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Overall meaning of the things they carried essay
Overall meaning of the things they carried essay
Overall meaning of the things they carried essay
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In war, relationships are different than in civilian life as they focus more on just trust and not necessarily liking the other person. Tim O’Brien illustrates this concept in “Enemies” and “Friends” from his book The Things They Carried. These chapters follow Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk as they go from enemies to friends of sorts during the war in Vietnam.
In war tensions run much higher and cause combatants to snap at smaller things. This is exactly what begins the conflict between Jensen and Strunk as they began to brawl over a missing knife. Even though both of these men are on the same side, the smallest of fracture in their mutual trust as a company causes them to become enemies. In a civilian friendship this would be a simple disagreement which could easily be settled or abandoned after a small fight, but “this was Vietnam, where guys carried guns, and Dave Jensen started to worry.” The same factors that made this fight take place causes Jensen to
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become paranoid. The paranoia is only in his head but with that looming over his head in the pressure cooker that is war it causes him to pop and seek penance to take that stress off of himself. This is due to his environment, the small things snowball until the only way to resolve it it so clear his conscious even though he was somewhat justified in beating up Strunk. This leads to the basis of the friendships in war, being square with one another.
This system allows the men to resolve conflicts among themselves and find “justice” where they see fit. This concept transcends both of the stories. In “Enemies” the square and even concept is what justifies Jensen in beating up Strunk, Strunk not retaliating, and Jensen breaking his own nose. This seems odd but to these men, in their eyes, it is fair. Jensen felt as if he had gone beyond his bounds in beating up Strunk, he saw that the punishment was worse than the crime, and it was because of this he expected Strunk to retaliate to settle the score. Strunk on the other hand thought that the beating evened them out and therefore he had no reason to retaliate, this is shown at the very end when he thinks that “ “The man’s crazy,” he said, “I stole his fucking jackknife.” ” This is what leads them to trust each other enough to make a death pact. Both men know that the other will do square by him and that gives them security and
trust. At the end of “Friends,” Strunk gets injured and voids the pact between himself and Jensen, showing a prime example of wartime friendships and squareness amongst that. Lee Strunk gets his leg blown off from a mortar round and after waking up immediately asks Jensen not to kill him to which Jensen reassures him that he won't and he should just relax. At this point Jensen’s job as a wartime friend is to comfort Strunk, he knows that Strunk trusts him and he uses that to take care of him regardless of the pact. But even though it is voided, the pact still weighs on Jensen. When Jensen helps load up Strunk he tells him “Go on now,” almost as if encouraging him to let go of life and fulfill the pact. It is only when he hears of Strunk’s death that he truly feels that they are even. He doesn't feel sad, he feels relieved. This is the nature of relationships in war.
...attacks, and burning from flame throwers. The Germans are relentlessly hostile toward the British and Canadian soldiers, saving no lives but disposing of many. The Germans are truly enemies of these soldiers; however, in this case they definitely do not act as friends, which ultimately disagrees with Timothy Findley’s assumption that one’s enemy is their closest friends. The saying, “keep your friends close, and your enemies closer”, is truly substantiated within the text The Wars. For one’s “enemy” will not hurt them, as no trust is deposited into an enemy, however one’s friend will, since as a friend, one invests plenty of trust into another and by having this trust broken one is hurt more than anything. Timothy Findley deconstructs the concept of friend and enemy within his novel The Wars, by illustrating that one’s enemy will turn out to be their closest friend.
Vietnam War was one of the hardest wars ever fought. There are several reasons for this statement. It was basically impossible to conquer the territory because there were no boundaries. The soldiers had to put up with the climate, land, diseases and most importantly themselves. This essay is about yet another reason: the relationship between the soldiers and the officers.
His months in Vietnam were filled with bloodshed and human atrocity, and from this, no man could feasibly return the same person. Yet beneath what John endured throughout the war, he suffered many unkindness’ and tragedies that shaped him into adulthood. It was not only the war that made John Wade, but it was John Wade’s existence; his whole life that made him who he was. John Wade craved love, admiration and affection. All his life, all he wanted was to be loved, and his father’s constant taunting hurt him immensely.
