The Power of Storytelling

As I was reading the article, "How to Tell a True War Story" I was somewhat confused because I was not sure about what it was that the author was trying to communicate. By the end however, I felt that this article discussed the power of storytelling. The article begins with the assertive phrase, "This is true." as though the speaker was trying to convince us that what he is about to tell us is in fact the truth. Instead, I think that the speaker plays two roles throughout this article: a soldier and a storyteller. It is incredible how the storyteller has the power to manipulate and mold the listener's opinions or perception. It is how the story is told that will affect your perception of it. Although death is explicitly referred to in the article, there are no vivid descriptions of blood and carnage. Curt Lemon's death is described as a beautiful scene; our perception of ugliness and beauty is altered. It is as though the complexity of war is impossible to communicate which is telling a "true" war story is extremely difficult. At times of war, soldiers become killers and go back to primitive and uncivilized instincts. Perhaps this distortion of human behavior is reflected in all war stories; nothing makes sense anymore. What should be beautiful is ugly and what should touch us does not. For example, I was more affected by the buffalo scene than by the description of Curt Lemon's death. After reading this article, it seems that there is no single way of telling a "true" war story because each war story is unique. Many do not have a point and many appear to be untrue. I think that this is the same with storytelling in general. It is always very difficult to try and tell what you have gone through to someone else; some details go missing or are replaced with fiction. There is a quote in the article which I think perfectly captures what the speaker is saying:

"It comes down to gut instinct. A true war story, if truly told, makes the stomach believe."