It is important not to forget about the burdens that the soldiers carry because most of burdens are bad things. War alone is a tough position to go through and without the things you need it is even harder and some may not make it. Some of the things that they carry is their guns and etc, their hygiene things, and they tend to try to keep water on them. Also some soldiers will carry another bag around with them with a sleeping bag so if they need a break they can lay down and rest right there where they are at.
Some things that I thought were important while reading this was how the soldiers protected themselves. Another thing is them carrying the gear that they needed to help protect them throughout the Vietnam War. I think that they should
Is it true Americans are rightfully notorious for creating inaccurate paradigms of what really happened in historical events Americans are tied to? Has America ever censored historical events in order to protect Americans innocent democratic reputation? After reading, “The Best War Ever” by Michael C.C Adams, I have found the answers to these questions to be yes. Some of the myths that Adams addresses in his book include: 1. America was innocent in world war two and was an ever acting protagonist in the war; 2. World war two or any war for that matter can be, or is a “good war” and bring prosperity to America; 3. War world two brought unity to Americans.
Although their physical loads did not weigh the soldiers down, they definitely became their necessities. Certain physical burdens became items that helped them escape from the reality of being at war. Even though these men had things they had to carry, they elected to carry more. The items they carried were intended to illustrate aspects of their personality. All of them carried great loads of memories, fears, and desires. These abstract objects were an essential part of them and therefore could not be put down. They continued to carry these emotional burdens along with them throughout the war. And as Lieutenant Jimmy Cross came to realize, “It was very sad…the things men carried inside. The things men did or felt they had to
... learn from their unfortunate mistakes and build a better army today. Leaders, let’s not take for granted all the decades of experience, research, and hardship that our Soldiers endured in Vietnam; be prepared, be willing to change, take care of Soldiers, and live the Army Values!
I wonder what it was like to witness the Vietnam War firsthand in combat. Well, in the short story, “The Things they Carried,” by Tim O’Brien, the theme was portrayed as the physical and emotional burdens that soldiers had to deal with during the Vietnam War.
The Things They Carried is a funny little book in the sense that it isn’t told how most books are. It goes from war to camping on the borderline of Canada, back to war, and then into present day times. It works marvelously well, showing you what actually happened and then what he thought about what happened and what he could have done to change the outcome. There are many things that I think people can learn from his experiences in the Vietnam war and the way he tells those stories and lessons really bring you along for the ride.
The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines the word "weight" as "a mass or quantity of something taken up and carried, conveyed, or transported." Tim O'Brien's war story The Things They Carried, published in 1990, explores the theme of weight and its importance to men at war in considerable depth. The opening chapter of this book, which was originally written as a short story, is comprised of a collection of lists. O'Brien details for his reader both the physical objects, such as cigarettes, C rations, and packets of Kool-Aid, and the more intangible things, such as fear and silent awe, that weigh these soldiers down. With the amount of space that the author gives to enumerating the weight of these objects, one might assume that these objects are what are really important to these soldiers, but in reality it is the incalculable weight of their spiritual burdens that truly weigh them down.
Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried is not a novel about the Vietnam War. “It is a story about the soldiers and their experiences and emotions that are brought about from the war” (King 182). O'Brien makes several statements about war through these dynamic characters. He shows the violent nature of soldiers under the pressures of war, he makes an effective antiwar statement, and he comments on the reversal of a social deviation into the norm. By skillfully employing the stylistic technique of specific, conscious detail selection and utilizing connotative diction, O'Brien thoroughly and convincingly makes each point.
On their feet they carried jungle boots—2.1 pounds. O’Brien 2. In this example, after many hours of carrying these supplies, the soldiers would start to break down physically. Fatigue and muscle pain start to cloud their vision and judgment. The weight of the things that they carried had devastating effects on their bodies, but the soldiers had to endure.
