War is hell‚ but that’s not the half of it‚ because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead.” (Tim O’Brien‚ The Things They Carried) Ah‚ war stories . . . tales of heroism‚ bravery‚ and friendship forged in the heat of combat; a sweet homecoming won by a hair’s breath; and an uplifting moral. If these are the ingredients
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In The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien‚ many negatives of being a soldier are presented. These negatives‚ being shown as emotional burdens‚ are prevalent throughout each character in The Things They Carried. More intensely shown is Norman Bowker. He carried strong burdens throughout the story as well as the end of it. The social aspect of the Vietnam War affected the soldiers in The Things They Carried by forcing them to get involved with illegal drugs‚ and find themselves stuck with emotional
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both memories and the current happenings in one’s life. In the beginning of The Things They Carried‚ by Tim O’Brien‚ O’Brien describes the lasting turmoil both he and Lieutenant Jimmy Cross feel as a result of the war: “... Jimmy rubbed his eyes and said he’d never forgiven himself for Lavender’s death. It was something that would never go away‚ he said quietly‚ and I nodded and told him I feel the same about certain things” (26). The tragedies of war can never be understood by one who has not experienced
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Mr. Nenopoulos CAI September 2‚ 2014 The Things They Carried In the following book The Things They Carried by Tim O Brien‚ the title of this novel suits the story well because of many reasons. This book is written about the American soldiers that served in the Vietnam War. In the beginning of this book O Brien instantly gives us a huge nudge as to why this book titled this by telling us what each soldier carried on their backs during this war. He explains how heavy the equipment they have to carry
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Tim O’Brien‚ in his collection of short stories called “The things they carried”‚ develops the theme of soldiers ‘carrying’ many burdens throughout their lives. Through his persona‚ also named Tim O’Brien‚ O’Brien contradicts the stereotypical reason as to why the men joined the war. Jimmy Cross explores the unwanted burden placed on a Lieutenant of the platoon member’s responsibility. Further O’Brien explores the affect of the Vietnam War on the soldiers on their wellbeing through Norman Bowker
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and Emotional Burdens In The Things They Carried‚ O ’Brien talks about multiple different things that the men at war carry. They take things with them that soldiers always have like guns‚ bags‚ grenades‚ ammo‚ food‚ water‚ and things like that‚ but they also carry personal items like Kiowa ’s Bible and moccasins‚ or Jensen ’s vitamins. The men however‚ have more than just physical items. They have things that always stay with them like emotional and figurative things. Throughout the novel‚ O ’Brien
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In the novel The Things They Carried the young soldiers are afraid of seeming weak. O’ Brien didn’t want to go to war. He was even considering fleeing to Canada. O’ Brien eventually decided to go because he was afraid of seeming like a coward to his family and town. He went to war out of fear of appearing weak to his peers. He believed it would be shameful if he didn’t go to the war. The soldiers in the novel were cautious to show any sign of fear. They were in an unpredictable and strange environment
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Civil War General Sherman once said‚ “War is hell.” He was right. In the short story “The Things They Carried‚” Tim O’Brien shows us the hell that our soldiers suffered. The narrator shows us a captivating‚ and up-close story about our soldiers in the Vietnam War. While the title relates to the story about things carried‚ but the soldiers carry more than just the physical burdens-in many cases‚ they are weighed down by emotional baggage. The emotional baggage that lies heavy in their hearts
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The Things They Carried Tim O’Brien First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha‚ a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey. They were not love letters‚ but Lieutenant Cross was hoping‚ so he kept them folded in plastic at the bottom of his rucksack. In the late afternoon‚ after a day’s march‚ he would dig his foxhole‚ wash his hands under a canteen‚ unwrap the letters‚ hold them with the tips of his fingers‚ and spend the last hour of light pretending
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Tim O’Brien’s The Things they carried In-class writing assignment War has always been something that seemed pointless to me; it seemed like violence with no other purpose but to harm people. I felt sorry for the people who had to go to war‚ for the people who died‚ and for people who could never go back to normal after a war ended‚ because of the mental or physical impact it had on them. Howard told us his story‚ his opinion about war‚ and the book “The Things they carried”. He changed my way
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