English 102 1 February 2013 The Burden In The Things They Carried “The Things They Carried”‚ a short story written by Tim O’Brien‚ displays an unfolding sequence of events that strongly examines the physicical‚ psychological‚ and emotional damage the soldiers beared during the Vietnam War. Not only did they carry the weapons needed for battle‚ but they carried personal items to get them through the rough times. The story might seem like a never-ending list of the physical belongings
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changed everyday‚ every hour‚ and even every minute. A strong message is presented through this passage as it brings forth the true raw emotion of the soldiers and the reality of war; which is a major theme throughout the novel. The words that Tim O’Brien used to describe the war were mind boggling. It made me realize anything can happen at any minute and anything can change at any moment. It’s hard to imagine what the soldiers must have felt so young in such a terrifying and unforgiving war
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The Things They Carried In Jim O’Brien The Things They Carried the book is introduced as a war story‚ but quickly shifts to a love story. The shift from the first war story that the author tells us to the first love story is surprising to someone who was expecting the whole book to be a collection of short stories. Usually‚ in a book‚ it is not likely that there would be a change in the narrator as well as time period chang all at once. So this is why some people believe that this novel is a love
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Throughout the novel‚ The Things They Carried‚ O’Brien illustrates the tragic impact of war on a soldier. In this novel O’Brien recounts numerous stories of innocent soldiers getting their minds corrupted by the horrors of war. He tries to convey the burden the soldiers had to carry throughout the war. The title‚ The Things They Carried‚ is symbolic of the emotional load the soldiers carry during the Vietnam War. O’brien tries to tell us that the mental burden carried by the soldiers far outweigh
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They Carried Often war are entangled with the perception of humanity‚ but what does it mean to be human? It cannot be fully encompassed by a definition in a Merriam Webster dictionary‚ or by the opinion of an English Professor. Humanity is defined by the individual‚ and so the focus here is on the Kurt Vonnegut’s‚ and Tim O’Brien’s definition of humanity‚ which is characterized by human spirit‚ heart‚ and empathy. In Slaughterhouse-Five and The Things They Carried both Kurt Vonnegut and Tim O’Brien
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text is to elaborate the use of meta-fiction and narrative layering in Tim OʼBrienʼs The Things They Carried through writing a narrated interview with Tim OʼBrien regarding Part Fourʼs study: Literature and Critical Study. Using quotations/transcriptions of Tim OʼBrienʼs statements within the fictional interview will support the structure of the text accordingly as a narration of an interview. First‚ I will address Tim OʼBrienʼs brief biography regarding his career‚ education and works. The
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In Tim O ’Brian ’s "The Things They Carried‚" Lieutenant Jimmy Cross ’s obsession with Martha causes the death of Ted Lavender‚ an officer under his charge. The Lieutenant ’s mind was constantly distracted from the war by his thoughts of Martha. Jimmy has an obsession with her; he wants to know everything that goes on with her‚ and even around her. The Lieutenant has deep desires for her‚ but he pictures her the way her wants her to be. Daydreaming about Martha‚ instead of watching his surroundings
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when actually faced with the decision‚ it is surprising how many will go with the safety of others. In the Case of Tim O’Brien‚ in the short story On the Rainy River by Tim O’Brien‚ the character is faced with a decision on whether he should follow his own desire or to follow his duty and aid the calls of his society by going to war against his will. Before receiving his draft notice Tim O’Brien goes through a basic period of following his own desires in the safety of the society that he lives in.
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In “On the Rainy River‚” by Tim O’Brien‚ a twenty-one year old Tim must decide between fleeing to Canada or staying in America to fight in Vietnam. Tim is a pig declotter in America‚ when he receives a draft notice. The draft notice causes Tim much grief and trouble. He drives around his comfy‚ conservative town thinking about it and even has a harder time working. In his 1968 world Tim must choose between shame and war. This story is a coming of age story because Tim must influence the future of
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The Things They Carried – Discussion Research 1. “A thing may happen and be a total lie; another thing may not happen and be truer than the truth.” In his stories‚ Tim plays with the truth. He has been doing this since he was a young boy‚ wishing his girlfriend back to life. He realizes that if you try hard enough and are creative enough‚ you can bring the dead back to life in stories. It doesn’t matter whether the stories are exactly true--you can change the name‚ or location‚ or even parts
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