Mortenson's Short Story 'Factual Truth, By Tim O' Brien

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1. It is important to me in some cases. If the major details are presented as true and are not, I find it unethical. For example, "Mortenson’s claim to be building schools to battle Taliban recruitment in militant-thick parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan is false — just as was his claim to have been held hostage by Taliban fighters and his original claim of being rescued by villagers in Korphe," in my opinion, is unethical. However, if it is just small, insignificant details to make the telling of the story smoother, I do not have much of a problem with it.

2. Something can be true and not factual. Factual truth is something that can be supported by outside sources, and emotional truth is only something that a person feels, or knows to be true in their mind. For example, a writer's feelings cannot be supported by outside evidence, but a factual event, say 9/11, can; however, this does not mean that feelings are not true. “The feeling created by a fictional story is sometimes truer than what results from reading the facts.” (Tim O'Brien) …show more content…

Yes, it is possible. Different perspectives shape one's emotional perception of a factual event. Because two people's emotions influence their recollection of an event, it may result in conflicting stories, that are both based on fact.

4. Crafting a memoir involves writing a story or stories about one's personal life. It can be written chronologically, or by order of importance, etc. It is based on one's life experiences, and involves writing, editing, checking facts, and publishing.

5. I think in some cases is it acceptable for a writer to deviate from strict facts to convey a story. As previously noted, major deviations or important facts should be true, but small details do not need to be completely accurate. However, I do not think a writer should maliciously manipulate a reader, or change details if the work is marketed as completely factually

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