Friday, August 13, 2010
Linda
This story definitely ties the rest together. Tim explains that telling his stories about the war is meant to help him coup with his memories and it keeps his friends and loved ones alive. "stories keep the dead alive" (page226 second paragraph) Linda was Tim's first experience with death or that is what he claims in the book. In fact I think Linda's story may not be a "true" one. Linda may be a symbol of what Tim does to remember those people he lost and how he keeps them alive. Linda is there to explain it to the reader. One conversation that takes place between Linda and Tim that I found especially moving was this; "Well right now I'm not dead. but when I am it's like...I don't know, I guess it's like being inside a book that no body's reading" " An old one. It's up on a library shelf so you're safe and everything but the book hasn't been checked out for a long long time. All you can do is wait. Just hope somebody'll pick it up and start reading."
Speaking of Courage
This was one of the more moving chapters in this book for me. The main character is Norman Bowker. He is traveling around a lake in his home town thinking about how everyone is going on with their lives yet he can't get over the fact that he wasn't couragouse enough to save his friends life in Vietnam. No one is there to listen to Norman and his troubles torment him. I think this kind of relates to the book The Sun Also Rises. Jake and his friends fought a war and are scard from it. It effects their choices in life and the way they view the world yet they hardly speak of it to those around them they avoid the problem as much as possible. the same goes for Norman he has suffered and is scard yet everyone moves on around him and avoids the problem. The sun also rises and life moves on even if you are tormented by what happened in the past.
Dialect
-a way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain social group or of inhabitants of a geographical area.
The characters in " The Things They Carried" are American soldiers. Many of them are young and naive. They often cuss profusely and because this is the Vietnam war they use terms related to that time era. This allows the reader to see how society was during this time and how the men behaved over seas in Vietnam. This adds more to details and scenery to the story and allows the reader to be more involve in the characters time era and thought process.I also thought it was interesting to see what was different from back then to how it is now. We definitely say things differently now, often more crude. Also I think the men were more respectful in a few cases like when Anne came and stayed in the camp with the men and when they camped out in a church and they felt it was sinful. I don't know if things like that would happen now a days.
The characters in " The Things They Carried" are American soldiers. Many of them are young and naive. They often cuss profusely and because this is the Vietnam war they use terms related to that time era. This allows the reader to see how society was during this time and how the men behaved over seas in Vietnam. This adds more to details and scenery to the story and allows the reader to be more involve in the characters time era and thought process.I also thought it was interesting to see what was different from back then to how it is now. We definitely say things differently now, often more crude. Also I think the men were more respectful in a few cases like when Anne came and stayed in the camp with the men and when they camped out in a church and they felt it was sinful. I don't know if things like that would happen now a days.
Inception!!
In the chapter The Lives of The Dead, Tim O'Brien reflects on a childhood friend of his who passed away. He tells us how when his Friend, Linda, died he would dream about her and it would be like she was still alive. I just recently saw the movie Inception and it reminded me of this book. In the movie Leodardo di Caprio's wife commits suicide and he always wants to go to sleep so he can live with her in his dreams. It always amazes me the way people react to dramatic situations. As a child Tim couldn't deal with loosing his friend so he imagined she was still alive in his dreams and that is how he kept her alive. Later in life Tim has many more experiences with loosing friends and loved ones and he learns that he can keep them alive through stories. Their memories are preserved forever in print. "we keep the dead alive through stories." (page 226 second paragraph)
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Dynamic Character
- A character who changes in some important way as a resolt of the story's action.
In the begining of the book Tim O'bien is a young and niaieve. He has little sense of what loss and suffering is. This is especially clear in the chapter, On The Rainy River, because he discribes how simple his plan for life had been up to the point of recieving the draft notice. He has trouble making this huge decsion because he is scared of what might happen. Tim changes drasticly through out the war though. This is especially clear in the chapters Feild Trip and The Ghost Soldiers. In these chapters we see how the war has made O'brien hard and mean. He Seeks revenge on Bobby Jergans for not helping him with his shot womb properly. In the chapter Feild Trip O'brien goes back to Vietnam to the feild where his friend died. He is still effected by his loss years later and he comes back to find some closer. The choices we make early in life effect the entirety of our lives.
