one single man. How can we really know what the truth is? In Tim O’Brien “the things they carried’ what really defines a war story being true? Its never moral‚ the uncertainty‚ or is it the horror and honor? The things that happen in war are never moral. War has a dirty bloody‚ gorier‚ and violent side to it. Well that’s what war is? "War is nuts war is fun‚ war is thrilling‚ and war is drudgery war makes you a
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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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Reading Response Summary: The Things They Carried‚ by Tim O’Brien at first seemed to be just another war story. As I started reading I thought I was not going to have any interest at all in the story however after I got into the story I found myself more interested than I thought I was going to be. This story is an excellent depiction of war itself. It is very realistic and easy to relate to even without any personal experience with war. The title itself paves the way for the entire story
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Audience Analysis The target audience for this article would be individuals that take an interest in war and the lives of soldiers on missions. I would write my summary to target those individuals to encourage or discourage them to read or not read the article written by Tim O’Brien. The audience cannot be defined by age‚ gender‚ and backgrounds or educational level because it could be a wide range of individuals that take notice of the writing for different purposes. The audience may know
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Yalissa Kargbo Ap Literature 4/A Day Note and Notice Essay: The Things They Carried In the novel “The Things They Carried” author‚ Tim O’Brien‚ uses shifts in mood and irony to successfully exposes guilt of the items the men carried physically and emotionally which led to the fatal decisions while at war. In chapter one the narrator gives insight on a man named Jimmy Cross describes his love for a girl named Martha. Martha is a girl from New Jersey that Jimmy regrets not taking a chance
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The Things They Carried: Chapter 1 Significant Quote: “In the accompanying letter‚ Martha wrote that she had found the pebble on the Jersey shoreline‚ precisely where the land touched the water at high tide‚ where things came together but also separated.” (8) Speaker: Tim O’Brien Audience: The reader Significance: This symbolizes Martha and Jimmy’s feelings for each other. They are separated by the war‚ but together in their minds. Questions: 1. What prompted the separate-but-together thought
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In novel The Things They Carried‚ a central theme is reality vs fiction‚ believe bs disbelief‚ O’brien creates an unsteady relationship with the reader that makes one question even the most minute details and descriptions. At it’s core The Things They carried is a work of fiction‚ however this passage is more‚ it’s a piece that teaches a class what makes fiction‚ rather than simply telling them a moralistic war story. While O’brien’s use of fictional techniques such as‚ jargon‚ second person voice
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The role of symbols in The Things They Carried Symbolism in O’Brien’s The Things They Carried runs rampant and plays a part in conveying the author’s message. O’Brien uses symbols to link ideas together. Symbols can be decrypted by the reader to unearth the true essence of the work. Symbols appear in all forms in the work‚ recurring as both tangible and intangible. O’Brien chooses to embed symbols everywhere in the text‚ in the structure‚ the characters. Some symbols are more discreetly
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The Things They Carried Theme Questions 1. What was taken from Ted Lavender after he died and why did they use it? Who was blaming himself for his death? They took his dope and smoked it. This was to help relieve the stresses of the war. Jimmy Cross held on to the guilt of letting Ted die because he was distracted from the war. 2. Many of the characters were superstitious‚ for example Dobbins wore pantyhose around his neck even after she broke up with him. How does their superstition
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Argumentative Synthesis “The Things They Carried” Tim O’ Brien‚ having the memories of war engraved in his mind‚ recalls the memories of his youth during battle in “The Things They Carried‚” an intriguing collection of military accounts that symbolize his attempt to resist closure from past experiences. O’ Brien’s story reflects the difficult choices people have to make in their struggle to confront the war waging inside their bodies as well as on the ground they tread. In Steven Kaplan’s criticism
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