wives and kids
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Where does O'Brien work that summer?
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At an armour meatpacking plant
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Once he realizes that there is no way out, what does he begin to think about doing?
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Going to Canada
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To what does he compare his indecision?
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Schizophrenia
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What did O'Brien fear other than the war?
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Exile, losing his friends/family, ridicule and censure
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What lies beyond the Rainy River?
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Canada
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What does O'Brien do when he first encounters the Rainy River?
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Driving around
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What is the name of the place where O'Brien stays for a few days?
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Tip Top Lodge
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How does he refer to the man who opened the door, Elroy Berdahl? Why does he refer to him this way?
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As the hero of his life, took him in with no judgement
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What does O'Brien say the story represents "in some small way"?
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The story represents "in some small way" his gratitude to Elroy
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How does O'Brien spend his days with Berdahl?
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They'd go hiking, play scrabble, eat meals, listen to records, read & do their chores together.
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What gesture by Berdahl convinces O'Brien that he knew what was going on?
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Elroy left him some "Emergency money"
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How does O'Brien spend his last day with Berdahl?
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They go fishing on the rainy river
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What is it about the story that embarrasses O'Brien most?
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Moral freeze - can't decide on anything
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What does he finally decide to do and why?
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He finally decides to go to war because he's a coward
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What is the significance of his job at the pig factory?
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Spends time in slaughter house (death/killing) much like war. Example of irony (hates blood) & foreshadowing. Leads to further isolation.
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What is the significance of the river?
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Line between choosing war (feeling like a coward) & not going (escape to Canada). Decision making changes his life
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What do the people in O'Brien's hometown represent?
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The people in O'Brien's hometown represent tradition: town holds onto these without questioning things. Ignorance/blind obedience. Represent his cowardice.
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Why does O'Brien tell us his final decision was cowardly?
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O'Brien tell us his final decision was cowardly b/c he fought in a war he didn't believe in
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What's the significance of the characters he sees in his hallucination on the boat?
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Little boy -> People from life -> Abe Lincoln -> Protest -> future wife/kids -> Senate -> LBJ -> girl w/ cancer. *The significance of the characters is that they're all people who stood up for beliefs during time of crisis/moral dilemma. Show he's a coward
