I disliked the book‚ The Things They Carried‚ more than I can say I liked it. It wasn’t because I’m not into reading books or stories about war‚ but because I loathed the gruesomeness of certain scenes. The scene that got to me the most was the event of Curt Lemon’s death‚ and how Rat Kiley felt about the whole ordeal. Not only was Lemon’s death traumatic to think of‚ but also the misery and torture of the baby water buffalo‚ which was quite disturbing to read. The scene was also interesting to me
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Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried is not a novel about the Vietnam War. It is a story about the soldiers and their experiences and emotions that are brought about from the war. O’Brien makes several statements about war through these dynamic characters. He shows the violent nature of soldiers under the pressures of war‚ he makes an effective antiwar statement‚ and he comments on the reversal of a social deviation into the norm. By skillfully employing the stylistic technique of specific
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about yourself.” In the quote moore describes the power that storytelling has on people. He explains to us that just because there is lies in the story‚ that doesn’t mean that we cannot take something away from it. Similarly in the novel‚ The Things They Carried‚ the author‚ Tim O’Brien‚ uses stories to tell us about his time serving in the war in Vietnam. And even though most of these stories are not entirely true‚ that does not mean we cannot learn from them. Storytelling is a tool that allows soldiers
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When I first started reading Tim O’Brien’s the things they carried his depth of description entertained me. After reading each paragraph I was able to visualize what I had read. I could see each soldier loaded down with all the necessities they felt they needed. I was introduced to each soldier by the things they carried with them‚ from village to village across Vietnam‚ during the war. Some of the items seemed frivolous‚ such as scarves and comic books‚ but I could see how it helped them cope with
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Kiowa Kiowa is a very unique character in the book The Things They Carried he seems to be the "ideal" soldier. He is very full of life and caring. Even in horrible situations‚ he knows the right things to say. For example in the chapter "The Man I Killed" Kiowa knows just what to say to O’Brien while he is in shock after killing a young man. "All right let me ask a question You want to trade places with him." Turn it all upside down- you want that. I mean‚ be honest." p 126 Unlike Azar
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worked‚ and from there it was a natural progression to learning how to use the weapon" (98). As the story goes on it shows that she is becoming more of a soldier. She in the end acted very differently than most women‚ this for women was a positive thing because it is giving her power‚ and a new look on life. This can be negative as well because Mark Fossie lost the girl he once loved. Her image continues to become more negative‚ once Mary Anne goes crazy and starts sleeping with the greenies. She
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Kevin Scott English 120 Prof. Creeley 2/28/13 Time O’Brien: Depictions of Soldiers Tim O’Brien’s novel‚ The Things They Carried‚ consists of a series of interconnecting narratives that tell the stories of the soldiers in the Vietnam War. Each story depicts the soldiers in a different way. It can be inferred that O’Brien did this purposefully to illustrate to the reader the different sides of every soldier. O’Brien describes the soldiers in two main‚ ironically opposing ways; an honorable
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therefore‚ construction of a new morality is inescapable. Within the stories in The Things They Carried‚ soldiers are required to do so during and after the Vietnam War. War breeds monstrosities and wanton cruelty. When faced with two evils‚ picking the lesser immoral option is not necessarily something to be frowned upon. This is what separates a soldier’s morality and a civilian’s morality. Civilians see things through a black-and-white perspective; fundamental standards that must be obeyed to
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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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disorder. In the novel The Things They Carried‚ written by Tim O’Brien‚ the author paints a portrait in the readers mind of all the realities of the war atrocities. O’Brien tells a different short story each chapter about characters and all the struggles and difficult encounters they face. Each character carries three things during the war. The first thing the soldiers carry is the physical items necessary for survival: M-16‚ M-60‚ grenades‚ ammo‚ etc. The second thing they carry are personal items
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