thought to be a horrid war. The things that the American soldiers saw and experienced were unlike any other experiences. These experiences are shared in Tim O’Brien’s book‚ The Things They Carry. Although many of these stories seem to be war stories at a first glance‚ they can actually be seen as love stories because of the emotional connection each character has with each other. First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is a good example of how the stories in The Things They Carried are love stories. Lieutenant
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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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fraternizing with the enemy.” Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried is neither about the battle of sexes nor is it a feminist manifesto. The literary inferences‚ socio-political context‚ portrayal of various female characters‚ and their influence on the male characters truly depict changes in the social perception of gender roles‚ resulting conflict‚ and their outcome for American society. Along with all the things the men of the Alpha Company carried‚ they also took on the burden of feelings of love
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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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allow people to re-experience events. The ability to tell stories is a valued skill that has been being practiced as far back as history dates. Everyone one is unique‚ and brings up different feelings and emotions to different people. In The Things They Carried‚ by Tim O’Brien‚ O’Brien lives upon narrative tales. Ever since the death of his childhood love‚ Linda‚ O’Brien uniquely uses the magic of storytelling in almost every facet of his life. Tim O’Brien ends his book about the Vietnam War with an
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One of the main themes of the novel is the allure of war. This trope‚ common in war literature‚ is made more complex here as O’Brien adds the layers of a Conrad-esque “heart of darkness” fascination in the character of Mary Anne. The seductive allure of war is inextricably linked to the tendencies of human nature in O’Brien’s novel. War‚ more specifically the act of killing‚ acts as a catalyst for some individuals‚ causing them to become primal versions of themselves‚ to become less human‚ 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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A time; a moment of examples of friendship/kindness that had a significant impact on a character/person or characters/people‚ as it helped someone through a difficult time. Was shown in the two books that i read‚ “Kaffir boy” and “The Things They Carried”. To begin with. Kaffir boy shows a wide spread of the friendship and kindness throughout the book considering how he is dealt with his family life‚ his surrounding in Johannesburg and how living in a 3rd world-poor country has affected him emotionally
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Julius Nevin 11/13/11 Eaten Alive Some things in life become part of you. People‚ places‚ feelings; you can become so close that you are one. But sometimes‚ these things can consume you; swallow you whole. In Tim O’Brien’s novel‚ The Things They Carried‚ many characters become one with the land of Vietnam. Vietnam consumes characters in different ways‚ but it always results in a character’s unity with the land. Unity is defined as “the state of being one; oneness”. Kiowa physically becomes
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