Everyone has gone somewhere or seen something for a second time that they hadn’t before. In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried “Field Trip” chapter it is sort of like Deja Vu- going somewhere that you’ve been before although not having the same experience with it. O’Brien wrote The Things They Carried to help readers get a taste of what it was like to fight in the Vietnam war and the aftermath of it. In the chapter "Field Trip", O'Brien uses imagery and compares the experience of returning to Vietnam between him and his daughter to show the significance that the war had on his life.
Throughout the book, O’Brien uses each chapter as an essay to tell the different stories about the war with everything from him thinking about fleeing to Canada to escape the war to Kiowa’s death. In “Field Trip”, O’Brien returns to Vietnam 10 years after the war is over with his daughter Kathleen. O’Brien and Kathleen spend the first part of the chapter going to all of the
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Kathleen is only ten years old and is treating being in Vietnam as a “vacation” whereas although enjoying the touristy sites, O’Brien wants to revisit some of the places he saw during the war to get a sense of closure on them such as Kiowa’s death. On page 177, O’Brien has a conversation with Kathleen after taking some pictures and she asks, “can we go now” to which O’Brien replies, “in a minute. Just relax”. This quote is an example of the difference in significance of Vietnam between the two of them. O’Brien doesn’t want to rush and takes his time remembering what happened and getting a sense of closure whereas Kathleen is ready to go and move on to the next thing because that spot holds no significance to her. By comparing his daughter’s experience and his own, O’Brien shows that although he was reliving the memories of the war that it was ten years later and he was with different people on “vacation”, not fighting a
The Mental Cost of War The book by Tim O’Brien The Things They Carried is about the Vietnam War. He was a young boy only nineteen in 1969. He explained what he remembered of the Vietnam War. It could be bearable at times while other times it was grueling and scary, making the mental cost of war difficult.
In the novel The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien we learn about O’Brien and his soldiers during the Vietnamese war. The Vietnamese war was a deadly and very costly war between the North Vietnam and their communist allies versus the Southern Vietnam and the United states. Throughout the novel Tim O’Brien narrates many stories about the war. Stories about traumatic incidents, pleasant occasions, sorrowful events, and even peculiar event. Personal accounts about himself and also tells about experiences his fellow soldiers faced.
Characters featured throughout various pieces of American Literature are often positively or negatively affected by their past. These past events can affect the character’s present feelings, ideals, or actions. In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, one character is affected significantly by the past events of his life. As both the narrator and protagonist, Tim O’Brien is affected by the former occurrences and memories of when he was a soldier fighting in the Vietnam War. He carries with him the traumatic recollections of the time at war, which has led him to share his experiences with others through storytelling, attempting to effectively communicate the nearly impossible depiction to others: what it was truly like as a soldier in Vietnam.
All of O'brien's stories were made up in some parts for coping reasons with war experiences and guilt coming out of the war. O'brien was a soldier but used made up stories to heal. He describes in the chapter “Good Form” that “Almost everything else is invented.” (O'brien 114) And “I want you to feel what I felt.”
Novelist, Tim O’Brien writes short semi true stories about his and other’s experiences in the Vietnam war. O’Brien wanted to explain to his audience what happens in war and how it effects people after the fact. O’Brien really helps his audience acknowledge how much war really does change people. Tim’s dynamic use of symbolism, imagery, and figurative language emphasizes the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that people experience during and after the war. O’Brien begins by analyzing the thoughts of sorrow and loss overwhelm the Vietnam veterans upon their return back home.
How Censorship Impacts Everyone Censorship is a very broad topic, and many consider it harmful to both them as well as others. It goes all the way back to when literature was first developed. Many different people had different opinions on certain things so they chose to challenge it. Censorship has directly affected many authors because it is the censoring of common books that have disturbing or misleading information in them that often offends someone or even a group of people. The information in them is the root of it all.
