Preview

The Things I Carry

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
602 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Things I Carry
The Things I'd Carry
In the novel The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien, soldiers would do just about anything to stay sane and alive during the Vietnam War. Some men would have carried things with them during the war. These same men would carry things to remind them of home, others would carry an item to help them feel better during their hardships. What these men carried was something to hold onto, moreover not an item but of a memory or a dream. Soldiers would do just about anything to stay sane and alive during the Vietnam War. I also have items that I would feel wrong without; these items are symbols of me.
One item that I would feel the need to carry is a deck of cards. By having a deck of cards I can play solitaire by myself or play poker with others. Cards can be a way to be social with others. My deck of cards are special because they have pictures of Marilyn Monroe on each card. I obtained this deck of cards from my mother while I was on vacation in Palm Springs.
I have in my backpack a small ball which represents sports for me. I received the ball from a friend of mine because he thought I would want it more because I love to play sports. I can play it anytime, anywhere, with anyone. I play volleyball and football for school, but will play any other sport without a problem. I believe this is my "field specialty" and what separates me from others.
My item for "means of killing or staying alive" is a pocket knife. It was given to me from my dad when we went on a fishing trip; I have kept it safe since then. I can use it as a weapon but I tend to use for less violent purposes. I've used it to cut off lose strings from clothes to cutting out pictures in magazines. Also, it always seems to be right next to me when I need it. The pocket knife not only gives me a safe feeling but it reminds me of my dad when I see it, that is what makes it better than a normal pocket knife.
My house key symbolizes my goal in life. I wish to be able to return to my house

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is based on the hardships of soldiers when they returned from war. This story is told by 22 chapters, each chapter contains a story, all of the stories are linked together. In the beginning of the story the author describes and lists the items that soldiers carry in combat. These items consisted of matches, food, pictures, money, ammo, grenades, etc.…

    • 332 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the short story “The Things They Carried” Tim O’brien uses physical objects that each solider is carrying to try to give us a glimpse of their lives and some insight into their personalities. Most of the things the soldiers carried were determined by necessity, such as can openers, heat tabs, helmets and canteens of water. (269). While the reasoning for O 'brien 's “The Things They Carried” is to speak about the physical objects each soldier carried with them, the internal things they carried were much more meaningful.…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    My thoughts on the things they carried are as followed: I believe that the soldiers carry personal things to remind them what they have to live for. War is a mental game about what side wants it more. I think that the things they carry push them harder to stay alive. They carry weapons and necessities to help them achieve their goal of staying alive.…

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the short story “The Things They Carried,” written by Tim O’Brien, there is a lot of symbolism in each specific object that was mentioned. According to Dictionary.com, a symbolism is the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character. A symbol is something used for or regarded as representing something else; a material object representing something, often something immaterial; emblem, token, or sign. The things each soldier carried defined each individual soldier. The story was very detailed in the objects the soldiers carried which tied into the emotional things the soldiers carried.…

    • 1663 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “The Things They Carried,” a short story by Tim O’Brien, the reader is able to see, in great detail, each of the characters ways of dealing with the atrocities of the Vietnam War by what they choose to carry; how symbolically they use these objects as a means for remembrance of what they have left behind, to escape what they deal with each day, and for some, a false sense of security and/or control over the violence and death that surrounds them.…

    • 450 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When referring to the items in the story the narrator uses them to symbolize, the characters, photos, and letters. “The items structure both the story and the book.”(Henningfeld 1) Allowing a great deal of vision in the story, the narrator shares his stories and as well as other characters who also tell their stories. Soldiers items that they are carrying is more of a metaphor because what each soldier is actually carrying is fear, the feeling of being alive, and his haunting memories.…

    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    -I would take my iPhone, Laptop, Photo Album, favorite Victoria Secret sweatshirt and my baby book.…

    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Next create a visual using all the items on your list. Be sure to group these items into categories such as Necessitites, luxuries, things I love concrete things, abstract things, things that make me things I wish I could put down. Highlight three of the most significant weights you carry. Not that these things may represent positive or negative weight.…

    • 141 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In great detail, O’Brien explains what these soldiers must carry on a daily basis during their journey of war. “Among the necessities or near-necessities were P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates C rations, and two or three canteens of water.” (O’Brien 2) The weight of these items alone complicated travel under such circumstances, but we learn that each of these soldiers have sentimental items they haul along with them to feel comfort in such uncomfortable times. “First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha…They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping, so he kept them folded in plastic at the bottom of his rucksack.” (O’Brien 1)…

    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Things I Carry

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Things I Carry by Tim O’brien discusses the weight the soldiers who fought in Vietnam and the emotional damage they all faced. Just like these soldiers in the book we all carry something emotional or physical. We all carry certain things memories, emotions, and physical items these objects have an impact on our daily life. One of the most important physical objects I carry is my planner. My planner carries my information, quotes, journal entries, and much more.…

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Things I Carry Poem

    • 271 Words
    • 2 Pages

    It lets me carry a Cynical attitude, And lets me carry Caution and a Sense of humor. I carry a purse That holds all my necessities. Necessities those are sometimes not essential But it aids me in carrying my lip gloss, keys, wallet, and a mirror.…

    • 271 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Brown Bag Speech

    • 529 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The second thing I chose to put in my bag are some pictures of my family. I have my grandparents, all my aunts and uncles, my mother and sister, my fiancé and baby, and finally my dog Dori. The reason I chose these pictures to put in my bag is because I couldn’t stress enough how much my family members mean to me. I have had several friends either lose their brother, mother, or even grandparents, and it makes me WANT to cherish every moment with my family and REALIZE that I should. It also makes me thank God for the family that he blessed me with.…

    • 529 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lifestyle In Lou And Oz

    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Item two. I need food and transportation. By bring some chickens for meat and eggs, cows for milk and beef, horses for transportation and goats for whool I would be set for food and but there is still one thing I'm sure I would need to live in the valley of a mountain…A weapon.…

    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Things I Carry

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages

    I carry so many things, so many insignificant things, things that you would never think could hold so much meaning.…

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Persuasive Essay Prompts

    • 562 Words
    • 3 Pages

    It can be hard to have to defend yourself on the fly, making preparedness a necessary by-word. Some of the best survival gear is the simpler gear, and some of it is even legal, even if it not for that use in particular. Pepper spray and blow horns are always pretty safe bets, as they can at least distract an attacker and give you that extra second or two to decide on how to take him down or run away. A roll of quarters is the old standby; not only can it help you pay for a ride out of the situation, but it is the basic fist load. For the same reason, old keys can be useful; they are never suspected of adding extra damage to a punch until they are actually used. Not quite fitting the pattern, but useful in its own right is an energy bar, as it can help balance you after a fight-or-flight response. By the same token, a pre-paid credit card is always nice, as it can be loaded up almost anywhere and gives you emergency funds anywhere you can use a credit or debit card.…

    • 562 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays