...First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross finds himself a platoon leader, responsible for 17 men for Alpha Company during the Vietnam war. The reader might find themselves entrenched on the different journeys of each character. Every soldier has their own coping mechanisms, characteristics, and each one will impact the reader as they see their lives play out. Tim O’Brien in The Things They Carried follows a young First Lieutenant, Jimmy Cross Who is inexperienced with love and war. While reading you find out about Jimmy Cross’s i infatuation with a young girl named Martha. We learn he keeps her letters and photographs sealed in a plastic bag at the bottom of his rucksack, like a secret. Prior to reading these letters from...
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...through the perspectives of Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and himself, detailing their characters from what they carried both physically and symbolically. Initially, Jimmy Cross, the lieutenant of O’Brien’s company, brought with him memorabilia from a girl he loved named Martha and the responsibility of his men’s’ lives. He writes how Cross’s letters, “Were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping” and Martha who, “had found the pebble on the Jersey shoreline, where things came together but also separated.” Jimmy Cross, being extremely lovesick,...
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...Surrounding Jimmy Cross with symbols, O’Brien practically leads his readers to this conclusion. In the initial description of Cross, O’Brien tells readers that Cross carries a compass, maps, code books, binoculars, and a .45 caliber pistol (O’Brien 5). Expert readers immediately understand that the compass and map symbolizes a leader since these are items only leaders carry. Significantly, however, O’Brien also mentions Martha, and the items he carries that are from Martha: ‘love’ letters, the stone, and two photographs. At the time of Ted Lavender death, it was Martha, Cross thought about, and not his troops. Immediately following Lavender’s death, Cross leads his men into the village of Than Khe and burns everything. Later that night, Cross also burns his letters from Martha (O’Brien 15-16). This might not strike a person as important, but as Foster says, “Actions can also by symbolic” (Foster 112). Burning an object means rebirth, analogous to a phoenix being reborn in fire. It also represents the letting go of an object/person akin to the Norse tradition of sending their dead to sea, and burning the boat. As a result of Lavender’s death, Cross leads his men to burn the village to appease his guilt of his thoughtlessness. The burning of Martha’s letter signifies that Cross is ready to let go of his one-sided love for Martha and is reborn, from a love-struck teenager to a jaded man. “[Cross] was realistic about it. There was that new hardness...
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...past during the Vietnam War. Each soldier carries a mental and physical emotional burden as they struggle through the march. The main protagonist, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, has to lead his men through a gruesome war and is forced to transition from his unrestricted past to a life as a soldier. O’Brien reinforces the destruction of young male innocence—especially in the case of Jimmy Cross, who blames himself for the death of his soldiers. Through the use of tone and writing style consistency, diction, and symbolism, the influences of the war cause the soldiers to see war is actually hell. Jimmy Cross is forced to take the...
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...writing styles to attract and influence their readers. In the novel, The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien uses selected diverse writing techniques to support what he intently wrote. In my opinion, these techniques are very immediate and compelling for his readers as well as are essential to support non-fiction writers’ styles. Tim O’Brien uses symbolism, common language, and fiction writing in his novel for the purpose of showing his readers the big picture of US soldiers in the Vietnam War. For one thing, symbolism is a technique that uses a word, a phrase, or a description in order to represent a deeper meaning than the words themselves. In the first chapter of The Things They Carried, the author states, “Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha,” ‘Ted Lavender, who was scared, carried tranquilizers, 6 or 7 ounces of premium dope” “Norman Bowker carried a diary. Rat Kiley carried comic books. Kiowa, a devout Baptist, carried an illustrated New Testament.” By listing the daily-using things the soldiers carried, the author not only indicates the soldiers’ characteristics but also implies unseen things as the love of Jimmy Cross for Martha, the fears of facing the unknown dangers from the mysterious land. By using of this technique, O’Brien can put messages behind the certain words so that his readers can actually understand what are being implied. Relate back to the thesis. Another technique O’Brien uses in his novel is common and conversational language. “Sure...
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...Professor Paquette English 102 / F / 8:00 AM Friday, October 15, 2015 The Things They Carried In the short story, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien a Lieutenant by the name of Jimmy Cross and his squad carry a list of many things, some of these things heavy physical loads and some heavy emotional loads composed of grief, terror, love, and guilt. The things each soldier carries depends on the soldier himself including his priorities and his constitutions and also his rank or his specialty for example Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carries maps, compasses, and the heavy burden of the responsibility of his men’s lives. A nervous soldier named Ted Lavender carries marijuana and tranquilizers to calm himself down and the religious soldier Kiowa carries an illustrated New Testament and every single one of these men carry the figurative weight of memory, fear, and hope and the literal weight of one another. In this short story the author uses the title symbolically for both the seen and unseen things that men at war carry and to represent the traumas and hardships they have suffered that they will carry for the rest of their lives. These soldiers know they can die at any moment and so when the inevitable happens and a soldier is actually killed in action extra tension stems from the fact that Lt. Cross knows he is responsible. When Ted Lavender is killed in action one of the soldier’s, Kiowa, cannot stop marveling at how fast and hard Lavender hit the ground. “Boom-Down” (277) he repeats...
