Cassandra Reed S. Matthews Comp II 3 March 2014 The Things They Carried The Things They Carried by Tim O’ Brien is a collection of twenty-two short stories about the mental and physical endeavors that the American soldiers in the Vietnam War that comes together in one short novel. In this collection O’ Brien often blurs the lines between fiction and reality in order to push the reader to sympathize with the soldiers as they carry guilt‚ shame‚ cowardice‚ malice‚ and confusion. Many of the
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The soldiers also worried about the weather‚ land‚ viruses and more important their selves. The many physical and physiological factors of war multiplies the burdens of stress on the soldiers. In The Things They Carried‚ the soldiers had a duty of fighting two wars at once‚ an external war and an internal war. Externally‚ they were combating against the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese. There was no frontline and no sure method of classifying the enemy because regular residents would attack the armed
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Nikita Keenan 7/14/12 Throughout Tim O’Brien’s novel‚ The Things They Carried‚ the persona of the author often serves as a medium between the translation of emotion felt by characters in the story to the reader of the book. By developing fictitious versions of events that transpired while serving in the Vietnam War‚ O’Brien’s character is able to revive memories from the past as well as spark feelings of understanding and empathy in others. Surprisingly‚ the tone of the narrator rarely peals
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Escaping War War is an amazing‚ yet horrifying experience for the soldiers. Many of them come back with little change in their personalities‚ but most of them come back traumatized from the horrible experiences in war. In the story “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien‚ O’Brien describes a few ways a soldier might try to use in order to escape the harsh realities of war. He demonstrates soldiers trying to escape reality by describing what they did mentally‚ physically‚ and emotionally to forget
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“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.” (80) This passage is very significant to the reality of the soldiers in the Vietnam War and brings to life the setting of the entire novel. The soldiers were primarily teenagers and young men in their early twenties
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In the book‚ The Things They Carried‚ by Tim O’ Brien‚ the author shows and identifies a sense of compassion and bravery throughout the book. This thrilling and adventurous book is not only a story about Vietnam‚ but also a story about true love and the friendship that the soldiers share with each other‚ with unyielding stories about other people’s experiences in the Vietnam War. The author uses symbols to explain and give an example in the story. There are three of these symbols‚ Linda‚ love letters
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Personal Response "The Things They Carried‚" by Tim O’Brien. At first it 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 representation 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
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The text‚ The Things They Carried’‚ is an excellent example which reveals how individuals are changed for the worse through their first hand experience of war. Following the lives of the men both during and after the war in a series of short stories‚ the impact of the war is accurately portrayed‚ and provides a rare insight into the guilt stricken minds of soldiers. The Things They Carried’ shows the impact of the war in its many forms: the suicide of an ex-soldier upon his return home; the lessening
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The Things They Carried Every work of literature has a recurring theme. Whether it is about a love‚ guilt or a desire for revenge‚ every character comes across a struggle between their passion and responsibility. The Things They Carried features many characters that overcome conflicts. Jimmy cross struggles with his responsibility to his men as well as his love for a woman that does not love him back. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is a young‚ carefree man who is still searching for his future. Without
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The Things They Carried: Burden and Redemption In the fictional novel The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien‚ scenes regarding the death of a comrade or an enemy soldier seem to convey and accentuate two unifying themes: redemption and encumbrance. While some characters‚ such as “the young soldier” who is evidently O’Brien‚ endeavor to find some sort of closure and salvation‚ others‚ including Lieutenant Jimmy Cross‚ blame themselves for the demise of their comrade-at-arms and cannot relieve themselves
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