Being drafted as a young man, his tour began in 1969 as a foot soldier and ended his tour in 1970. During a grenade attack, O’Brien was hit with shrapnel and was sent home, in which he later received the Purple Heart. O’Brien tells his side on how he felt during this time period and the struggles of Vietnam. The book itself sets the scene in the time period of Vietnam and gives a sense of fear as he explains the horrific and graphic events that occurred while on his tour. As a way to cope with the long lasting memories, pain, and effects of the war, O’Brien began to write about the ordeals he went through as a young man in the Vietnam War and the honorable men who he served with.
O’Brien tells the readers about him reflecting back twenty years ago, he wonders if running away from the war were just events that happened in another dimension, he pictures himself writing a letter to his parents: “I’m finishing up a letter to my Parents that tells what I'm about to do and why I'm doing it and how sorry I am that I’d never found the courage to talk to them about it”(O’Brien 80). Even twenty years after his running from the war, O’Brien still feels sorry for not finding the courage to tell his parents about his decision of escaping to Canada to start a new life. O’Brien presented his outlook that even if someone was not directly involved in the war, this event had impacted them indirectly, for instance, how a person’s reaction to the war can create regret for important friends and
He fought a war in Vietnam that he knew nothing about, all he knew was that, “Certain blood was being shed for uncertain reasons” (38). He realized that he put his life on the line for a war that is surrounded in controversy and questions. Through reading The Things They Carried, it was easy to feel connected to the characters; to feel their sorrow, confusion, and pain. O’Briens ability to make his readers feel as though they are actually there in the war zones with him is a unique ability that not every author possess.
Human beings often claim to be searching for the truth. The truth often entails finding the right answer, choice, or formula. The search for truth develops a tendency to settle for the easiest choice—a false truth; more often than not, a false truth goes unquestioned in order to remain benighted. Concerning the false truth in The Things They Carried, information—specifically memories, must be sorted into two categories: those stories that are true and those which are simply glorified recreational war stories. It would be a near impossible task due to the extent that the tales mix.
The Things They Carried, written by Tim O’Brien, illustrates the experiences of a man and his comrades throughout the war in Vietnam. Tim O’Brien actually served in the war, so he had a phenomenal background when it came to telling the true story about the war. In his novel, Tim O’Brien uses imagery to portray every necessary detail about the war and provide the reader with a true depiction of the war in Vietnam. O’Brien starts out the book by describing everything he and his comrades carry around with them during the war. Immediately once the book starts, so does his use of imagery.
The Vietnam War is like one of those things you read about, act shocked, and then forget about it and move on with your life. The novel, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, is a collection of war and post-war stories told by the narrator Tim O’Brien. The many stories give a glimpse into the lives of the soldiers during and after the war. Through the experiences, inner thoughts, and descriptions, O’Brien can capture the emotional weight of war on these young soldiers. O’Brien’s varying amounts of details and strong imagery suggest the emotional burdens of life one carries around, while also showcasing the power of shame.
Cross’ overall experience with Martha and the soldiers? The Vietnam War was one of the most unpredictable and controversial wars that the United States had fought in. Due to the unfamiliar jungle environment, there were many casualties and horrifying experiences. Many people were getting anxious about the war and wanted the soldiers to return.
When Mary Anne first entered the war in Vietnam, she wasn't prepared for the changes the war would have on her as a whole. Similarly, many of the young soldiers who entered the vietnam war were equally as unprepared, leading to rapid changes in the soldiers mental states. Tim O’Briens use of characterization of Mary Anne from the chapter “The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong'' mirrors the stages of how a soldier loses themself at war. Tim shows this by subtly showing ‘real’ examples throughout the book of the decaying mentality Mary Anne exhibits.
Even after all these years, O’Brien is still unable to get the images of Vietnam out of him head, specifically of the man he killed. In the novel, he repeats the description of the man numerous times, almost to the point of excess, saying,“he was a slim, dead, almost dainty young man of about twenty. He lay with one leg bent beneath him, his jaw in his throat, his face neither expressive nor inexpressive. One eye was shut. The other was a star-shaped hole” (124).