The Song, Like Toy Soldiers, By Eminem

934 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The psychological effects of war

Garrett Spray Spray 1

English 2

Ms. Hill

May 13, 2014

The Things They Carried Comparison

The song, Like Toy Soldiers, by Eminem, illustrates a similar theme of the internal

struggle people have about their reputation as expressed by O'Brien during Ambush. Previously

during O'Brien's time in the Vietnam War, Kiowa and O'Brien were taking turns on look-out in

the jungle as a two-man team where O'Brien unconsciously threw a grenade at a Vietnamese

native passing by and killing him. O'Brien gives off the feeling that he in unsure on how to

handle himself emotionally and tells the reader, "Even now I haven't finished sorting it out.

Sometimes I forgive myself, other times I don't. In the ordinary hours of life I try not to dwell on

it..." (O'Brien 128). In addition to dealing with mental conflict, this chapter also gives a small

taste of what O'Brien has felt about himself and his reputation after his incident in Vietnam. The

theme of internal conflict along with reputation relates to O'Brien's experience in the way that he

shows that it has been affecting him for a fairly long period of time. "In the ordinary hours of life

I try not to dwell on it..." (O'Brien 128). His statement implies that it has affected him in a way

where he can't comprehend whether or not he finds himself a reputable person. This is proven by

the fact that he mentions "Sometimes I forgive myself, other times I don't." (O'Brien 128). when

dealing his with mental stress. Also, this authenticates that he has being playing with himself

emotionally, not knowing whether he can actually move past his bad experience on Vietnam or
Spray 2

not while keeping his reputation inta...

... middle of paper ...

...entions
Spray 4

was good." (Eminem). This implicates that he is proving that he feels he has a role as an artist.

In relation to Ambush, the tones compare well to each because both have a person with a

reputation on the line due to their individual mistakes. Both display a serious tone by the way

they word it. Eminem says "That was never for my object for someone to get killed...",

(Eminem). which is a serious statement because before that, one of his friends were killed and he

felt like he was the one who caused it. And that correlates with solemness. With O'Brien, he says

"I was a soldier and this is a war, that I should shape up and stop staring and ask myself what the

dead man would've done..." (O'Brien 127). This too is a serious statement and it's supposed to be

taken seriously because O'Brien had just killed someone.

Show More
Related

  • If I Die in a Combat Zone by Tim O'Brien

    982 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tim O'Brien is confused about the Vietnam War. He is getting drafted into it, but is also protesting it. He gets to boot camp and finds it very difficult to know that he is going off to a country far away from home and fighting a war that he didn't believe was morally right. Before O'Brien gets to Vietnam he visits a military Chaplin about his problem with the war. "O'Brien I am really surprised to hear this. You're a good kid but you are betraying you country when you say these things"(60). This says a lot about O'Brien's views on the Vietnam War. In the reading of the book, If I Die in a Combat Zone, Tim O'Brien explains his struggles in boot camp and when he is a foot soldier in Vietnam.

    Read More

  • Tim O Brien On The Rainy River Hero's Journey

    1728 Words  | 4 Pages

    O’Brien looks back into his past, to the time when he was called to serve in the Vietnam War. O’Brien’s initial

    Read More

  • The Things They Carried Character Analysis Essay

    1067 Words  | 3 Pages

    O Brien 's point of view is an accurate one as he himself because he is a Vietnam veteran. The title of the short story is meaningful because it describes each soldier’s personality and how he handles conflict within the mind and outside of the body during times of strife. The title fits the life as a soldier perfectly because it shows the reality that war is more than just strategy and attacking of forces. O’Brien narrates the story from two points of view: as the author and the view of the characters. His style keeps the reader informed on both the background of things and the story itself at the same

    Read More

  • An Older Brother's Influence in James Baldwin’s Sonny’s Blues

    1568 Words  | 4 Pages

    beyond the power of time of forgiveness, the fact that I had held silence-- so

    Read More

  • Coping Mechanisms Used for Survival in The Things They Carried

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    When O’Brien first arrives to Vietnam, the men of the platoon show him how the grief of war can be covered up by humor. As the men were patrolling near a village off the South China Sea they suddenly started to encounter sniper fire. The firefight only lasted a few minutes but Lt. Cross decided to order an airstrike on the village anyways. After the strike was over, the platoon proceeded to the smoldering village to find nothing but “…an old man who lay face up near a pigpen at the center of the village. His right arm was gone. At his face there were already many flies and gnats.”(). To many, this image of a destroyed village and the mutilated old man would cause horror and plight. Instead of that normal reaction, “Dave Jensen went over and shook the old man’s hand. “How-dee-doo,” he said.”(). The other men of the platoon also went up to the dead man’s body and shook his hand while adding a comment. This disturbing response the men have to the dead old man isn’t one of disrespect, it is their coping mechanism for realizing what they just did. Because O’Brien was new to Vietnam he had yet to understand why the men were all doing this. He was awestruck by the actions...

    Read More

  • Distortion of Truth in Tim O’Brien's The Things They Carried

    743 Words  | 2 Pages

    He states that as a soldier, there is so much to soak in from war scenes that it all becomes a muddled mess. Therefore, the story of the moment can be different from each soldier’s perspective due to the parts where each man puts in his own ideas. This leads to some speculation as to whether or not O’Brien’s stories are true or false.