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...writing styles to attract and influence their readers. In the novel, The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien uses selected diverse writing techniques to support what he intently wrote. In my opinion, these techniques are very immediate and compelling for his readers as well as are essential to support non-fiction writers’ styles. Tim O’Brien uses symbolism, common language, and fiction writing in his novel for the purpose of showing his readers the big picture of US soldiers in the Vietnam War. For one thing, symbolism is a technique that uses a word, a phrase, or a description in order to represent a deeper meaning than the words themselves. In the first chapter of The Things They Carried, the author states, “Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha,” ‘Ted Lavender, who was scared, carried tranquilizers, 6 or 7 ounces of premium dope” “Norman Bowker carried a diary. Rat Kiley carried comic books. Kiowa, a devout Baptist, carried an illustrated New Testament.” By listing the daily-using things the soldiers carried, the author not only indicates the soldiers’ characteristics but also implies unseen things as the love of Jimmy Cross for Martha, the fears of facing the unknown dangers from the mysterious land. By using of this technique, O’Brien can put messages behind the certain words so that his readers can actually understand what are being implied. Relate back to the thesis. Another technique O’Brien uses in his novel is common and conversational language. “Sure...
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...The Guilt bestowed upon to none Tim O’brien, A well-known Vietnam war veteran author, and 1977 national book of the year recipient, uses a notable and unusual style of writing throughout his career as he in a sort disparages the the U.S in some ways, but mostly about going to the Vietnam War, and how America is doing unnecessary things. Born in Michigan, O'Brien thought many times to flee to Canada, to escape the draft that changed his life forever. Instead of leaving he was a “coward,” and was taken by the army, and learned many things about life, how to live it, what life is worth, in what a real soldier is. His use of blunt and sometimes extremely elaborate detail to immerse the reader in the experiences he had to push through, but to also go straight to the point and not “fluff up” the story like America does. O'Brien's unique style of objection of truth to storytelling has a great impact in the readers mind, because he is portraying his life experiences back to the reader in such a human like an emotional way that sometimes he substitutes other characters projects as his emotional or physical burdens. Tim O'Brien a Vietnam War veteran whose purpose is to address the misconceptions of war and illustrate the gruesome fax of how war really is, all using his own life experiences and his works and we a rating with the emotional and physical burdens at the soldiers carry both emotionally and physically. In almost every single one of his novels including The things they...
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...soldiers. Many of the soldiers had a significant other like Henry and Cross. These women were what kept them sane. For example, Henry Dobbins would wear his girlfriend’s pantyhose around his neck. Even after they had separated he would still wear them. The reason he does this is because of a “illusion of protection” (397). So, even though she has lost love for him, those pantyhose still symbolized love he once had. This makes him feel loved and protected hence “illusion of protection”. Another example is that Jimmy Cross had received a good luck charm from Martha and it was just a pebble, but he would always have it on him (396). This shows that these women are what keep these men together and by having a “piece of them” it keeps them safe. From all the hate within the war, the ladies “Love” is what kept these soldiers from falling apart....
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...prose including one enormous sentence with unconventional punctuation. Symbolism is used to great effect in the prose with special emphasis on falling and birds. O’Brien employs various literary techniques to create a giddy, dreamlike tone in the passage. Powerful themes are presented includingthe desire of release and the inability to rid oneself of blame.The passage gives insight into the pure and innocent psyches of the soldiers which are normally hidden through gruff exteriors. The structure of the passage is set as two almost solid paragraphs with very little form and shape. This physical density allows the reader to appreciate the immensity of the prose and becomeengrossed in the flowing movement of it.The initial paragraph is broken in the centre by an italicised sentence which deviates from the informal flowing style used previously to a coarse colloquial one. This serves to give the piece a sense of balance and symmetry while also reminding the reader that even in this ethereal vision the soldiers are still very much human. Partway through the initial paragraph one unusually large sentence begins making up the bulk of the passage. This creates a graceful, fluid tone that contributes to the dreamlike feel of the prose. This is enhanced by frequent use of dashes and commas which give the reader respite while not breaking the surreal grasp of the passage. The excerpt employs various uses of symbolism throughout its whole. The first of which are the ‘jumbo jets’ that...
