Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Effects of coping mechanisms from war
Coping mechanisms during war
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
1. Discuss the situation with letters. Lieutenant Jimmy received letters from Martha. Lieutenant Jimmy was hoping that he would get love letters from her. The letters weighed 10 ounces. After reading the letters he carefully returned them to his rucksack. 2. Explain the title of the book with some of Tim’s explanations for what are “the things they carried”. The things they carried were largely determined by necessities. A few examples of these necessities are canteens of water, pocket knives, lighters, matches, and wristwatches. A few people brought certain necessities. Norman Bowker carried a diary. Rat Kiley carried comic books. Mitchell Sanders carried condoms. These men all carried certain items that were necessities to them. 3. …show more content…
Discuss the numbers or size of the platoon. The members of the platoon are Jimmy Cross, Mitchell Sanders, Kiowa, Norman Bowker, Dave Jensen, Rat Kiley, Henry Dobbins, and Ted lavender. The platoon consists of 8 members. 5. Describe Norman Bowker and what he carries. Norman Bowker is a very gentle person. He carried a thumb that was given to him by Mitchell Sanders. The thumb was brown and weighed 4 ounces. It had been cut from a VC corpse. The thumb originally belonged to a fifteen year old boy that was found at the bottom of an irrigation ditch. 6. Discuss some of the non-physical things the men carry. The non-physical things the men carry are diseases, memories, infections, love, emotions, grief, and their own life. These non-physical things are what the men carry with them everywhere they go. 7. Why was Lt. Cross crying in a foxhole? Lt. Cross was crying in a foxhole because he couldn't be with Martha. His men thought he was crying because he felt responsible for the death of Ted. 8. Describe what the men did after a battle. The men would repair the leaks in their eyes. They would check for casualties. They would call in dustoffs, light cigarettes, and try to smile. They would also clean their
In the first paragraph of the story, Jimmy Cross' rank is noted (First Lieutenant) along with the fact that he "carried letters from a girl named Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey" (434). From the outset, the reader sees that Martha plays a pivotal role in his thoughts and actions. The fact that Jimmy Cross "would imagine romantic camping trips into the White Mountains in New Hampshire" after he marched the entire day and dug a foxhole indicates that he thinks often of Martha (434). While these thoughts of a lover back home provide some form of escape for Lt. Cross, they also burden him with the obsessive feelings of unrequited love. ...
Passaro, Vince. "The Things They Carried (Review)." Harper's Magazine. 299.1791 (1999): 80. Expanded Academic ASAP.
The Things They Carried is a collection of stories about the Vietnam War, but in reality, the book centers around the relationships the men make, their connections to the world they left behind and the connections that they formed to Vietnam. The stories are not war stories, but stories about love, respect and the bonds made between men when they spend day after day fighting just to stay alive.
A deeper meaning into what a soldier carried along to the war from which it was necessary supplies to good luck charms or something that reminded one of home. The things each person carried shows more into who the soldier really is or who he wants to be in front of the other soldiers-trying to become someone else. The different pieces each carry will remind them of home “Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha…Mitchell Sanders carried condoms…Kiowa…carried an illustrated New Testament…” (Tim O’Brien The Things They Carried pg. 3) Every soldier carried what was necessary like food, guns, bullets etc. but the personal things they carried made everyone different form that crowded but big space between each soldier. Tim O’Brien uses this description to introduce the characters and how each one starts from one po...
Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried is a very uniquely written book. This book is comprised of countless stories that, though are out of order, intertwine and capture the reader’s attention through the end of the novel. This book, which is more a collection of short stories rather than one story that has a beginning and an end, uses a format that will keep the reader coming back for more.
The title of the book itself couldn’t be more fitting. The Things They Carried is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Tim O'Brien about soldiers trying to live through the Vietnam War. These men deal with many struggles and hardships. Throughout this essay I will provide insight into three of the the numerous themes seen throughout the novel: burdens, truth, and death.
