Common Ideas from http://samrocs0212.blogspot.com/

So, the last time we met in class we were asked to write a narrative of one of three characters from "How to Tell a True War Story." I chose to wrtie from the perpsective of Lemon's sister, as did some of the people who read aloud in class. After hearing the stories they wrote, I thought it was probably horrible that I thought that Lemon was a huge idiot. Now, I don't feel so bad because it seems that Samantha has the same views that I did, wonderful, check it out.

Interesting insights from http://ihavenoidea206.blogspot.com/

After have read some of the classes blogs, I found this one particularly interesting, mainly, because it made me laugh out loud! Daniel talks about how he received books from distant family members for Chirstmas about how to write fiction. I am that relative! Not his relative, but I am the relative that will spend the entire day at a book store looking for books I think would make great gifts for my family members. I always would think "this is the worst gift a kid can get for christmas" but would often write that thought off as I thought to myself: "they'll love this book one day." I just thought it was so funny to have some insight!

Hello, I'm Lemon's Sister

It doesn't surprise me. I'm just not shocked at all. I mean, it's a war; people die. People come home whole or in pieces. I'm not for the war but it's what he wanted to do. Lemon was always stupid. He would just never listen or forget something important you told him five minutes ago. Always goofing around. He took nothing seriously. He just didn't care. Maybe that's why he left; to make something meaningful of his life, become a new person, or just so he could come home and brag about all the stuff he did. But now he's gone. Goofing off again, not paying attention at all. I told him every chance I could before he left: "Take this serious, please, and come home. Be safe. Write to me." But nothing. No letters ever came. Doesn't surprise me. But I do get a letter from some other wise ass that was probably just like him. Stupid, obnoxious. A wise ass telling ME about MY brother and what he was doing there. Talking about how noble and brave he was. He was never like that here. He had to go half way around the world to prove what kind of man he could be. Now nothing. Nothing because he was so stupid. I'm angry that I'll never see him again, but what can I do? Keep reading this letter and imagine the face and the voice of some other idoit that helped him get to where he is now? I just wait now. For him. To come home. He can rest and we can take him flowers on his birthday. Maybe a cake, sing a song. He would like that.

Nicole at 25

At first glance, Nicole seems not to be particularly interested in anything at all. She can stand around, sit around, or even walk around with no expression. No interest in the day, the time, especially no interest in what may be passing her by. There are many people who have said that “she’s rude,” “she’s conceited,” or “she has no manners,” but these people don’t seem to know the real Nicole. If people would just put their feelings aside they would notice that Nicole isn’t much of a snob at all; she prefers to be called shy, which is a lot less critical. Shy or not, Nicole can move past this rigid exterior and be overly nice to a whole lot of people.
Picking and choosing isn’t the norm for most people, or is it? Nicole actually doesn’t like to play favorites, but it is only part of her daily routine. If you care to know, Nicole is a server at a casino restaurant and no matter how rude, indecisive, or impatient some guests can be, Nicole goes way beyond her own expectations to make sure that every guest is content beyond their own justifications. This of course means that anyone that gets in the way of her good service had better look out. It is also certainly true that her attitude can’t go on for days, her cooks can’t always get the orders right, her customers can’t always be pleased, her supervisor can’t always cut the shift short, and her feet can’t always remain pain free. But it’s good money, it’s good benefits, and it’s her job until she can earn a degree.
Besides worrying about school and what hours she can actually afford to work, Nicole often worries about her health, but not in a normal way. Nicole is a self proclaimed hypochondriac. Her family may not know very much about her obsessions, but her friends
certainly have a clue. Nicole has told many stories in the past about how a spider bite in eighth grade gave her flesh eating bacteria, or about the time she accidentally mixed Benadryl with an energy drink and swears she had a minor stroke, even though the doctor told her it was only an optical migraine. Nicole knows better to trust the doctors who know far more about the human body than Nicole’s BIO 201 and 202 could explain.
This brings us to Nicole’s rekindled love for science. Nicole wishes to become a nurse one day, if all goes well, but if not who knows that will happen to all those biology, chemistry and microbiology credits when she changes her major. But like every young Native American college student, one day Nicole would like to return to her reservation and serve her tribe, in a much different way than she serves people now. It’s true that Nicole has a warm heart and a sincere yearning for positive outcomes; and this is the part of her that she wishes to be seen.