In The Things They Carried‚ Tim O ’Brien uses a variety of stories to explain the life experiences that he and many of his fellow soldiers endured during a single year in Vietnam. He tells these stories in a way that we can connect to these experiences. We never spent time in Vietnam‚ but O ’Brien wants us to feel like we were there. O ’Brien uses what he calls "story-truth" to write these stories. The outcome or the people may be different but the feeling is real; that ’s the truth in the story
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Based on the cultural lens in the book The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien‚ the stories “Field Trip”‚ “The Man I Killed” and “On the Rainy River” shows how a community can expect some of the men to go to war and how the men are ashamed or embarrassed not to go to war like others because of the stereotypical pressure of the community. The men felt like they had to be in war and as a result losing who they are once they experience war. The examples from the chapters shows how the stereotypical expectation
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PHI 101 September 3‚ 2012 Journal 1 This week our assignment was to read some fictional literature called “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien. At first I thought this was going to be another boring assignment for another class but this book caught my interest quickly because even though it was considered fictional Tim O’Brien really did go to war; the Vietnam War to be more specific and he told his stories od what it was like to be drafted and all the horrific processes of being a young
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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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that guy Mark Fossie who shipped his girl over to Vietnam to spend time with him‚ I couldn’t believe it. He says he saw the whole thing‚ and that he was there when everything happened‚ but I doubt it; Rat is the type of guy who would lie to get his story more interesting. But anyhow‚ I agreed for him to tell me the story even though I was very sceptical about the whole thing. It almost seemed like he was fooling me. So I crossed my arms‚ and let him amuse me with his anecdote. Although
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Rhetorical Analysis of "Ambush" In "The Things They Carried‚" Tim O’Brien discusses his observations as a young soldier during the war with different stories from the past that have become memories. He constantly reflects back on the choices he made and questions them by making the reader do the same. Some of the text’s language seems abstract because they are memories being re-told and not everything is going to said how it exactly happened. O’Brien writes this stories as a way to cope with his
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As the lone outlier‚ Brad is not only isolated but also made to suppress his morally righteous and principled beliefs. Saunders’ highlights the oppressive nature of conformist societies through the actions of Doris and Wayne. This is evident in the first scene when his wife Doris and Chief Wayne recount what they’ve learned (albeit superficially) after Buddy‚ the puppet dog‚ ran way. Although the other characters state‚ “I guess we all learned…” when Brad adds “I guess so‚” only he is antagonized
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War. She was left alone to raise her three kids. She was doing well until the day the bomb fell. The bomb completely destroyed her house‚ leaving her ruined economically. In order to survive‚ she sold what she could find in her house. Some of those things were kimonos that she highly valued. When she had sold everything she had‚ she took part time jobs as a maid or as a babysitter. She eventually became a seamstress due to the lack of jobs offered to the hibakusha. One day‚ a friend of hers suggested
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In reading the novel “The Things They Carried” in my english class this year‚ I have learned that most‚ if not all‚ people carry intangible and tangible things with them everyday. In my readings‚ I found that the soldiers in the novel carry their tangible things to help with what they are carrying intangibly. Regardless‚ the things we carry make us stand out in our own way; they make us who we are. I‚ for example‚ carry the emotional stress that attacks me everyday‚ and a ring that I love. In fact
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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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