Throughout the history of mankind, family has been an imperative aspect of the human experience. Why, though, is family still regarded as such an important part of our lives? Steven Herrick's vignette verse novel 'By the River', explores why we need these familial bonds through the viewpoint of a family in rural Australia. He invites the audience to contemplate the importance of family relationships through various hardships and challenges in the novel. Consequently, Herrick conveys how familial bonds help us overcome grief in periods of loss, how they impact our identity/sense of self, and celebrates the resilience of family relationships through adverse times, which in turn helps us understand why family is so important to society.
Every time we make a decision in life are we influenced by things around us? In Tim O’Brien’s story “On the Rainy River”, challenged Tim’s decision if he should go to war where there is violence or to flee to Canada where there is freedom; although, his final decision was to go to war he was influenced by doing the right thing and the shame or guilt he could have felt when being faced with the dilemma of going to war. When people are put into a situation when they have to choose over two places most will go with what feels right, but others will go with what will be the best for not only themselves but others around them too. A big part of this story and real-life situations is that people want to make others happy and content so they do things
The soldiers in the Vietnam War are portrayed as losing themselves in the chaos and trauma of combat. Through the stories of the soldiers and their experiences, O’Brien explores the ways in which war strips away one's sense of identity and humanity. The author himself is depicted as losing himself in the war. O'Brien served in the Vietnam War, and his experiences inspired much of the book. Through the character of Tim O'Brien, the author explores the ways in which war can strip away one's sense of self and purpose.
Reader Response of “On the Rainy River” The short story “On the Rainy River” by Tim O 'Brien explains to the audience that all men are influenced to go into war, and that they should hide the fears and emotions that they may have along the journey. Throughout the short story the author explains his journey and opens up about his emotions when he was sent to war. Being the audience of this short story explains to you what every man must go through if they were to be sent to war.
The Vietnam War, also known as the American War in Vietnam, was a conflict that took place from 1955 to 1975, and it had a profound impact on both Vietnam and the United States. The war was fought between the communist government of North Vietnam and the democratic government of South Vietnam, which was supported by the United States. The conflict caused the deaths of millions of people, including soldiers and civilians, and left a legacy of trauma and devastation that continues to be felt today. The works of Vietnamese authors Bao Ninh and Viet Thanh Nguyen, as well as American authors Michael Herr and Howard Zinn, provide important insights into the Vietnam War and its impact on both Vietnam and the United States, they explore the complexities
In the short story on the rainy river Tim O'Brien uses significant events to depict the concept of the complex relationship between one's independence and the external world. suggesting that the events an individual goes through greatly impacts one's ability to determine their own destiny. The story is focused on Tim O'Brien, a character who struggles with the shocking news of a draft notice. This significantly impacts o'briens ability to control his feelings and his inner struggles. He is forced to confront society and question his own beliefs.
The socio-political context of the Vietnam War must be taken into account in order to fully comprehend O'Brien's works. The lesson plan from EDSITEment is a useful tool for examining the historical background and societal effects of the war. The resource explores the struggles and experiences of the soldiers as well as the
Tim O’Brien writes about the emotions of war in his book, The Things They carried.” There are many stories about the tragedy and violent nature of the Vietnam War along with stories of comradery and a togetherness that is only felt by brothers of war. Spending months of your life in this environment is bound to have lasting effects on a person. If you experience death, fear, and un-predictableness as your normal, the only chance of survival lies in adaptability. Tim O’Brien proves through his short stories about himself, Mary Anne, Norman Bowker, and others that war changes a person.
The infamous Vietnam War haunts, just as much as fascinates, the American conscious. As the generation which experienced the war first hand dies out it is all the more important to look back on that turbulent time in American history, and collect as much information possible, before it is too late. With these thoughts in mind, historians have been researching the war, its causes, and effects, from the time of the war itself. Naturally, as with all things in life, different opinions and interpretations have arisen from different sources, often stemming on whether the war was justified or not. When analyzing these different interpretations, it is important to keep in mind what perspective it is written from, for instance, was it written by an
One Day, One letter, One number. In “On the Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien, Tim is forced to make a huge life changing choice. Tim has a good life as a small town Minnesota boy who has a full ride through Harvard and knows what he wants in life. But when Tim goes to the mailbox on June 17th 1968, there’s a letter waiting for him. A draft letter and his body goes numb.
Many Americans opposed the war on moral grounds as they were dismayed by the devastation and violence of the war. Although, others claimed the war was going against the independence of Vietnam. Other reasons included the fact of people feeling like it lacked objectives and was unwinnable. However, the antiwar movement grew into an unstoppable force. Many people protested the war by means of persuasion by the “Vietnam Veterans against the War.”
And estimated 2.2 million soldiers were drafted into the war. This later caused major controversy because many people were against the war so they didn’t want to participate in it. The media was a major factor as well since they showed all the bad things that were going on in this war and why they should completely withdraw from it. Another major issue was the credibility gap. This was something that the people believed that president Johnson was lying about.
The move to fighting to find an end to the war and standing by their units came around after seeing true action in one of the two theaters. To put it simply, soldiers enlisted in the war effort for what can be named as the American ideal. The American ideal is patriotism, glory, and justice. Americans were united to give up their money, time, and possibly their lives to fight for the safety of their country (Corbett 796). After the events at Pearl Harbor, anti-Japanese and anti-German propaganda propelled Americans to join the draft and go overseas.
Tim recognizes that his personality and behavior has completely changed as a result of the war. In an interview at Arlington Central Library, Tim O’Brien recounts, “We as soldiers on one side of a thing view the enemy somehow less than wholly human” (“Tim O’Brien on ‘The Things They Carried’”). This establishes how the emotions and practices in Vietnam caused the soldiers to become desensitized to the lives of the Vietcong, and regard them as enemies, not humans. O’Brien details, “Story is a way of gathering together all that terror and all those long nights lying in the dark waiting to die or to kill one or the other” (“Tim O’Brien on ‘The Things They Carried’”). The fear and feeling of impending doom takes an extreme mental toll on the soldiers, causing them to become desensitized to outsiders and simply focus on survival.
How it was shaped: Tim allowed the draft of the Vietnam war and societal pressures get to the best of him and he slowly tore himself apart, he started off as a confident incorrigible man. His morals later then became corrupted, he gave into the pressures, his self proclaimed Lone Ranger status had been infected and debunked by his end decision of serving in the Vietnam war. Thesis: In the story, On the Rainy River, the author, Tim O’Brien demonstrates that an individual allows societal pressures and expectations to override their core values, morals, and beliefs; peer pressure forces individuals to put their beliefs aside so they can fit in with everyone else. The narrator, Tim O’Brien faces a similar situation when he get’s drafted for the Vietnam War.
