Summary:
I recently started reading The Things They Carried written by Tim O’Brien, a Vietnam veteran.  The chapter that stood out the most to me the most so far was “Friends”.  In this chapter, O’Brien talks about two men who in the previous chapter hated each other, but become friends.  The two men gained each other’s trust, even though at one point they wanted nothing to do with one another.  The two men trusted each other so much that they made “a pact that if one of them should ever get totally fucked up” (62), they would figure out a way to end their life no matter what.  One of the men, Lee Strunk, stepped on a rigged mortar which destroyed and took his right leg completely off from the knee down.  The man begged for no one to kill him multiple times.  The man even made everyone promise that they would not kill him.  Jensen, the man who made the pact with Strunk, was relieved when he later found out that Strunk died on the helicopter ride to a doctor. 

 Response:

The reason why this chapter stood out to me the most was because it proved to me that when people are in a time of need they can forget about the past.  When someone truly needs help there will be someone, either friends or enemies, that will be there to help.  War is the perfect example of when someone will need help.  There is death everywhere soldiers look and they need to know that they can count on the person to their left and right.  Soldiers forget about their differences and come together as one unit.  The reason why this stood out to me the most is because I realized that war is not the only place where people are willing to forget their differences.  I looked back on multiple times in my life when I was in need and remembered kids helping me out just because I was down.

Summary:

In Chapter Nine of Gerald Gaff and Cathy Birkenstein’s They Say I Say, the idea of when to mix your writing styles is introduced.  Gaff and Birkenstein dedicate this chapter to help writers know when to be formal with their writing and when to use their own type of language.  The chapter helps writers create a successful blend of academic and professional language with their own popular expressions and sayings.  Another main idea in the chapter is when to mix your styles.  It is recommended that when the writer is applying for a job or submitting a grant proposal that they should use a professional type of writing or it may jeopardize your chances.  The writer must first know who the audience is going to be before they can have a success in writing.

Response:

I believe that this chapter is going to help lead me to a successful career of writing.  I was always one of those kids who believed that you needed to always write in a professional manner.  I now know that I need to discover who my audience is first before deciding on what type of style my paper will consist of.  All of my previous teachers taught me to write professional no matter what.  I guess I knew how to write in their classes for a good grade, but there is going to be so many other times where mixing the two styles will be very helpful when it comes to my success.  I am very happy that I took the time to focus on this chapter because I have learned extra ways to be successful when it comes to writing.