Thursday, May 2, 2024

Interview with Drew Westberg: How has the Writing Center Changed Since 2004?

How The Writing Center has Changed Since 2004

As a Coe Writing Center (CWC) consultant, I've had the privilege of witnessing the changes implemented within the past year. Whether we are adding new consultants to existing processes, or innovating what we are doing year to year, it has been a pleasure to see the changes we can make in such a short amount of time.

This post takes upon an even greater scope of 20 years, because Professor Drew Westberg has been kind enough to offer his own insight about his experience working in the writing center as an undergraduate student.

Professor Drew Westberg 

Drew Westberg as a Writing Center Consultant (2004)

Contextualizing the Writing Center Atmosphere in 2004:

The Coe College Writing Center (CWC) used to be in the tunnel between Stuart and Petersen, had about 60-80 consultants who chose their schedules, and was open 24 hours a day. Many different majors gathered at any time of day to both help students and hangout in the space. Consultants fostered an environment which they were proud of, and were incentivized to be in a place in which they already loved. Coe's honors program and the writing center also overlapped in the sense that anyone in the program could work for the CWC. Bob Mars was the director at the time, meaning, he would do any of the behind the scenes work neccessary to ensure the successes of both students and consultants alike. 

Coe's Writing Center in the early 2000's


Drew's Overall Experience:

Drew mentioned the Coe Writing Center (CWC) feeling like home for all 4 years of his time as a consultant (2001-2004). The coworkers he met through the Coe Writing Center were especially important to him, and they were people that shaped him and his path through meaningful conversations. He was grateful for the feeling of a sense of purpose and belonging, comparing the CWC to greek life with its own niche. The CWC has always been a place where anyone can hangout and feel like a welcome addition to the space around them in an academic setting. It was important to note the differences in perspectives shared in the CWC, often leading to productive conversation about why consulatants were beccoming the people that they were. Drew had mentioned annecdotes of his appreciation for different philosophies or religions and how everyone was able to come together into a common space.

When asked about the changes he would make to the CWC as it stands today, he answered that he felt as though the writing center should have stayed where it was, because of its former ability to stay open for 24 hours. The library closes at midnight which means that students don't have as much freedom when looking for feedback or a place to hangout during the late night hours. His fond memories of  productive 3 AM shifts are no longer attainable. 

Regardless of his qualms with changes over the years, he does still advocate for his FYS students to have meetings with writing center consultants. He moreso seemed concerned with the CWC's availability as a resource than the quality provided by consultants today.

Have We Changed Priorities?

One of the clear goals of Bob Mars was to promote revision conferences. These are conferences to aid writers in refining the main ideas of their papers as opposed to strictly grammar or word choice. "Big rocks come first" is a concept still taught today, meaning to allow writers to express themselves in their own voice. Ideas or structures of a sentence are only corrected if the reader would have a hard time interpreting the author's intended point. While Drew was explaining editing conferences, it was clear to me that our values as consultants had not changed.


However, the way in which we structure these conferences may have altered over time. Drew's stories had noted how sometimes consultants didn't look at the prompt or the paper itself, and students would come in to discuss their paper without any reference to the draft they already had written. In today's writing center, this is completely unheard of as all consultants are taught to ask for the professor's prompt within the first couple moments of meeting a writer. This may be seen as a very miniscule change, but I believe it shows how consultants are creating more similarities amongst themselves based on what consultants learn in classes we take. These classes are in part designed to teach consultants the methodology behind why do certain things during conferences, such as asking for a prompt from writers.

Conclusion

If one thing was clear to me throughout this whole interview process, it has been that consultant ideologies have been passed down from generation to generation. While we may have new terms or lingo in which we use frequently, the ideas of consultants have remained largely the same. The change in director and location of the CWC, alongside twenty trips around the sun are no match for the consistency in morals held by writing center consultants. All consultants want what is best for writers, and to be a part of the community we call home in the writing center.

