Shame is a reoccuring theme throughout The Things They Carried. Shame makes people do things they don’t want to do just so they can get rid of the fear of shame. It drove soldiers to do acts they would’ve never done. Many of the characters have shame as a primary motivator. It leads them to war and it keeps them there. It is the one thing that keeps them from shooting themselves in the foot so that they would be discharged from the army or some similar such act. But some characters‚ like Curt Lemon
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Samantha Schulz Mrs. Nilles English 12-5 05 November 2012 O’Brien’s Theme of Rejection and Disconnect Why does O’Brien use the theme of rejection to convey his experience in war? In the book‚ The Things They Carried‚ Tim O’Brien writes about his experience in the Vietnam War. He uses many themes to show how the war has changed the soldiers and how the citizens perceive the war. Throughout the book‚ he uses the theme of rejection to show the disconnection between the soldiers at war
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“The Things They Carried” focused on the experiences of soldiers who faced war and how they were effected mentally and emotionally. Many soldiers constantly needed to escape from the catastrophic reality of war. They used “things” as defenses against the reality of war and also to keep hold of themselves. Although these “things” were unique to their personalities‚ Tim O’ Brien uses these “things” to show detachment from reality of the soldiers. “The Things They Carried” took place in Vietnam from
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The Things They Carried: Necessities In The Things They Carried ‚ the characters themselves probably could not tell you why they carried many of the things they did. The things they carried can be divided into three basic groups‚ the things that everyone had to carry in order to survive‚ the things that individuals chose to carry‚ and the mental burdens that many carried without choice. The necessities that the men were forced to carry were‚ for example‚ P- 38 can openers‚ pocket knives‚ matches
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Memories The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien and The Road by Cormac McCarthy both deal with the profound affects that memories have upon the actions and understandings of men. In both novels memories weigh heavily on the main characters’ souls‚ but each man carries that burden differently. The results may vary but the impact of what has happened and what is remembered changes their perspectives and ultimately leads to a unique ending for each man. Do the memories that are carried shape or change
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Meaning of the Things They Carried Tim O’Brien is a veteran of the Vietnam War and he fought with the United States in that controversial war. Tim O’Brien was drafted into the Vietnam War in 1968. He served as an infantryman‚ and obtained the rank of sergeant and won a Purple Heart after being wounded by shrapnel. He was discharged from the Vietnam War in 1970. I believe that O’Brien’s own past experiences he encountered in the Vietnam War gave him inspiration to write “The Things They Carried.” In the
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Response to “The Things They Carried” Julianne Goldammer The characters of the story “The Things They Carried” mainly were inflicted with two kinds of weights: physical and emotional burden. In the first chapter‚ Tim O’ Brien sets up his storytelling by writing long lists of the things the soldiers were carrying in the War in Vietnam. Beyond the basic gears of war‚ he goes on mentioning the personal luggage that varied from person to person‚ mostly depending on their necessity‚ helping the reader
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In Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” the raw realities of the cruel and unforgiving Vietnam War are authentically depicted. Just in the first five paragraphs sex‚ narcotics‚ and death‚ largely controversial topics in this country‚ are reasonably apparent. One character‚ Lieutenant Jimmy Cross‚ may be physically present but conveys every sign of distraction. He seems to be in a more copacetic quarter of his mind. In this quarter he finds elation and comfort when he thinks of the (so he thinks
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lives for the sake of not being titled as cowards. Some get to fight another day‚ some don’t‚ others get captured and become prisoners or hostages. But one thing is certain‚ for those who have experienced war know first hand that it has the power to change you as a person. In the short stories “Guests of the Nation“ and “The Things They Carried‚” authors Frank O’Connor and Tim O’Brien share the same central idea of the horrible effects of war. Both stories are about a young male soldier who faces
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“The Things They Carried” Questions a) The main topic of this novel is burdens. O’Brien is writing about what burdens the soldiers and he had to carry throughout war‚ physically and emotionally. One way I know is because of the title- “The Things They Carried.” This title almost summarizes the whole book. O’Brien frequently showed and explained the burdens that were inner conflicts of his and outer conflicts too. In the chapter “The things They Carried‚” O’Brien showed an emotional burden
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