They were tired of just hiding from sniper fire coming from the Viet Cong. The soldiers wanted to go out a fight. Caputo described numerous times were the soldiers almost shot one another in the dark because they thought they were Viet Cong. Caputo does a good job at this as well you can feel the turning point when some of the men start to realize the reality that takes place in Vietnam. Caputo was different he seemed to feel at ease even when a bullet landed only a few feet above him. Later when Caputos platoon were chasing down some of the Viet Cong. they find a camp of the enemy that has letters, pictures, and items from their families back home. This information gives the audience a different outlook on war. Everyone thinks especially me that the enemy are heartless criminals that you would not think twice about killing. Seeing that the enemies have families and kids changes how you view them. That is what makes this book special you have a first hand information that has not been altered to make the story more enjoyable. Unlike how most people view wars through hollywood movies. This book lets you see and feel the war exactly like a marine would have during his time there. As the war goes on the death toll rises. Men start to pile up a deaths start to come daily. I feel like this is Caputos turning point. He is heavily involved in this because he is doing the casualty reporting. When he
The impact of the Vietnam War upon the soldiers who fought there was huge. The experience forever changed how they would think and act for the rest of their lives. One of the main reasons for this was there was little to no understanding by the soldiers as to why they were fighting this war. They felt they were killing innocent people, farmers, poor hard working people, women, and children were among their victims. Many of the returning soldiers could not fall back in to their old life styles. First they felt guilt for surviving many of their brothers in arms. Second they were haunted by the atrocities of war. Some soldiers could not go back to the mental state of peacetime. Then there were soldiers Tim O’Brien meant while in the war that he wrote the book “The Things They Carried,” that showed how important the role of story telling was to soldiers. The role of stories was important because it gave them an outlet and that outlet was needed both inside and outside the war in order to keep their metal state in check.
One of them is about the crimes that they committed while they were over there with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command. Second main point is the feelings that these men carry with them after coming back from Vietnam. How country doesn’t know what monsters they created for nothing. Third main point is how they don’t consider themselves heroes, America’s best men, because they were ashamed of and hated for what they were called to do in Southeast Asia. The last main point is how veterans don’t get the support that they deserve when they came back to the States after the war. They can’t find jobs and the hospitals across the country won’t or can’t meet their demands. Each main point and sub-point is supported by facts, testimony, and examples. He talked how they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, and a lot more that they did. He talks how angry they were when they came back, because they committed crimes because of the war that didn’t even supposed to happen. Because there was nothing in Vietnam which could happen that could realistically threatens the United States of America. He talked how some veterans died while they were in the VA hospital because there was no personnel to help
Unlike infantrymen, who slept and sat on whatever nature provided, officers sometimes had the luxury of furniture. Enlisted men, unlike their officers, had to carry all their belongings on their backs. On long marches, men were unwilling to carry more than the absolute essentials. Even so, the soldiers ended up carrying about 30 to 40 pounds. Each soldier was issued half a tent.
Imagine walking through a rainy, humid tropical rain forest with forty to fifty pounds of precious luggage strapped to your back wondering where and when the next shot will be fired. Wondering whether or not you will live to see another day of combat with your brothers. American soldiers carried this burden with them every day while in combat during the Vietnam War. In the short story, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, he explains the positive and negative effects of the things that soldiers carried with them during the Vietnam War.
Moreover, individual soldier have individual things to carry, such as . Every soldier carries different unique items, and these unique items are mostly based on the soldier 's necessity. For example, in the story, the author described every item that every character brings to the battlefield. They are determined by soldiers ' "habits" or "rate of metabolism", such as tranquilizer that Ted Lavender carries and extra rations that Henry Dobbins carries. (O 'Brien 344). These items keep soldiers continue to fight. They are the items that soldiers think they are necessary to carry. For example, Because of Ted fears in the battlefield, he brings tranquilizer with him. So the tranquilizer can release his stress. In addition, the reason Henry Dobbins carries extra rations is that he 's a big man, and he needs foods to keep him strong and be able to fight in war. Every item has its purpose for soldiers to carry along with them to the Vietnam
During the Vietnam war, soldiers were not exposed to the traditional coping mechanisms of our American society, as illustrated in Tim Obrien's The Things They Carried. These men were forced to discover and invent new ways to deal with the pressures of war, using only their resources while in the Vietnamese jungle. It was not possible for any soldier to carry many items or burdens with them, but if something was a necessity, a way was found to carry it, and coping mechanisms were a necessity to survive the war.