Literary Analysis of “The Things That They Carried” In the short story “The Things That They Carried” Tim O’Brien uses the literary elements of characterization‚ setting and foreshadowing to support the theme of physical and mental burdens put on soldiers during the Vietnam War. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross was never the military type. He still wonders why he joined. His rank as lieutenant seems unreal. He never truly demonstrates leadership and separates himself from the rest of the Alpha Company as
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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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seriousness of a particular event? Situations in history exist only in our thoughts rather than our presence. As past events have unfolded so has the opportunity for growth. One such era includes the Vietnam War. Tim O’ Brien’s novel entitled The Things They Carried creates an atmosphere of knowledge surrounding the struggles related to the Vietnam War. To grasp the concept of such a brutal historical event one must understand the struggles and decisions made by people during that era. Thus giving
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Mackenzie Calderon Miss Bone English 2 Period 2 14 December 2012 English Literature Data Sheet Quarter 2: Speak Summary & Theme: The book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is about an incoming freshman named Melinda Sordino. She’s riding the bus to school but she doesn’t have any friends to sit with. While she’s looking over the crowd of kids on the bus she spots her ex best friend‚ Rachel‚ but even she mouths “I hate you.” After Melinda attends her first few classes she already hates high
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Comp Horvath T‚R 7/31/2013 Escape What is Real‚ Feel What is Right Casualties‚ drugs‚ terror‚ violence‚ volatility‚ and mental instability are all well too common for any war. For the Vietnam War‚ it exceeded all of these. In The Things They Carried‚ all of the soldiers were faced with these burdening issues on a day-to-day basis‚ fearing for their lives‚ their perceived loved ones‚ and their own emotional sanity. Because this war put on a great deal of stress on the soldiers‚ there was
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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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O’Brian’s “The Things They Carried”. My father fought in the Vietnam War‚ so my interest was in trying to understand the reason that we had such a strained relationship when I was growing up. I believe I have more of an understanding as to why he didn’t act like a grown up. He wanted those years that should have been his childhood back. In this short story the author showed the things they carried physically so that the reader could appreciate the significance of the things they carried emotionally
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Jeff Jackson Instructor Barbara Manuel English 112 3 March 2013 Shell Shock: A Bloodless Battlefield A storyteller of war‚ Tim O’Brien‚ author of The Things They Carried‚ keeps the reader mesmerized with PTSD stories of the Vietnam War. This novel represents a compound documentary written on accounts of the Vietnam War. Many of the stories in this book encompass various examples of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. There are graphical depictions
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The novel “The Things They Carried” travels back to the time of the Vietnam War‚ and provides real-life experience from the author Tim O’Brien‚ as he and his fellow soldiers battle in Vietnam. This novel also describes the things that each soldier carries with them both literally and figuratively. What O’Brien may have been carrying after war compelled him to share his stories‚ and provide a truth behind the bloodshed. The Vietnam War is referred to as the “longest and most unpopular American War
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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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