Thanks again to Drew Westberg for sharing his experience!


Monday, April 22, 2024

Is it Worth It to be an FYS Writing Fellow?

Coe College's Writing Center Consultant's have many opportunities to engage with students outside of the CWC, but these opportunities require more commitment and effort. Every year, Writing Center Consultants can work as Fellows for First Year Seminar (FYS) classes. Is it worth it to be a Fellow? Although every Consultant enjoys working at the Writing Center (duh), below are the highlights of being a Fellow and why Consultants love the work they do with FYS students.





Myah Eggert, a senior, says, "My favorite part about being a writing center Consultant/Fellow has been getting to move into campus early during the summer as well as getting to know all of the new freshman/students coming to Coe."



Andrea Glandt enjoys "...the communication that happens between me the students and the Professor. I love to be able to talk with the professors about what students are struggling with in their writing and why they might be. I feel these conversations are important both for the Professor and the students and that my input could help both parties to improve."



Lincoln Johnson's favorite part of being a Fellow is "...helping out people who need assistance as well as getting to meet new and interesting people."



"I would say the best part of being a Writing Fellow is probably getting to work closely with a professor you really like. I'm going to be a Fellow for Luke Lovegood in the fall, and we have already met with him to discuss what his course is going to look like. I think it is cool to closely see how a professor plans the course, especially when my FYS was not the greatest... His is going to be AMAZING," states an excited Olivia Stansbery-Dobbs.





Avalynn Morse comments on the growth of her students, stating, "I’d say that I love being a Writing Fellow because I get to see how these new students are continually growing in their writing and their confidence."



"I think my favorite part of being a Writing Fellow is getting to do repeat conferences- both throughout their first fall semester and in the ones following it. You get to see a lot of growth. Some of the students I Fellowed for when I was a sophomore still come meet with me and I’ve really like getting to watch them become the writers they are today," remarks Megan Norris.




Karla Silva says her favorite part of being a Writing Fellow is "...the opportunity to do in class-workshops. Being invited to the classroom to work on papers right then and there is different from having students come into the writing center. I get to see students in a different environment, it's refreshing!"

    
Each Fellow has had a different experience with their assigned FYS class, but every Fellow has had a takeaway from their time with their students. Helping students with their assignments from the FYS professor is great, but so is the personal development that each Consultant has experienced- whether it be increasing confidence or verbal communication. So yes, being a Fellow is worth it to every Consultant for their own reasons.


Sunday, April 21, 2024

Adventure Shift Party

 Dungeons and Dragons is a fantasy roleplaying game that allows you to be anyone you want to be and do anything you want to do. The world is in your hands. For ease of use, the creators of Dungeons and Dragons made races, classes, and alignments to help create the basic design of characters. 

The race of a character gives the character natural skills and advantages as well as some disadvantages. Classes are like jobs, it's the path that the character has chosen to take in life. Alignments are the base of a character's personality, are they good? Evil? Lawful? Chaotic? Completely neutral?


Ava Shrank

Neutral Good Human Ranger (3rd level)

Ability Scores:

Strength- 16

Dexterity- 15

Constitution- 16

Intelligence- 16

Wisdom- 15

Charisma- 15

 


Humans are a very common, but adaptable race. This allows for one to do well in a number of things. Ava takes advantage of this and uses her high intelligence to major in Biology, Chemistry, and BioChem. Last we heard there might even be French and physics minors added on. It's a good thing she loves reading, because I can sense a lot of that in her future. Not everything she does is academic though.

 Ava does dancing and kickboxing which are two very different sports, but both contribute to one's skills as a ranger. The dexterity and grace of dancing paired with the strength of kickboxing makes for a deadly combination. Thankfully for us, Ava is of a good alignment, enjoying helping people however with no particular penchant for following or breaking rules. This played a big role in her decision to join the Writing Center Guild, though apparently, she also likes to have opinions that no one can tell her are wrong so... there's that. 

