as well as the storyteller. Some stories make the storyteller feel such strong, raw emotions that they are almost unable to tell them. First hand stories from Vietnam veterans are a prime example of such stories. In Tim O’Brien’s book The Things They Carried, Tim shares powerful war stories that he found to be difficult to talk about. In Tim’s book, one powerful experience he shares is the first time he killed someone
Words: 409 - Pages: 2
The story begins with Tim O’Brien recounting an event that happened in the midst of the Vietnam War. “The Things They Carried” reveals various events he and his fellow soldiers in the Alpha Company experienced. Ted Lavender is the first soldier to die from the company. Ted copes with his wartime anxiety by taking tranquilizers and smoking marijuana. He is shot in the head on his way back from the lavatory and Lieutenant Jimmy Cross blames himself for Lavender’s death because he was thinking about
Words: 437 - Pages: 2
Abhay Shakhapur Ms. Thomas American Literature 3 May, 2018 Orientation in Space and Time: Final Assessment “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien begins with a look into the belongings of the Alpha company during the Vietnam war. The Alpha company being an infantry division of the U.S. Army. Each member of the company carries different items that give a glimpse into the personality of each character. The book does not stop there, through the story the reader is able to understand that the members
Words: 830 - Pages: 4
In the short story The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, O’Brien states that soldiers carry items that have meaningful value to them. Like these soldiers, I also carry items that have some sort of value or are useful in my everyday life. I would carry the most important items to me in my daily life that would help me get through my day. I would carry a 6 lb photo album that would contain pictures of my brothers, my cousins, my parents, my uncles, and my grandparents. These pictures have a significant
Words: 347 - Pages: 2
The Things They Carried Essay People never know how war will affect them until they are actually there. Anything can happen and it’s just a matter of time till something does. War changes a person and depending on what happened there's no way of knowing what will happen next. War changes people and how they cope, their ability to connect with others and their morality. During war people see things that most people wouldn’t which affects their ability to cope. After being with these people all
Words: 542 - Pages: 3
“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” - G.K. Chesterton. This quote shows Tim O’Brien’s feeling towards going to Vietnam in The Things They Carried. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien talks about a platoon of U.S. Soldiers in Vietnam, organized in short stories. O’Brien’s decision to go to war reflects mine. The reasons include a love for the country, a duty to serve, and a desire to be a part of something bigger than
Words: 446 - Pages: 2
The Things They Carried, written by Tim O’Brien, is a novel centered around Alpha Company during the Vietnam War and what the young soldiers brought with them, physically and metaphorically. From comforting items like comic books, illustrated Bibles, pictures of loved ones, to deeply-ingrained emotions and trauma, O’Brien carefully crafts each character to represent a different aspect of war. Kiowa, the Native-American and Christian best friend of the character Tim in the novel, is one of many complicated
Words: 1286 - Pages: 6
War has been a constant presence throughout human history, leaving permanent impacts on communities, civilizations, and individuals alike. In the book, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, he shows how wars change you profoundly. It takes the meaning out of peoples lives when they are done with the war. It can totally change a person mentally and make people erratic, and how it makes a person mentally ill. War takes the meaning out of people’s lives. When people return home from war, they have
Words: 646 - Pages: 3
Is there a moral in war? Countless stories have been told about the honor, glory and courage about war. In present day, veterans are perceived as heroes, the defenders of our freedom. However, in the novel The Things That They Carried, Tim O’Brien says otherwise. The novel portrays the concept of moral ambiguity regarding war. Tim O’Brien’s concept of moral about going to war vary from the people. Most people would agree that going to a war would be courageous, rather than running away from it. However
Words: 406 - Pages: 2
entire world. American men began getting drafted around the 1970’s, but roughly 300,000 men resisted the draft. The term resisted is extremely different from dodged. The men who fled America were draft resistors, not draft dodgers. The novel The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is a collection of stories about American soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War. The narrator, Tim O’Brien, was in a platoon of soldiers based in Vietnam and survived through the war.
Words: 859 - Pages: 4
