Essay about the things they carried

Submitted By karenrai
Words: 1081
Pages: 5
Open Document
Connecting the dots “He pictured Martha’s smooth young face, thinking he loved her more than anything, more than his men, and now Ted Lavender was dead because he loved her so much and could not stop thinking about her.” Just as first lieutenant ‘Jimmy cross’ had ‘Martha’ that distracted him from thinking about his men first, as do I allow many things in my life that restrict me from doing the work I need to do. When I have work to submit I get carried away by watching movies, and spending too much time with my friends thus, failing to complete my work and getting an F. Matthew V. wrote, “The main one being I am always thinking about my girlfriend. I base most of my life or even small decisions off what her response will be.” Although my ‘Martha’ isn’t about the person I am dating it is something I can relate to because I base my decisions on the things I prioritize and keep more important things like work for later. “She is constantly on my mind the way Martha was on Jimmy's.” This sentence is definitely relatable to me because this is the same way television shows are constantly on my mind.
‘Martha’ was Jimmy Crosses fantasy that held him from living the reality he was in. It was an escape for him. I have many ‘Martha’s’ in my life that I like to live in when I don’t want to face reality. But then reality kicks in and I get the F in my paper and I realize that I too need to “burn Martha’s letters” or in my case stop watching movies and spending too much time with my friends. “Lavender was dead. You couldn’t burn the blame.” ‘Jimmy Cross’ took the blame for what happened to ‘Ted Lavender’ and decided to “take out his maps” and “begin planning the days march”. “No more fantasies, he told himself”, likewise I accept when I fail, and even though sometimes it takes something horrible to happen for me to snap back at reality, I just face it and carry on.
“First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha…”, “Ted lavender, who was scared, carried tranquilizers…”, “ Rat Kiley carried comic books” etc. Just as these men carried things that were important to them as do I carry pictures of my friends that passed away everywhere I go as a memory of them. Not scared that I will forget them but to always keep them close to me wherever I go. Mina Z. wrote, “First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from Martha. I too do the same. My best friend and I constantly write letters to each other, and like First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, I keep it.” Unlike Mina I don’t have those friends to send me any letters or send me anything at all, but I carry something too just as she keeps her and carries her letters.
The men had other things to carry too. In fact they were bigger and heavier in weight. “Most of them were common grunts and carried the standard M-16 gas operated assault rifle. The weapon weighed 7.5 pounds unloaded, 8.2 pounds with its full 20-round magazine”. The soldiers had to carry things that were necessary for their survival and they really didn’t have to carry anything extra because it would only mean more weight and distraction, but they did anyway. I have done a lot of travelling in my life and many times space is always a problem because there is never enough. However, I always manage to carry those pictures with me even if I have to sacrifice some space with things that I may need. I think the soldiers carried those small things with them because those were the things that they felt they had to carry and couldn’t go without. Although things in life that we need to carry might be bigger the real things we focus on are things that we feel we cannot go without whether hey are small or big and those are the things we always end up carrying everywhere we go.
“They marched until
Show More

Related Documents: Essay about the things they carried

Things They Carried

they held is now gone, which bring these men nothing but a charge of new worries and emotions. In Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried”, also known as the first chapter, is a captivative, up close story about the soldiers in the Vietnam War. Many soldiers do not want to be there and many are young as well.The first chapter connects to the title by stating the things the men carried. O’Brien not only lists the items they took on their duty, but demonstrates the emotional baggage that lies heavy in…

Words 772 - Pages 4

Storytelling In The Things They Carried

and in The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, storytelling is definitely defined as a control feature. In Annie John, there are scenes where characters tell stories.. Annie’s autobiography the moments when she recognizes how what she tells has an impact in how others see her and that she can manipulate the truth for effect and so does her mother. Annie also imagines her “story” moving to Belgium, and recognizes her own “self” and it is created by the sum of her experiences. In The Things They Carried…

Words 1093 - Pages 5

Things They Carried Shame

In The Things They Carried, a novel written by Tim O’Brien, the reader is introduced to the everlasting psychological effects of war through his recollection of his own experiences. He incorporates fiction into his story and into the perspectives of other characters whom all faced their own tragedies. Tim O’Brien’s purpose in writing The Things They Carried is to explore the impact of shame on the youth who were forced to join the war. To commence, O’Brien displays the emotional baggage these men…

Words 578 - Pages 3

Thesis For The Things They Carried

How would it feel being in the front line during the war? What if soldiers felt alive instead of fear itself? In the story, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien takes place in the Vietnam War. The story summarizes a young soldier, Jimmy. Jimmy and all of the other soldiers bought the equipments of being prepared for the war. On the other hand, Jimmy is in love with an English major by the name of Martha. Jimmy write and send love letters to Martha. He is madly in love with her, but this love…

Words 914 - Pages 4

The Things They Carried Essay

and it now lives through war. Wars have split countries and even created factions within religions. Perhaps one of the most overlooked consequences of wars are the effects it has on the people who fight them. War is a hellish thing. Only a few people return from wars without changing. In The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien, explains the burdens of war through symbolism. The physical and psychological consequences war has on soldiers transforms them into shadows of their former selves. During times of war,…

Words 915 - Pages 4

Essay On The Things They Carried

Carried“The Things They Carried” – The American Civil War, 1861-1865 A soldier fighting in the Civil War had mixed feelings of compelling patriotism, notably with the Confederates but undeniably just as present in the Union, and strong disgust. Battles often consisted of fathers, uncles, sons and brothers all fighting the American states bordering their own. Specific to the Civil War: * Scabbard w/ or w/out detailing (depends): Bayonet scabbards were issued to each soldier as standard…

Words 596 - Pages 3

Ptsd In The Things They Carried

most soldiers have long term effects on their physical and mental health. Hallucinations, paranoia, and suicide are just some of the many effects of PTSD suffered by veterans of war and even those who are still in combat. The chapter of The Things They Carried titled “How to Tell a True War Story” contains examples of soldiers affected by PTSD based on many of O’Brien’s personal experiences. A story of O'Brien's that impacts the story as a whole starts with six soldiers in the midst of Vietnam who…

Words 1611 - Pages 7

Surrealism In The Things They Carried

In the novel, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, it has multiple instances that have surrealism. The simple meaning of surrealism is unusual or dreamlike. Surrealism is something that would be rare to happen in the real world. In the chapter, How To Tell A War Story, it has many examples of surrealism. One example of surrealism in this chapter is, on page 68 the first paragraph on that page, when Tim O’Brien states, “Often the crazy stuff is true and the normal stuff isn’t…”. He says this because…

Words 457 - Pages 2

Symbolism In The Things They Carried

War Scar Wars start at anytime when people want to start, but wars do not stop as people wish to stop. The short story, “The Things They Carried” by William Timothy O’Brien, sufficiently depicts some veterans’ expectation for peace and their disappointment after the Vietnam War. The protagonist, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his men challenged their moral limited to survive in the war. However, they have to face more difficult situation to enter the peaceful life, even though a peaceful life is a…

Words 566 - Pages 3

Superstition In The Things They Carried

“The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien (pg.315-323) is about the physical, emotional, and spiritual weight that soldiers carried during the Vietnam War. As O’Brien explains, the physical things soldiers carried depended on necessity, rank, the mission, and personal superstitions. Out of necessity, soldiers carried things such as mosquito repellant, lighters, or water. Based on rank, they carried equipment such as a 26-pound radio or an M-60. A large portion of the things they carried depended…

Words 218 - Pages 1