Having only joined this year, not only is she new to the guild, but to also to Coe College. As Ava is only a freshman, we get to hear new stories about just how she came to be here with us. She competed in the Writing Center Fellowship competition which earned her an invitation to join. Her previous experience helping people prepared her well for this.


Gabby Collins

Neutral Good Human Bard/Wizard (1st/ 1st level)

Ability Scores:

Strength- 11

Dexterity- 11

Constitution- 11

Intelligence- 15

Wisdom- 12

Charisma- 11




Gabby's high intelligence score contributes heavily to her skills as a wizard and to her chosen field of study. Being a history major and art history minor goes along nearly perfectly with her two classes. Wizards rely on intensive study and Bard are known for their knowledge of items. Gabby went on quite the adventure before joining the Writing Center Guild. 

The story starts with her like of writing. Nothing extraordinary about that but beating out every other member of the freshman class to win the portfolio contest is. Upon seeing this accomplishment our guild leader, Jane Nesmith, extended an invitation to the guild. Gabby has been with us ever since, enjoying the feeling of helping others.

AJ Jensen
True Neutral Halfling Bard (2nd level)

Ability Scores:

Strength- 9

Dexterity- 12

Constitution- 9

Intelligence- 15

Wisdom- 13

Charisma - 12




Halflings are a very curious race. This natural tendency may play a role in Aj's wide range of interests. Having chosen to major in english and political science with minors in both theater and creative writing, she's got her work cut out for her. As a bard, she is very creative and knowledgeable about items, these traits lend themselves well to her high intelligence, wisdom, and charisma skills. When not working Aj can be found working on her newest art piece of art or relaxing while playing video games.

Like many others, Aj has only been with the guild for a year, having applied on recommendation from her admissions counselor. Being of true neutral alignment, AJ has no particular preference for good or evil, laws or chaos. She's a true wildcard in this way.



If you want to learn more about D&D here are some good places to start:

Roll 20 is a good site with lots of information.

This is a site run by Wizards of the Coast who own D&D so you can find some good information, but not everything is there.

D&D Beyond works with Wizards of the Coast to provide an online platform where you can find the basic rules and character creation elements. They have an online character builder you can use to get start where they walk you through every step. Be warned while almost all of the D&D books and information is available through them beyond the basics you will have to pay for access to the book they came from.


Sources:

What kind of D&D character would you be?. What D&D Character Am I? (n.d.). https://easydamus.com/character.html



Friday, April 19, 2024

Revitalizing The Coetry Quarto

Poetry. Kohawk writers. Fun pamphlet structure. The Coetry Quarto has it all. 

There are many bygone relics from the Coe Writing Center's former years. One such artifact that slipped through the cracks a few years ago is the Coetry Quarto, a consultant-led celebration of student poetry at Coe. 

But consultants are not letting all of the past remain in the past. 

This school year, volunteers from the team of The Pearl—Coe's Writing Center-produced student literary magazine—took on the project. I had the opportunity to be at the forefront of our endeavor. 

What is this mysterious pamphlet, you ask? What secrets does it hold? Where can I get one? 

Never fear! In an attempt to immortalize our effort, I plan to deliver this record of our process out into the void. Let it be known that I, Beth VanDyk, (and my wonderful colleagues), did indeed invest time in this long-forgotten project! And should it disappear back into the ether in the years to come, I will know, and you will know, that it was here.

Bringing the Coetry Quarto to Life:

How to make a pamphlet out of nothing

It began as a memory. A spark crossed Jane's mind one day, and she caught hold of it. (Forgive me, Jane, for this artistic romanticization). The pamphlet was originally founded by the school's old literary society, Alpha Nu. Though Alpha Nu is long gone, the literary ambitions of current consultants are alive and well. 

Would some of us underlings from The Pearl team take it on, Jane asked? Yes, we would. 

Emails were sent. Submission guidelines drafted. Enter your poetry here! we hawked. Publication and fame for all!