In the begining of the book Tim O'bien is a young and niaieve. He has little sense of what loss and suffering is. This is especially clear in the chapter, On The Rainy River, because he discribes how simple his plan for life had been up to the point of recieving the draft notice. He has trouble making this huge decsion because he is scared of what might happen. Tim changes drasticly through out the war though. This is especially clear in the chapters Feild Trip and The Ghost Soldiers. In these chapters we see how the war has made O'brien hard and mean. He Seeks revenge on Bobby Jergans for not helping him with his shot womb properly. In the chapter Feild Trip O'brien goes back to Vietnam to the feild where his friend died. He is still effected by his loss years later and he comes back to find some closer. The choices we make early in life effect the entirety of our lives.
Antihero
-Central character who lacks the qualities traditionally associated with heroes. My lack courage, grace, intelligence or moral scruples.
In the chapter titles Speaking Of Courage, a veteran named Norman Bowker travels around a lake in his home town reflecting on the death of his close friend in Vietnam. He talks about how he almost one a metal for bravery but he says he wasn't quite brave enough. This type of hero is different from we normally except as heroes because he is not successful in his attempt to save his friend. However I still think this man would be considered a hero simple because of all the suffering he endured to defend his country. The story goes on to talk about the common beliefs of what courage is and how Norman does not feel that he qualifies as a hero because he let his friend die. Even though he has many metals he does not feel good enough. I think this goes to show how society views heroes and courage is not always correct. There's something deeper to every story.
In the chapter titles Speaking Of Courage, a veteran named Norman Bowker travels around a lake in his home town reflecting on the death of his close friend in Vietnam. He talks about how he almost one a metal for bravery but he says he wasn't quite brave enough. This type of hero is different from we normally except as heroes because he is not successful in his attempt to save his friend. However I still think this man would be considered a hero simple because of all the suffering he endured to defend his country. The story goes on to talk about the common beliefs of what courage is and how Norman does not feel that he qualifies as a hero because he let his friend die. Even though he has many metals he does not feel good enough. I think this goes to show how society views heroes and courage is not always correct. There's something deeper to every story.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Symbolisim
- A person, place, thing, or event that has meaning in itself and that also stands for something more than itself.
This book is full of symbolic images and actions. A few that I found especially predominate were The people O'Brien sees on the side of the river in the chapter, Th Rainy River, the tongue necklace Anne wears in the chapter, Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong, and the man O'Brien claims to kill. Each of these people or objects had symbolic meanings. For example, the people on the side of the river symbolized the turn out of O'Brien's life. This decision would change the entire way his life played out and effect the people he would or would not meet in the future. The necklace of tongues that Anne wears shows that she is now more tribal and part of Vietnam more than she is a fellow American. It's never quite clear if O'Brien did ever kill a man but from what I understood he did not but his guilt made him feel as responsible for the man's life as if he had killed him. The dead man is a symbol of the guilt O'Brien feels as well as the guilt all soldiers feel after killing another human being.
This book is full of symbolic images and actions. A few that I found especially predominate were The people O'Brien sees on the side of the river in the chapter, Th Rainy River, the tongue necklace Anne wears in the chapter, Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong, and the man O'Brien claims to kill. Each of these people or objects had symbolic meanings. For example, the people on the side of the river symbolized the turn out of O'Brien's life. This decision would change the entire way his life played out and effect the people he would or would not meet in the future. The necklace of tongues that Anne wears shows that she is now more tribal and part of Vietnam more than she is a fellow American. It's never quite clear if O'Brien did ever kill a man but from what I understood he did not but his guilt made him feel as responsible for the man's life as if he had killed him. The dead man is a symbol of the guilt O'Brien feels as well as the guilt all soldiers feel after killing another human being.
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