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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characters and scenes that are unique. This is the case with Tim O’Brien’s‚ "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong." This is a story where love and war collide after a soldier brings his sweetheart to his Vietnamese post. On the whole‚ this chapter in The Things They Carried is far superior to the film‚ The Soldier’s Sweetheart‚ because it has thorough descriptions of characters’ feelings‚ including symbolism concerning objects and important events. When the audience is able to draw it’s own story around an author’s
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O’Brien characterizes the soldiers as reluctant to kill‚ dying dreadfully when he says‚ “Men killed‚ and died‚ because they were embarrassed not to.” (#) In plain text‚ this quote explains that men killed and died because they would feel a sense of shame if they did not. However‚ by providing embarrassment as an explanation for killing and dying‚ the reader is challenged to consider each soldier as an individual who chose to kill people and chose to die. Generally‚ a war itself is considered responsible
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In The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien‚ many negatives of being a soldier are presented. These negatives‚ being shown as emotional burdens‚ are prevalent throughout each character in The Things They Carried. More intensely shown is Norman Bowker. He carried strong burdens throughout the story as well as the end of it. The social aspect of the Vietnam War affected the soldiers in The Things They Carried by forcing them to get involved with illegal drugs‚ and find themselves stuck with emotional
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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.” (Tim O’Brien‚ The Things They Carried) Ah‚ war stories . . . tales of heroism‚ bravery‚ and friendship forged in the heat of combat; a sweet homecoming won by a hair’s breath; and an uplifting moral. If these are the ingredients
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Chapter‚ Speaking Of Courage by Tim O’Brien Is about Norman Bowker witnessing his friend get killed and now feels guilt and a lack of purpose. One explanation is when Tim O’Brien writes “I could’ve won the silver star for valor” a phrase that shows guilt is “I could have won”. This is a sign that he feels guilty about all of it. Norman Bowker is a tragic hero who wanted to save Kiowa from the sewage field but he didn’t want to put himself in danger even with all the bravery he couldn’t save him which
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The Things They Carried‚ written by Tim O’brien is a novel‚ which depicts the Vietnamese war‚ specifically experiences of the soldiers during and after the war. Youth is portrayed in the novel as a significant factor‚ which influences not only the idea represented in the novel but also the author himself. Although this is no explicitly stated throughout the book‚ there are a couple of characters that are more significant to Tim O’brien than others. These characters are Linda and Kathleen. By analyzing
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In Tim O’Brien’s novel‚ The Things They Carried‚ numerous themes are illustrated by the author. Through the portrayal of a number of characters‚ Tim O’Brien suggests that to adapt to Vietnam is not always more difficult than to revert back to the lives they once knew. Correspondingly the theme of change is omnipresent throughout the novel‚ specifically in the depiction of numerous characters. Tim O’Brien is drafted one month after graduating from Macalester College to fight a war he hated. Tim
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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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plants the seeds of terror in the young man by imposing him his radical‚ yet catchy theories of life. In the beginning of the book‚ when he meets Dorian‚ he tells him "[An influenced person’s] virtues are not real to him. His sins‚ if there are such things as sins‚ are borrowed. As Lady Narborough notes to Dorian‚ there is little (if any) distinction between ethics and appearance: “you are made to be good—you look so good.” Lord Henry‚ his corrupter. The Supremacy of Youth and Beauty
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