Slowly but surely, the poems came rolling in. 

Of the student poetry submissions we received, every single one of them ended up getting published. We had just enough for two editions: seven poems in a fall 2023 pamphlet, and seven more to be released in January. My two colleagues, Kylie and Adele, created a masterful spreadsheet with authors, titles, dates and all the other relevant information. 

But the formatting, ah, the formatting! 

It is safe to say we did our best. After all, you try collaborating on a document in Microsoft Publisher between several different people when none of said people's shifts overlap! Older generations, props to you. In the end I did the bulk of the formatting. When spring semester rolled around, I knew what had to be done. The January 2024 Quarto was produced from a Google Doc template, designed by yours truly, with guidance from my lovely and Google Doc-savvy sister. So that was all right.  

  

What will I find in the Quarto

Originally, the old Quarto aimed to publish student poetry written at Coe, about Coe. The pamphlet was founded in 2001 and advertised itself as "poetry across the curriculum at Coe." 

 


But in order to refound the pamphlet, our aim for outreach this year necessitated widening the net! 

Welcome Coe undergrad authors one and all, with any poetry written during the time you have been at this school. The pieces in our two editions range in topic from what to expect as a new college student to speculation on the studious nature of bugs. 

While we love such diversity of creative exploration, one hopes that in the future we may be able to implement a more effective screening process that determines which submissions actually make it into the finished pamphlet. 

At least, I do. 

So if you happen to come across one of our lovely pamphlets, you will be able to enjoy both lengthy and brief, thematic and out-of-left-field poems that are sure to blow your socks off.  

And that brings us to the question...  

 

Where can I find the Quarto?

Ah, yes. you would want to know.

Do you know where the Writing Center is? No? Wend your way through the front doors of Stewart Memorial Library, wander to the back left corner, and grab a Jolly Rancher out of our visitor jar. Hello there!

But before you come in... 

Take a look at the table outside our door. There lies the Quarto for your perusal. And if we are out of copies on the table, keep an eye out for the pamphlet sprinkled throughout other academic buildings. I hear the English Suite in Hickok Hall particularly has a few copies. We like to get the word out to our fellow writers, after all.

While you are here, feel free to browse a copy of The Pearl as well. It is another excellent showcase of student work that I feel I must plug!

 


As For the Future...

Perhaps next year we will be able to put more consultants on the project. Perhaps we will create a lasting pamphlet with a legacy for years to come.

Or perhaps Coetry is simply a lost art form.

Either way, our shining proof of existence lies here with our cute little printed copies (aren't they cute?). And with readership or not, I am satisfied.


Sunday, March 31, 2024

The Maasverse: Review of Sarah J. Maas's Most Popular Series



     
I'm betting you have all heard of Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City. For those of you that have read all of them, I'm sorry for all of emotional trauma those books gave you, I was also scarred. This may sound scary but I promise these books are actually really good, it is just super easy to get really emotionally invested in them and Sarah (for some unknowable reason) just loves to throw in heart-breaking plot twists. I have read all three of these series about 8 or 9 times and I will continue to do so because I just love these books. Sarah is known for her strong female heroes and dynamic character relationships so get ready to absolutely fall in love with each world she creates.

Throne of Glass (TOG) is quite possibly the best book series I have ever read. It follows the Celaena Sardothien, Adarlan's Assassin, as she goes from a slave in the salt mines of Endovier to King's Champion, to fugitive, and so much more. This book is full of magic, fae, romance, heartbreak, and everything in between.  Celaena is one of my favorite characters in all of Sarah's books because I just resonate so well with her.

                                                       

A Court of Thorns and Roses, or ACOTAR as many people call it, is a story about a human girl, Feyre, who accidentally kills a fae in his animal form and then gets taken over the barrier separating the human and fae lands (Pyrinthian). She falls for the High Lord Tamlin and then has to go and save him and his whole court when they get taken under the mountain by Amarantha. This series is a bit slower to start than Throne of Glass but you will fall in love with the characters just as fast.