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...Andres Pena COP 1102 “The Things They Carried” What does becoming a soldier mean? Does it mean that duty comes before love or does it mean the opposite? Could it be that soldiers do not have control of their feelings? From the mind of Tim O’Brien, “The Things They Carried” describes young soldiers that were automatically bumped up into manhood. The author treats the inner conflict that each soldier had to bear during the Vietnam War while fighting for their country. Witnessing horrific scenes of war and the emotional and physical burdens that each of them carried, O’Brien unfolds how these men had no choice but to fulfill their patriotic duty. As the leader of the platoon, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross goes through an inner conflict between love and duty, carrying his orders in his mind and Martha in his heart. But how far can war or following orders, impair the human side of compassion and love? Although, soldiers become men at war, O’Brien focuses in a story where war makes men emotionally handicap, leaving mental scars that may never heal. The story is told by a third person’s point of view, however, O’Brien includes a touch of his personal experiences during the war where he spent a year in Vietnam (Hicks). As Josiah Bunting said, “The things he carried into war are very different from what he carried away from it” (Bunting) expressing O’Brien’s experience at war and how his experience as a soldier would convince readers to believe that the different traumatic moments...
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...is describing what his fellow comrades had with them while in Vietnam. Symbolism wafts through this book, for each thing that various characters represent who they truly are. Key characters like Jimmy Cross, Henry Dobbins, and Kiowa are all symbolized who they are through the items these soldiers...
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...with great accuracy and detail. The things they carried as they are depicted in the story represent literal things, emotional things, psychological things and symbolic things all weighing in at different levels of importance. There were physical as well as emotional things they carried on their missions, both were equally burdensome. O’Brien states that during missions many of these items were discarded no regardless of their importance to achieve a higher level of comfort. The author further states that the choppers would effortlessly replace the discarded items. In research conducted by Michael Tavel Clarke he implies that this behavior is immature, irresponsible and wasteful. Clarke also points out the blatant transformation of Cross into a disciplined leader. The things they carried identified them by rank and military occupation specialty. While some of the physical items seem silly to many it didn’t make them any less of a necessity. The author states “By necessity, and because it was SOP, they...
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...Specimen Papers and Mark Schemes for English Literature For first AS Examination in 2009 For first A2 Examination in 2010 Subject Code: 5110 Contents Specimen Papers Assessment Unit AS 2 Assessment Unit A2 1 Resource Booklet Assessment Unit A2 2 1 3 9 15 25 Mark Schemes Assessment Unit AS 2 Assessment Unit A2 1 Assessment Unit A2 2 29 31 61 95 Subject Code QAN QAN 5110 500/2493/0 500/2421/8 A CCEA Publication © 2007 Further copies of this publication may be downloaded from www.ccea.org.uk Specimen Papers 1 2 ADVANCED SUBSIDIARY (AS) General Certificate of Education 2009 English Literature Assessment Unit AS 2 assessing The Study of Poetry Written after 1800 and the Study of Prose 1800-1945 SPECIMEN PAPER TIME 2 hours INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES Write your Centre number and Candidate Number on the Answer Booklet provided. Answer two questions. Answer one question from Section A and one question from Section B. Section A is open book. INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES The total mark for this paper is 120. All questions carry equal marks, ie 60 marks for each question. Quality of written communication will be assessed in all questions. 3 Section A: The Study of Poetry Written after 1800 Answer one question on your chosen pairing of poets. Heaney: Opened Ground Montague: New Selected Poems 1 John Montague and Seamus Heaney both write about the Irish past. Compare and contrast the two poets’...
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...re tu ra li CAPE Modern te ng Languages Literatures nE e siniEnglish ur e at l er g it En sin ur e at er it L Caribbean Examinations Council ® SYLLABUS SPECIMEN PAPER CSEC® SYLLABUS,MARK SCHEME SPECIMEN PAPER, MARK SCHEME SUBJECT REPORTS AND SUBJECT REPORTS Macmillan Education 4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW A division of Macmillan Publishers Limited Companies and representatives throughout the world www.macmillan-caribbean.com ISBN 978-0-230-48228-9 © Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC ®) 2015 www.cxc.org www.cxc-store.com The author has asserted their right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988. First published 2014 This revised version published 2015 Permission to copy The material in this book is copyright. However, the publisher grants permission for copies to be made without fee. Individuals may make copies for their own use or for use by classes of which they are in charge; institutions may make copies for use within and by the staff and students of that institution. For copying in any other circumstances, prior permission in writing must be obtained from Macmillan Publishers Limited. Under no circumstances may the material in this book be used, in part or in its entirety, for commercial gain. It must not be sold in any format. Designed by Macmillan Publishers Limited Cover design by Macmillan Publishers Limited and Red Giraffe CAPE® Literatures...
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