The friendships and bonds that formed in the jungles of Vietnam between the members of Alpha Company help them to survive on a day to day basis. Not only while they were in Vietnam, but also in dealing with their lives back in the United States. Without the bonds of friendship none of the men of Alpha Company would have survived mentally or physically the strains and trauma of the Vietnam War. In the end it is realized that the men not only carried their gear and weapons, but they carried with them bonds, friendship and a connection that only the men of Alpha Company will ever really understand.
Not many people in society can empathize with those who have been in a war and have experienced war firsthand. Society is unaware that many individuals are taken away from their families to risk their lives serving in the war. Because of this, families are left to wonder if they will ever get to see their sons and daughters again. In a war, young men are taken away from their loved ones without a promise that they will get to see them again. The survivors come back with frightening memories of their traumatic experiences. Although some would argue that war affects families the most, Tim O’Brien and Kenneth W. Bagby are able to convey the idea that war can negatively impact one’s self by causing this person long lasting emotional damage.
In Brave New World, Huxley introduces multiple characters and problems to explore both internal and external conflicts throughout the story. One character we see in depth is Bernard. An alpha in society, Bernard struggles with inner conflict that separates him from the rest of his peers. Unlike others he sees the world he lives in as flawed. He questions everything and as a result of this, feels isolated and different. He struggles with his inner feelings as others start to judge him. He has the option to go against the part of him that says to act like every other Alpha, or to go with the part of him that wants to stand up for what he believes to be morally right.
It is apparent that during war time emotions are checked at the door and ones whole psyche is altered. It is very difficult to say what the root causes of this are due to the many variables that take play in war, from death of civilians to the death of friends. However, in "Enemies" and "Friends" we see a great development among characters that would not be seen anywhere else. Although relying on each other to survive, manipulation, and physical and emotional struggle are used by characters to fight there own inter psychological wars. Thus, the ultimate response to these factors is the loss and gain of maturity among Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk.
An emotional burden that the men must carry is the longing for their loved ones. The Vietnam War forced many young men to leave their loved ones and move halfway across the world to fight a ...
...ust deal with similar pains. Through the authors of these stories, we gain a better sense of what soldiers go through and the connection war has on the psyche of these men. While it is true, and known, that the Vietnam War was bloody and many soldiers died in vain, it is often forgotten what occurred to those who returned home. We overlook what became of those men and of the pain they, and their families, were left coping with. Some were left with physical scars, a constant reminder of a horrible time in their lives, while some were left with emotional, and mental, scarring. The universal fact found in all soldiers is the dramatic transformation they all undergo. No longer do any of these men have a chance to create their own identity, or continue with the aspirations they once held as young men. They become, and will forever be, soldiers of the Vietnam War.
As someone once said “war is hell” and I imagine that to be even truer if you are in a battle against your own friends. That is exactly what the soldiers of The Killers Angels faced when the south wanted to secede from the union. Some of the officers went to West Point together and had bonds with one each, yet carried different flags. Some of the soldiers had fought together previously in Mexico and knew each other’s fighting strategies and personal dispositions. It was like being in the mind of your enemy and they almost knew what to expect from the other, which was played upon in the book.
The Struggles in life is something everyone is faced with whether it is physical, emotional mental or personal struggles. These struggles are capable of shaping an individual’s personality and outlook on life. Timothy Findley’s novel The Wars, shows that struggles lead to the character’s ultimate inner struggles, outer struggles and self-discovery. War exists in a person’s physical and psychological aspects. In The Wars, Robert Ross goes to war and fights a personal and physical battle.
Society is based on two groups the people the haves and the have-nots. In the movie Glory Road, the Caucasians are the haves and the African-Americans are the have-nots. The beliefs of a conflict theorist are that there is competition for scarce resources, some form of inequality to maintain, and social change comes about because of the conflicts (Brinkerhoff 10-11).
Following negative feelings from close individuals in a Veteran’s life, a person taking part in war can become detached.
The bond that men form with each other in the heat of battle is incomprehensible to those who have not experienced warfare for themselves.
Many individuals look at soldiers for hope and therefore, add load to them. Those that cannot rationally overcome these difficulties may create Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Tragically, some resort to suicide to get away from their insecurities. Troops, notwithstanding, are not by any means the only ones influenced by wars; relatives likewise encounter mental hardships when their friends and family are sent to war. Timothy Findley precisely depicts the critical impact wars have on people in his novel by showing how after-war characters are not what they were at the beginning.