                                                      

Crescent City (CC), the place where it all comes together. So I listed these three series in this order specifically because of the way things come together in CC. You don't have to read them like this, I just recommend it. CC follows Bryce and Hunt as they uncover heaps of crime, corruption, and overall heart stopping truths about the planet of Midguard. They and their friends almost die several times trying to save the city and everyone in it only to find out that the truth is so much bigger than they thought. For those of you who love witty and snarky humor, Bryce is the girl for you. She is hilarious in all aspects and will say the best jokes at the worst times.

                                                       

I wanted to share my love and knowledge about this bookverse and I hope you guys love reading it just as much as I do!

Friday, March 29, 2024

From Pens to Keyboards: Looking back at the history of Coe College's Writing Center


Dr. Bob Marrs: Original Founder and Director of the Writing Center


Dr. Bob Marrs

Dr. Marrs was essentially the "founding father" figure of the writing center at Coe College. Dr. Marrs wound up at Coe because his wife (Professor Margie Marrs) was hired to teach in the music department. She's actually still a faculty member of the music department 47 years later.


Marrs remembers his hiring process like it was yesterday. “Second year that she was teaching, 1980, I was contacted by the English Second Language department to teach a course; first year seminar for international students," he said. "And so, I taught that course and it went ok…they continued to hire me.”


After several years of work as an English professor, Marrs was comfortable in his position at Coe. However, a new opportunity would arrive. In 1984, the faculty of the college voted to make some major changes in the curriculum. One of those changes was to create a writing program, a writing center, and a writing cross curriculum program. Coe College advertised the position for someone that would be the coordinator/director of the writing center.


Dr. Mars was initially unsure of the opportunity. “I actually was not going to apply because I wasn't qualified. I didn't have any experience.”


Lucky for Dr. Marrs, those in the English department contacted him and encouraged him to apply. With support from fellow peers, Dr. Marrs applied and the rest is history!


“I was hired to direct a writing center and I had never been in a writing center and really knew nothing, nothing about them," he said. "So the summer before the writing center started, I read a couple articles and figured, oh, we can figure this out," Marrs recalls.


And so it all started, the fall of 1986, with seven people working in the writing center: five people on work study and two (unpaid) volunteers. These are the kind of humble beginnings that are scripted in a classic Hollywood underdog story.


Dr. Marrs' Visions and Goals


CWC original location in Stuart Hall (1986)

A lasting impact can be felt from Dr. Marrs' tenure as writing center director. Marrs adopted the philosophy of the writing center in the summer before it opened. A primary fundamental was the idea that writing is the process of conversation.


“You're having a conversation with yourself and with an audience, imaginary audiences in some cases, and talking about your writing became a way to practice doing the writing,” said Marrs.


The importance of conversation in the writing center frequently comes up when you talk to Marrs. He set out to find consultants that were able to effectively communicate with students. 


“Our real product in the writing center is going to be the conversations, that's what's critical," he recalls. "And so right from the beginning, with regard to hiring people, I didn't always particularly care whether they were good writers or not.” 


I believe this theory holds true in the writing center today. One thing I love about being a consultant is that we aren’t expected to edit and correct one’s entire paper. Instead, our job is to employ tactical conservation to help assist student writing. 


“I realized that we were reading way too many papers and I put a major emphasis, much more of an emphasis than previously was the case with regard to the importance of conversation about the paper”, says Marrs.


During Marrs's time as a director, the Writing Center moved several times, but it always kept the same conversation-based approach. It is truly amazing how these decisions by Dr. Marrs created a “conversational” conferencing culture that the CWC has experienced for the past 38 years. Within a five year span, a culture and vision of the Coe College Writing Center had been built. Every consultant bought in! The CWC was off and running.


