The Things They Carried is an influential reflection possible experience of soldiers up close and in their minds during and after the Vietnam War. The work is‚ at the same time‚ O’Brian’s memoir‚ but also collection of fictional short stories. Throughout the book O’Brien straightaway shapes the line between fact and fiction by consecrating the novel on to the individual soldiers‚ where the reader soon discovers that they are fictional characters. O’Brian continues to confuse the audience with this
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All Wars Are The Same War evokes many different emotions for some soldiers. Some are drafted and demanded to serve‚ others volunteer their lives for the sake of not being titled as cowards. Some get to fight another day‚ some don’t‚ others get captured and become prisoners or hostages. But one thing is certain‚ for those who have experienced war know first hand that it has the power to change you as a person. In the short stories “Guests of the Nation“ and “The Things They Carried‚” authors Frank
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THE MEANING OF THE TITLE “THE THINGS THEY CARRIED” “The Things They Carried “simply emphasize that what the person may carry depends on the personality of the person.May it be for his necessity or passion he may carry the weight voluntarily or mandatory.Literally‚ the things the soldiers carried are‚ may be tangible or intangible.Tangible things such as P- 38 can openers‚ pocket knives‚heat tabs‚ dog tags‚ mosquito repellent‚wrist watches‚ chewing gum‚ candy‚cigarettes‚salt tablets‚ packets of
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In the short story‚ "The Things They Carried”‚ Tim O’Brien writes about the soldiers of Vietnam and the burdens they had to carry with them. In this story‚ O’Brien uses symbolism‚ irony and the theme of burden and guilt to portray how the war has affected the men and the ways they cope. O’Brien’s usage of these literary devices serves as a remembrance of what the soldiers have left behind and a false sense of security about the violence and death that surrounds them. We are able to see the way each
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The ‘things they carried’ in the fictionalized story of the Vietnam War are not only military supplies‚ guns‚ and ammunition‚ but they also are the “things” that comforted the soldiers and helped them through the tumultuous war. The Vietnam War was different from wars in the past but this story is similar and helps understand the “things they carried” and how helped the soldiers get through it. “It didn’t’ matter what they were‚ But they were the things they carried.” Tim O’Brien graduated in
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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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The United States government’s involvement in the Vietnam war was their way to try to prevent the spread of a communist government from taking over south Vietnam. This was known as a “containment war”. They wanted to fight this war to stop the spread of communism. The war started in 1955 and lasted until the fall of Saigon in April 1975. The Things They Carried tells the stories from soldiers point of view and others experiences. Tim O’Brien‚ Jimmy Cross‚ and Kiowa were just a few of the men that
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In The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien‚ O’Brien describes his personal experience in the Vietnam War. His experiences reflect many of his characters personal experiences. For the Vietnam War was one of the most gruesome wars ever fought by American Troops since the Civil War. Many of the long term effects of the war are still felt by are soldiers today. “They carried the soldier’s greatest fear‚ which was the fear of blushing. Men killed‚ and died‚ because they were embarrassed not to. It was
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of the most important and damaging themes not only in novels‚ but in life is that of ignorance. In war it can mean life or death‚ and in everyday life if you ignore the problem or person long enough it can destroy your life or the life of someone very close to you or that you are trying to protect. This is an idea that both Tim O’Brian and Carl Deuker explore in their books‚ The Things They Carried and Gym Candy‚ respectively. The fact that friendships‚ people’s feelings‚ and even human life itself
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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 of PTSD symptoms with
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