    Read More

  • The Things They Carried: An Epigraph Analysis

    827 Words  | 2 Pages

    He admits that some parts of his writing are made up, and he is intentionally vague about the truthfulness of other parts. When asked if he had ever killed anyone, O’Brien said that he could reply, honestly, with both “Of course not,” and “Yes” (172). He explains that even the guilt of being present when the kill took place was enough that it doesn’t matter if he himself threw the grenade or not, he would feel the same way. It doesn’t matter the exact events that took place; this story is about how he felt about seeing murder up close and personal. O’Brien explains that “by telling stories, you objectify your own experience... You pin down certain truths. You make up others” (152). Writing was a way to verbalize his past, and he told the vague details how he experienced them, if not necessarily how they happened. He was able to separate himself from his memories and remorse allowing himself to cope with his past in the war. While the reader will never know the exact truth, they can still understand the guilt and that O’Brien felt as a

    Read More

  • Book Review of "The Things they Carried"

    630 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “On the Rainy River”, O’Brien writes of intrapersonal struggle in its most profound form. The gripping torture of indecision seemed to paralyze Lt. Jimmy Cross in every move he made. Fear is what kept him away from the war, and fear is what made him join his countrymen in battle. A pacifist who did not support the war, the narrator Jimmy Cross was forced to make the difficult decision of what was more important to him. In the end, it was Cross’s reluctancy to deal with the consequences of pacifism which made his decision to go to war. That indecision seems to stay with Cross throughout the book and causes him much hardship in many of the short stories.

    Read More

  • Using CPT to Address PTSD: Kelly's Journey

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kelly acknowledges a change in emotion, yet still has a physical response (19:07, 19:30). Socratic questioning is effectively used to process through her thoughts while identifying lingering anger about the present discussion, as well as exploring the direction of her anger (19:50). The clinician challenges her emotional turmoil (20:25). Kelly responds by placing blame onto herself for the sexual assault. With the use of Socratic questioning, Kelly’s words are reiterated for self-reflection (20:49), while linking the direction of anger and blame. A pivotal moment is reached when Kelly acknowledges she is unequipped with how to transition back into civilian life precipitating the onset of potential alcohol abuse and pertinent stressors (21:48). The clinician honed in on key points in Kelly’s statement such as the reintegration into “normal society (22:46),” as well as connecting it back to her presenting symptoms of anxiety. The clinician guides Kelly through critical thinking points, challenging her to think of other occasions where the feelings of guilt have arisen and whether those feelings were valid (24:04). She questions Kelly, “What could you have done? (20:20)” By challenging Kelly’s distortions and processing through them, she realized sometimes things happen outside of her own power, and was validated for her frustration that

    Read More

  • On the Rainy River

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Vietnam War was a conflict that many people did not comprehend. In fact, the war was atrocious and bloody. According to The Vietnam War: a History in Documents, 58,000 US soldier died and more than 700,000 came back with physical and emotional marks (Young, Fitzgerald & Grunfeld 147). For many Americans this war was meaningless. In the same way, O’Brien admits, “American war in Vietnam seemed to me wrong; certain blood was being shed for uncertain reason” (40). O’Brien believes the war was not significance. Furthermore, the lack of logic in the matter makes him confused about going to war. That’s why, he does not understand why he was sent to fight a war for which causes and effects were uncertain. The author continues by saying, “I was too good for...

    Read More

  • Sense Of Disorientation In The Things They Carried

    1021 Words  | 3 Pages

    McNamara recalls one of the actions of President Johnson made, “Johnson initiated bombing of North Vietnam and committed U.S. ground forces…All of this occurred without adequate public disclosure or debate” (Hollitz, 291). From Johnson’s actions, no one really knew what was happening in Vietnam thus creating mass confusion. By comparing O’Brien and McNamara words, O’Brien seems too poetic and McNamara is cold and harsh but factual. However, by combining the two as one, a clear image of confusion became present; O’Brien sets the scene of emotion with confusion followed by McNamara shining a spot light on the truth. Confusion is not the only reason O’Brien, courage plays an important role in the fight for life or

    Read More

  • The Man I Killed

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    O’Brien uses the depiction of the setting as a technique to further present Tim’s guilty feelings. On page 128, there is a vivid illustration of the scenery surrounding the deceased Vietcong soldier.

    Read More

  • Betrayal In The Great Gatsby

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    conflict and how they avoid it. There’s conflict involving Nick by he’s trying to withhold

    Read More

  • Music Censorship is a Violation of Free Speech

    1617 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...nd doesn?t necessarily reflect the artist. Eminem has never raped anyone or killed anyone, but when he raps about it, it is just the way he feels at the moment sometimes but never engages in the action.

    Read More

  • Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried Essay

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    O’Brien explicitly asserts that “A thing may happen and be a total lie; another thing may not happen and be truer than the truth” (139). O’Brien, as demonstrated here, is not interested in the physical reality of what happens, rather he is writing from an emotional standpoint. He also directly states “I feel guilty sometimes. Forty-three years old and I’m still writing war stories” (61). Writing war stories and guilt are clearly related things in his mind and he writes in order to cope with this guilt. This entire work, every little story, every random detail, and every character is a direct reflection of O’Brien working through his guilt in the only way he knows how:

    Read More

More about The Song, Like Toy Soldiers, By Eminem

Open Document