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Summary Of The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

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Part One American literature about the Vietnam War, including The Things They Carried, reveals how American culture was divided with pro-war and pacifist movements during the time period. “The Vietnam War spanned from October 1955 - April 30, 197” (Skinner, Salem Press). Culture during the war is unveiled in American literature through nonfiction informational sources, literary criticism and poems. The Vietnam War tore this nation apart and caused a nation-wide depression. America was split in supporting the war, or protesting against it. Part Two The Vietnam War caused a great division across the states. Thousands of American soldiers were killed for our country which led to the American people questioning why we were fighting in the war. …show more content…

The book tells the story of soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War. The short stories are inspired by O’Briens personal experience while fighting in the war. O’Brien conveys his experiences during his time fighting into each short story. This book evidently exhibits an anti-war tone. “In this essay, author Tim O'Brien writes about his war experiences and how they affected his life. For O'Brien the Vietnam War was a blur, and he felt a continuing sense of unreality, especially with regard to the deaths he witnessed. The writer chafes at those who feel left out because they missed the war: He suggests that all they missed was a horrible experience and that those who fled to Canada to escape the war may have shown more bravery than those who fought… he writes, we have wrongly demonized our enemy, and there can be no possibility of a productive resolution when we do so” (Wiener, Gale Virtual Reference Library). Gary Weiner is explaining O'Brien's experience in the war. Having personally fought in the war, O’Brien knows first-hand what it truly was like. He does not feel brave for fighting in the war. He says that the Vietnam war was horrific due to being constantly surrounded by death of his fellow …show more content…

Although literature often showed a more negative side of the war than positive. As well as the culture, the majority of the population were against the war. However, there were still numerous of people fully supporting the war. We do still see a reverberation of this culture today. One instance is the last presidential election, which has caused a divide in the nation. People either support Donald Trump or despise him as president. Both groups often clash with each other about their different beliefs. This causes tension between friends, family, and as a

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