O’Brien and Harmon: Is it Race? Monster presents its audience with a unique experience: they get to decide the fate of the main character by being presented with the facts‚ before the judge presents the final sentencing. It is a story of racism and class and how that affects the judicial system. The idea maybe innocent until proven guilty‚ but in many cases of African Americans on trial‚ the sentence is often decided before the trial begins. This conflict of race not only applies to the person on
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AP English Language 21 September 2010 O’Brien’s Diction The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is a historical fiction novel that presents a variety of anecdotes and dialogues exposing the reality and impact of the Vietnam War. The stories of several characters let the readers understand the wide impact of the war. O’Brien presents all these stories by the use of dialogue‚ and he does this successfully by maneuvering his diction. By the use of slang‚ soldier jargon‚ and vulgar language the author
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In The Things They Carried‚ by Tim O’Brien‚ American soldiers are fighting a war Vietnam‚ a country that is halfway across the globe from their home and families. The novel focuses on the experiences of the soldiers including Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and Mark Fossie. Since the war is a difficult and isolating experience‚ both men have a woman at home they seek comfort and assurance from: Martha and Mary Anne Belle‚ respectively. Lt. Cross and Martha are pen pals whereas Fossie and Mary Anne are childhood
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characters experience some kind of changes throughout the story. The story called The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien talks about a young Lieutenant‚ named Jimmy Cross‚ unable to lead his men because he keeps thinking about Martha‚ ended up cost one of his men’s life‚ during the war. The story takes place in Vietnam and the war is called Vietnam War‚ one of the most controversial military conflict in the U.S history. Tim O’Brien uses characterization to describe the transformations Jimmy Cross experiences
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How to Breathe Underwater and The Things They Carried are books that are told through letters and mini stories. Tim O’Brien’s short story is told through letters from his comrades from his time in the Vietnam War. The letters express love‚ grief and remorse. On the other hand‚ Orringer’s stories are told through the point of young woman or girls who are struggling with decisions like religion‚ love‚ sexuality‚ and beauty. Both stories are neither light or uplifting‚ they ponder very serious emotional
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October 1st 2012 The Things They Carried Close Reading p. 1-26 - Pages 3 and 4: So many items being carried… what is the purpose? Quote(s): “Kiowa also carried his grandmothers distrust for the white man…” (Pg. 3) “…The poncho weighed almost 2 pounds‚ but it was worth every ounce” (pg. 3) Meaningful words/ phrases: pounds‚ weighed‚ grunts‚ Kodacolor‚ Bonnie and Clyde Overall meaning/ author’s purpose: The soldiers do not only carry material goods‚ they also carry emotions. Such is Kiowa’s
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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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The Things They Carried was highly symbolic. The items that the men within the platoon had carried symbolized home and comfort. Each man had a unique item with them in the war that provided them with comfort and reassurance. These physical items carried the men through all of the hardships they endured by giving them a peace of mind and hope of returning to their former lives. From carrying a condom‚ a comic book‚ ammunition‚ the bible‚ photographs‚ and many other little material things‚ these
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Mr. Nenopoulos CAI September 2‚ 2014 The Things They Carried In the following book The Things They Carried by Tim O Brien‚ the title of this novel suits the story well because of many reasons. This book is written about the American soldiers that served in the Vietnam War. In the beginning of this book O Brien instantly gives us a huge nudge as to why this book titled this by telling us what each soldier carried on their backs during this war. He explains how heavy the equipment they have to carry
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The Power of the Truth Novelist Tim O’Brian once said “A lie‚ sometimes‚ can be truer than the truth‚ which is why fiction gets written.” In his novel The Things They Carried‚ O’Brian argues that “story-truth is sometimes truer than happening-truth” (171). O’Brian opposes the idea of absolute truth‚ and believes that all truths are subject to change. He believes that a fictional story can be more true than an actual event. However‚ a story‚ no matter what story‚ cannot be more true than an actual
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