In “The Things They Carried”‚ Tim O’Brien’s characters suffer this reality time and time again in the Vietnam War. A war that costed the life of thousands of American servicemen. Men who suffered horrific conditions and watched their close friends die in devastating combat and treacherous terrain. It could be easy to call the men who fought in The Vietnam War the most mentally and physically damaged combat veterans in United States history. O’Brien captures this in “The Things They Carried”‚ a book
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The Emotional burdens of war The story I chose is “The Things They Carried” by the author Tim O’Brien. In the course of this essay I will highlight the physical and intangible “burdens” required by a soldier to overcome war which are of vital importance to inhibit the outcomes of a state of devastation. The story gives us insights about what each soldier carried to the combat zone and this was largely determined by necessities‚ but each man differed in their necessity. It gives a picture
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The role of ignorance in the novel‚ The Things They Carried‚ pertains around the idea of life and death and the way the soldiers become affected by certain events. Most notably‚ Azar is ignorant of his surroundings. He views Vietnam as a game‚ as he is always messing around and being immature. For example‚ “Azar shrugged. After a second he reached out and clapped [Tim] on the shoulder‚ not roughly but not gently either. ‘What’s real?’ he said. ‘Eight months in fantasyland‚ it tends to blur the line
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not presented to the conventional ways of dealing with stress of our American culture‚ as showed in Tim’s O’Brien’s‚ "The Things They Carried." These men were compelled to find and create better approaches to manage the pressures of war‚ utilizing just their assets while as a part of the Vietnamese wilderness. It was impractical for any soldier to convey numerous things or burdens with them‚ however‚ in the event that something was a need‚ a way was found to convey it‚ and ways of dealing with stress
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The Things They Carried –Coping Mechanisms to Survive During the Vietnam war‚ soldiers were not exposed to the traditional coping mechanisms of our American society‚ as illustrated in Tim Obrien ’s The Things They Carried. These men were forced to discover and invent new ways to deal with the pressures of war‚ using only their resources while in the Vietnamese jungle. It was not possible for any soldier to carry many items or burdens with them‚ but if something was a necessity‚ a way was
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Themes and Dialogue of O’Brien in The Things They Carried War has done many horrible things to many people throughout time all over the world. War experience filled with death‚ suspense‚ and constant fear has swept through millions and millions of people who are still scared by the horrific experience. To some so horrific that a normal life‚ post war‚ was almost unbearable. But some were able to take the experience and share it to the world. Tim O’Brien is a perfect example of this. O’Brien was
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I carried myself up for those first few steps. I carried a worn-out build-a-bear when I was small. Its fur was frayed‚ its button eyes almost popped‚ and its stuffing had seen better days. But to me‚ it was my protector‚ my confidant. I carried it everywhere‚ clinging to the softness and warmth‚ believing it could shield me from anything that lurked in the dark. I carried a notebook too‚ filled with crayon drawings of stick figures with strangely large hands and a sun with large rays. Each page was
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Journal Entry 2 The short story‚ “The Things They Carried”‚ by Tim O’brien‚ was my favorite reading of this week. The author states what the company is carrying‚ as well as emotional burdens that they carry. I think that theme of this story can be summarized as “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. As I stated in the discussion‚ I think this story makes a profound point about trauma and emotional stress. Physical burdens are easily observable. For example‚ when people see someone in a wheelchair their
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The excerpt of “The Things They Carried” inspired me to write about minimalism and the burden that excessive amounts of possessions can create and how ultimately it can weigh down an individual’s happiness. It inspired me to write about this topic by listing off all the things the soldiers in the story had to carry and how much each thing weighed. It made me think about how unhappy carrying the heavy equipment might have made each soldier and how unhappy I was with the things weighing me down. To
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John Sumpter Priceless Objects In “The Things They Carried” Tim O’Brien brings fiction and autobiography together in this story about the Vietnam War. O’Brien also uses a very unique style in order to give the reader more understanding in the value of the objects the soldiers carry by using the repetition of the word and instead of using commas. Although this style may seem glorified from an artistic point of view‚ the audience might find themselves skipping ahead the long repetitious lists. Luckily
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