As a group, consultants went to the College Composition and Communication Conference. Dr. Marrs’ consultants gave a number of presentations at those conferences while he was director.  They would present at conferences with between 4000-5000 people.


“Not everybody would attend our presentations, but that's where we really established a kind of a national reputation," he said. "We had a lot of people that came to visit the Coe Writing Center because of those presentations,” Mars explains.


This national brand really helped the status of Coe College as a whole. Soon, the entire country was captivated by the CWC.


“We had two doctoral dissertations that were done to study the writing center because somebody (a doctoral student at the University of Iowa) heard a presentation that we gave in Kansas City, and he contacted me," Marrs describes. "He said he would like to do his dissertation and study the way in which we do writing conferences.”   


The last year when Dr. Marrs directed the writing center; Coe flew 30 people to a conference in San Diego. It is safe to say that our writing center has a history riddled with success.


Paper to Computers

Originally, consultants had to fill everything out on physical paper. It wasn’t absurd to see students coming in with handwritten essays. It also wasn’t out of the ordinary to fill out client report forms on paper, by hand. Consultants used paper forms to keep track of writing conferences all the time. In fact, tens of thousands of forms were created. Each paper form had descriptors such as, is this a text focused conference or a conversational conference? Consultants had to identify the various kinds of descriptors with regard to the conference as well as a short paragraph summarizing what happened in the conference. Sounds familiar, right?

Old School WCWC (Monthly Poster)



Current WCWC (Monthly Poster)

It didn't take long for computers to become widespread at public universities and private colleges. Consultants had to learn to help writers with new word-processing programs. But even as technology developed, there was still quite a discrepancy between back then and today. 

There were set hours for computer usage. In that era, there were labs since people didn't have their individual computer/laptop. It is kind of funny just to think how things have changed. When the Coe Writing Center opened, the CWC gave typing classes. There were many students coming into the college that had never typed or had never been taught.

At the same time, the CWC was still trying to learn how to use technology as a promotional tool. As we can see with the WCWC's, the older version looks stale. There is no color or any eye catching graphics. Meanwhile, the current WCWC's have visually appealing graphics and a QR code, making it easy for students to connect with the writing center. The CWC has come a long way when it comes to the technological sides of things.

Recap: What can We Takeaway from Our History?

Current CWC Logo

It is safe to say the Coe College Writing Center has undergone some changes. Yet, amazingly, the founding principles and values have remained the same through generations and generations. This storied history has built the powerful foundation upon which the CWC stands. It will be exciting to see what the next 38 years have in store for this program. Will new legacies and traditions be carved out? Who will be the next extraordinary consultant to leave their mark? How big or small will the CWC be? The possibilities are endless. 

I do know one thing for certain; the CWC will adapt in the ever changing world of higher education. It is this quality that will allow the CWC to flourish and continue to grow its national brand for years to come.

Thursday, March 21, 2024

True Stories That Never Happened: "The Things They Carried" and "The Little Prince"

"The Little Prince", Antoine de Saint-Exupery

 

What are "true stories that never happened"?

 

    "True stories that never happened" may sound like a contradictory phrase---after all, how can something be true if it was made up by the author? The phrase comes from "The Things They Carried", a series of short stories written by Tim O'Brien. O'Brien makes no effort to conceal the fictional nature of his stories, pointing out in asides that he fabricated certain events or characters in an act of metafictional acknowledgement of the author, but he nevertheless presents them with the same respect and conventions as non-fiction. 
    I define this "genre" that O'Brien employs as one that uses fantasy, metaphor, and fabricated scenes to represent true events that are abstract or hard to explain. Oftentimes, authors find themselves restricted by the "truth" of a story, which this genre puts to the sidelines. More than anything, these stories focus on getting the reader to feel the same emotions that the author feels regarding these events, even if that requires exaggerating or bending the truth. 
    I would argue that another story, "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, uses this same technique. Much like O'Brien, Saint-Exupery blurs the lines between true and untrue by placing himself and his own experiences into the narrative alongside fiction, making no effort to distinguish the two. This gives the story a personal, almost biographical nature despite its obvious use of fantasy.
    These stories have had a profound influence on my own approach to writing, and I think they provide an important view into the long-lasting impact of this style of storytelling. They point out the impact that this genre can have on a reader and the advantages of using fiction to describe these "true events" more accurately. Because these stories focus on emotion, they linger in the reader's mind much longer than non-fiction.

