A Different Kind of Courage
TIM O’BRIEN: LITERARY ARGUMENT

This essay is a literary argument in which you take a stand supporting or not supporting the narrator’s decision at the end of “On the Rainy River” to go to war.
O’Brien says that he is telling this story of his moral crisis twenty years ago, in part as a tribute to “the hero of my life . . . the man saved me.” However, he is also evaluating
the choice he made on his sixth day at the Tip Top Lodge. Here is a Toulmin analysis
of his evaluation argument:
Warrant: Courage is taking right and moral action, “bravely and forthrightly,
without fear of personal loss or discredit.”
Support: It is shameful to participate in a war that is immoral and wrong.
Claim: “I was a coward. I went to war.”

O’Brien’s argument is logical: the claim follows logically from the premises. Is it
valid? Do you accept his claim? Why or why not?

Your response will be in the form of an essay of at least four (4) double-spaced, typewritten pages, excluding the Works Cited page, using not only this story, “On the
Rainy River,” but also “The Things They Carried,” Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum
Est,” and either Henry David Thoreau or Mark Twain on patriotism. Use in-text citations when referring to the sources and provide a Works Cited page at the end, both in the MLA format.

The central issue is an individual’s response to war, in this instance the Vietnam War,
which the narrator considers unjustified and immoral. Look at the reasons and evidence
that O’Brien presents in “On the Rainy River” that you think support or do not support
his claim. Remember that a reason used to support one position can, with a shift in
emphasis, be used just as effectively to support the opposite position. Carefully examine
the second story, “The Things They Carried,” which takes place in Vietnam. What evidence do you find in it to support your position? Does the reality of the war back up
his original beliefs about it?

In a similar manner, Owen’s poem takes a stand against the idealization and glorification of war when one is faced with the brute reality of it. It is not a question of
whether or not a particular war is justified. Similarly, Twain and Thoreau set the individual conscience above the government and its policies. Would they agree with O’Brien’s judgment that he is a coward to go to war? It is your job to show the relevance of these authors’ works to O’Brien.
These are the guidelines given to me by my professor.
Please try to write on the side of the argument that supports him having courage for not dodging his draft.
I need 4 pages. And a separate page for the works cited. Please put works cited in alphabetical order and please USE IN-TEXT CITATIONS (as asked for by professor)
I have a total of 4 sources. 1 Primary and 3 Secondary. They have been labeled to help identify them.
Please use only these sources, for my professor has given them for us to use.

I have also included another file for the essay guidelines from my professor that I have already stated above, just in case!
I ALSO provided guidelines for the introduction of the essay that my professor also provided and I would like you to acknowledge it as well. It is titled “OBrien Essay Introduction”