The Things They Carried. N. p. : Houghton, 1990. : ill. Print.
In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien repeatedly uses the word “carried” to symbolize the emotions and personalities of soldiers in the story, both individually and collectively. Jimmy Cross underwent terrible trauma as a result of “carrying” his memories and false hopes for his love, Martha. When he was finally able to let go of those memories, he understood reality and his focus returned to where should of always been: leading the squadron. As a group, the soldiers underwent trauma due to the emotions they carried including fear, grief, and love. The word “carry” comes from the Latin words “quadrare” and “caries,” meaning “suitable” and “to rot,” respectively. The things carried by the soldiers “suited” their character, but also “rotted” within them, causing them trauma until they were able to let go of them.
Before O’Brien introduces the characters, he introduces the items they carry as symbols of their humanity. The reader has a chance to develop curiosity for the depth of each character presented and is not instantly alienated by the war setting. In the first paragraph O’Brien introduces the letters Lieutenant Cross carries by writing, “First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey. They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping” (O'Brien 337). The letters are one of the most prominent symbols the reader encounters and at the story’s opening, act as a symbol of home, youth, and hope. Because he carries these dainty baubles, Cross seems more vulnerable, therefore, more human. The reader sees this again when introduced to more of the soldiers inventory, “Among the necessities or near-necessities were P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosqui...
But he realizes “it was only a gesture.the letters were in his head” (370). He also discards the pebble she gave to him but cannot rid himself of the boulder that is the emotional burden of his love for her. The weights of desires, fears, and responsibility place great amounts of pressure on an individual. The soldiers in “The Things They Carried” all around lug a great deal of heavy weaponry and equipment. But the heaviest items are intangible things such as their emotions, shame, and reputations.
... ahead of his men ever again, the letters he carried were only ten ounces but probably felt like a 1000 pounds. The morning after Ted was shot, Cross-burned his letters and even though he knew that he would always remember Martha, it meant a passage a lifting of the burden. No more wanting at night, no more wishing he was with her, no more letting his men die because of his love. He decided that he would become straighter, harder, a real leader even if his men didn’t like it. He would move on to the next village and after that the next until his tour was up and never again did he want to lose another man.
One of the first women introduced to the reader was Martha. Martha is Lt. Jimmy Cross's love interest, even though she has only ever considered him a friend and nothing more. O'Brien uses the story of him and his misguidedness to show how the soldiers were completely separated from the war. After the war is over, the soldiers return home attempting to get back to their normal lives.
he Things They Carried is a nonfiction book written by Tim O’Brien. It was first published in 1990 and became critically acclaimed shortly after its release. The book itself is a novel comprised of short war stories from the Vietnam conflict. It reflects mainly on the individual aspects of soldiers like the impact of casualties, internal conflict, visitors, and the lives of soldiers after the war, rather than a liberal summary of the Vietnam War. This results in exceptional looks at perspective and character development throughout the story, something that is difficult to achieve when given such a broad topic such as a war.
In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien structure his novel in order to help aid in developing the theme. The book is comprised of 22 short pieces that reference one another, each story is capable of standing alone. However, O’Brien structed this novel to combine each of the stories and teach a broader lesson. He uses a purposeful lack of organization, repetition, and abnormal transitional chapters in order to do so. His theme that war burdens, both physical and emotional, are too much for soldiers to handle, is reinforced through the structure of his novel.
One of the significant concepts in The Things They Carried is that of the importance of certain objects or feelings used by the soldiers of Alpha Company to survive the war. Some examples of these items are the picture of the girl carried by Jimmy Cross, the Bible carried by Kiowa, and the stockings carried by Henry Dobbins. All the items helped the respective soldier to survive from day to day and to continue fighting the war. One of the most important things that helped the soldiers is their friendship with each other. This bond that the soldiers form helped them to survive, excluded someone who was outside their group, and helped the men of Alpha Company to cope with the war after they returned to the United States.