The Things They Carried

 

"The Things They Carried", Tim O'Brien 

 

    "The Things They Carried" is a grim recollection of the Vietnam War, based on Tim O'Brien's own experiences as a member of the 23rd Infantry Division. It features fictional members of the infantry as protagonists, as well as O'Brien himself---or rather, a character bearing O'Brien's name. The book is told through non-chronological short stories and asides, gradually expanding on each character's relationships and experiences, mostly through O'Brien's point of view. 

 

Tim O'Brien, via NPR

    The most striking and memorable stories from this book, "On The Rainy River"; "The Man I Killed"; and "Speaking of Courage", make excellent use of its genre as a fictionalized truth.

"On the Rainy River"

    Set first chronologically, this story follows O'Brien after he learns that he's been drafted. Attempting to avoid his fate, he tries to run away to Canada by taking a boat across the titular Rainy River. However, as he makes his way down the river, people start appearing on the shores to convince him to leave/stay. These figures aren't just friends or family---soon he's being yelled at from either side by celebrities, fictional characters, cartoons, everyone he's ever known. He's eventually forced to confront his fears, and he's unable to bring himself to face the consequences of abandoning his country. 

    This story, while simple, showcases the strengths of this style of story telling. Rather than telling us that he felt conflicted, O'Brien anthropomorphizes his internal struggle in order to show us how he feels. His guilt yells at him from the American side, while his cowardice and morality encourage him from the Canadian side. Whether or not he ever actually attempted to row across the Rainy River doesn't matter. We know exactly what emotions O'Brien was experiencing upon being drafted through the way he tells this story.

"The Man I Killed"

    In this story, O'Brien is haunted by the imagined version of a man he kills during an ambush. There's an emphasis on guilt, perhaps even O'Brien himself projecting onto this enemy soldier. The man he killed may have been a good person; he could have had a family; he could have not wanted to hurt him; he could have been afraid and hiding; he could have been forced to fight against his will; and yet O'Brien killed him in cold blood. Through his imagining, he paints himself as the villain and is tortured by his guilt about his actions. 

    "The Man I Killed" ties perfectly in with the idea of "true stories that never happened": because he doesn't know what the truth of this man's life was, for all he knows these imagined possibility could have been real. "Good Form", another chapter later in the book, confirms that he made the whole story up. However, he "wanted the reader to feel the same way [he] did during the war", so he crafted a story that summarized all of his guilt and second-guessing of his actions into one singular event. This is exactly what this genre attempts to achieve.

"Speaking of Courage" (TW: mentions of suicide)

    "Speaking of Courage" is my favorite story from "The Things They Carried". It's also my least favorite. It stayed with me long after I had finished reading it, and is in my opinion the most striking and devastating story in the entire book. 

    Rather than O'Brien, this story follows Norman Bowker, one of his fellow infantrymen. Set after the war, it chronicles Bowker's attempts to return home and reenter society. However, this is easier said than done; his girlfriend has married someone else, and all of his friends were killed in combat. People don't want to talk about the war, and soldiers are given the cold shoulder upon returning. After all, the United State's efforts in Vietnam were a failure. Bowker drives in circles around the town, imagining conversations he might have about his experiences. He tells his father about the medals he won, as well as the ones he didn't win. He repeats the phrase "speaking of courage" at the beginning of all of his "conversations", as if he's joining into them, rather than starting them. While he doesn't have anyone to tell these stories to, imagining what he might say if he had an audience serves as his catharsis as he drives. 

