“The Vietnam War was arguably the most traumatic experience for the United States in the twentieth century. That is indeed a grim distinction in a span that included two world wars‚ the assassinations of two presidents and the resignation of another‚ the Great Depression‚ the Cold War‚ racial unrest‚ and the drug and crime waves.”(Donald M. Goldstein) Tim O’Brien‚ the author of the book‚ The Things They Carried‚ goes into his memory to his time serving in The Vietnam War. It explains his experiences
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"couldn’t burn the blame." (O’Brien 24) Cross wasn’t the only one who struggled for the rest of his life to unload the things he carried. O’Brien returns to the scene Kiowa was killed 20 years after the war‚ still seeking closure. Most tragically‚ Norman Bowker drives in circles on a frozen lake back‚ feeling completely lost even at home. He ultimately commits suicide‚ unable to bear the load any longer. "It was sad‚" Cross thought. "The things men carried inside." (O’Brien
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suits can be up to 65 dollars‚ on top of this Turner-Bowker (2001) also states that “the average three-person family earning just over $12‚000 per year” spends most of their income on housing (60%) and transportation (38%)‚ leaving only 2% left over for other necessities (such as clothing‚ food‚ and health care) (Turner-Bowker‚ 2001). In learning these two facts‚ I thought back to my volunteer work at Threads and Treads;
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Starbucks Coffee‚ Tea and Spice in Pike Place Market in Seattle. The three academics‚ writer Gordon Bowker‚ English teacher Jerry Baldwin‚ and History teacher Zev Siegel‚ shared a passion of exotic teas and fine coffees and believed that in Seattle‚ they would be able to build a clientele. Each academic invested $1‚350 and borrowed $5‚000 from a bank to open the original Starbucks. Baldwin‚ Siegel and Bowker chose the name Starbucks in honor of Starbuck—the coffee-loving first mate in Herman Melville’s
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soldiers but also the traditions of his culture by what he carried with him. The soldiers of the platoon however‚ represented the rest of the military saying racist things towards him. Another soldier in his platoon‚ Norman Bowker‚ refers to Kiowa as “Indian” instead of by his name. Norman knowingly demotes Kiowa to less than a person‚ no name‚ just identifiable by his race. A deep racism is represented and did not help with the situations they were encountering. Kiowa realized the racism and carries
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effective and it’s ironic how O’Brien puts emphasis on the fact he has enough ammo it’s not a problem for Lee. He is carrying extra unnecessary weight from the ammo he claims is going to protect him when in reality he’d be lucky to hit the enemy. Norman Bowker who was “otherwise a very gentle person‚ carried a thumb” that was a gift from another solider (O’Brien 106). It’s ironic because not only is this gentle guy fighting in a war‚ he is carrying around a thumb from a dead kid who he toyed with after
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"Metafiction is a term given to fictional writing which self-consciously and systematically draws attention to its status as an artifact in order to pose questions about the relationship between fiction and reality." --Patricia Waugh‚ Metafiction: The Theory and Practice of Self-Conscious Fiction.New York: Methuen‚ 1984. In many respects‚ Tim O ’Brien ’s The Things They Carried concerns the relationship between fiction and the narrator. In this novel‚ O ’Brien himself is the main character--he
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someone or something else. When fear is present‚ power can aid in easing the anxiety by giving the person the emotional lift that is present when control is felt. The power‚ which is present in the story‚ is physical power and an example is Norman Bowker carrying a thumb of a boy that had been killed. The carrying of the thumb shows that he had power over the boy; this gives him some relief to know he had that kind of control. Cross’s power‚ over the rest of the men‚ increased his fear
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literally built on a foundation of the things they carried. Whether it’s the way Jimmy Cross uses the pebble to escape from his duties as a soldier. Or the way that they all look up to the pantyhose as an almost godly relic. All the way to Norman Bowker finally realizing that courage comes from within‚ not from winning the Silver Star. These things‚ made up the soldiers attributes‚ made up the soldiers’ persona‚ made up the soldier. But they didn’t stop at the soldier; certain items characterized
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The symbolism of women in both stories plays a role in representing the theme. In “Speaking of Courage‚” Bowker‚ the protagonist‚ imagines himself telling his story to Sally Kramer. He uses the word “shitfield”(78) to describe the setting in his story‚ and she replies that she doesn’t “like that word.”(78) Sally is symbolic of the innocence of non soldiers. The slight dispute between her and Bowker over the word choice represents how soldiers change and become more upfront and
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