Comparison Between 'Allowables And The Things They Carried'

Short Essay Response #1
In "The Lives of The Dead" chapter from The Things They Carried and "Allowables" by Nikki Giovanni, both authors use the concept of memory to convey the idea that memories allow individuals to hold onto important aspects of their past and preserve the essence of those who have passed away, but they also highlight the need to let go and move on to prevent being consumed by grief.
Memory is a recurring motif in both "Allowables" by Nikki Giovanni and "The Lives of the Dead" chapter from The Things They Carried. In "The Lives of The Dead," Tim O'Brien considers his recollections of Linda, his boyhood sweetheart who died suddenly from a brain tumor. O'Brien keeps Linda alive in his head by using recollections to capture

Through their respective works, each author shows that despite the loss and trauma that characters may face, there is still hope for human connection and understanding in even the bleakest of situations.
The Things They Carried "The Man I Killed" and "Speaking of Courage" chapters, as well as Octavia Butler's short tale "Speech Sounds," all deal with grief, trauma, and the quest for connection in a world gone wrong. The writers examine how conflict and the end of the world affect people and their capacity for interpersonal connection, despite their disparate settings and surroundings.
In "The Man I Killed," Tim O'Brien tells the tale of a young Vietnamese soldier he killed during the Vietnam War. He tries to make sense of the senseless violence he has seen while dealing with trauma and remorse. Similar to Norman Bowker in "Speaking of Courage," a Vietnam War veteran is unable to communicate with his loved ones after coming home from the

Rye, the protagonist, fights to survive in a violent world where communication has broken down. In spite of the chaos and devastation all around them, she soon finds a ray of hope in the form of a man who can still speak and understand English.
The three texts—despite their various contexts and settings—share a theme of loss and trauma as well as the need for connection in a violent world. The authors explore the human condition and the persistence of the human spirit. They show that even in the most terrible situations, there is still a chance for human connection and comprehension.
Each novel gives a fresh viewpoint on the issues of loss, pain, and the desire of connection. Although the authors use different literary devices to convey their message, they all aim to capture the state of the human condition in a chaotic environment. The three texts show how storytelling has the ability to unite people across time and distance and to offer comfort and understanding under any condition.

Short Essay Response