    His circles around the city, watching from the windshield, highlight the isolation Bowker feels from the rest of society. He feels stuck, driving around and around on the same path repeating the same stories while everyone else moves on without him. "Notes", the aside that follows "Speaking of Courage", elaborates that Bowker himself asked O'Brien to write the story for him, then suddenly took his own life. He was never able to rejoin society after the war. This emotional gut-punch made the story linger in my mind several years after I first read it.

 

The Little Prince

 

"The Little Prince", Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "The Little Prince" has a much lighter subject matter than "The Things They Carried". It chronicles the travels of the titular little prince as he makes his way through the stars and planets before landing on Earth, serving as a metaphor for growing up as well as a social and philosophical commentary. The story is told second-hand by the aviator, who the prince meets in the desert. While the meaning of the story is up for interpretation, it's clear to me that both the prince and the aviator are reflections of the author, Antoine de Saint-Exupery. 

Antoine de Saint-Exupery, via Britannica

    An aviator himself, his plane once crash landed in the middle of the desert during a flight, where he experienced extreme dehydration and hallucinations before being led to water by a local nomad. Similarly, the aviator in his story crash lands in the desert before meeting the prince, who keeps his spirits up with his stories and ultimately leads him to water. As the narrator of the story, the aviator serves as a stand-in for Saint-Exupery as the author. 

    The prince is a less direct reflection of the author. Saint-Exupery wrote "The Little Prince" in a rented mansion in Long Island, which he felt confined in, sneaking off into the city much like the prince leaving his asteroid home to explore the cosmos. The prince's rose is likely based off of the disposition of Consuelo, Saint-Exupery's wife. In "Letters to a Stranger", Saint-Exupery even signs his letters with an image of the prince, equating himself to the character. 

    I believe the prince represents his childhood self, or perhaps his memories of this self. The prince has a child-like sense of wonder and confusion about the world, constantly confronted with the strangeness of adults. He contrasts the aviator's pessimism and resignation towards the state of the world. They serve as two halves of the same whole: Saint-Exupery himself.

    Like O'Brien, Saint-Exupery treats his subject with the same seriousness and conventions as non-fiction. The aviator recounts the story as a memoir. He even acknowledges that he could have told the tale as a fairy tale, but he "didn't want [his] book to be taken lightly. Telling these memories is so painful to [him]". All of the illustrations in the book, done by Saint-Exupery himself, are attributed to the aviator, The prince even comments on them as he creates them, telling him the ears on the fox are too long and "look more like horns". Saint-Exupery blurs the lines between reality and fiction by doing this, tying himself to the character of the aviator as he recounts the story of the prince. 

    The prince was not created for this story specifically. The opposite is true, actually. Saint-Exupery had been drawing the prince on his letters and in the margins of his diary long before the book's creation, and was encouraged to use the character for a children's book. Saint-Exupery, who at the point had only written novels, held children's books in the highest regards. "We know all too well that fairy tales are the only truth in life," he wrote in "Letters to a Stranger". This sentiment is reflected in the moral lessons that he weaves within "The Little Prince", as well as his insistence within the story that the events described are true.

    While a fantasy story about a cosmos-traveling prince, "The Little Prince" holds just as much truth in its narrative as the stories told in "The Things They Carried".

 

So what?

 

    These stories hold a powerful lesson behind them for writers: as Tim O'Brien states, "the truth of a story doesn't matter so much as what the story is trying to say". Nonfiction is often held to a higher regard than fiction, its value held in its honesty and dedication to the truth. I would argue that fiction can be just as, if not more, true than an entirely factual nonfiction account. I've read many stories about the Vietnam War; none have impacted me as profoundly or stuck with me as long as "The Things They Carried" has. "The Little Prince" is a deeper look at the life and beliefs of Antoine de Saint-Exupery than the history recounted in the bonus content of my 75th anniversary edition of the book. Through fiction, we can create stories that are truer than life itself.