The Things They Carried: Week 1
Post your first response by Tuesday, February 6. Throughout the week, engage in discussion by replying to a combination of six posts and replies.
The Road: Week 3
Post your second response by Tuesday, February 20. Throughout the week, engage in discussion by replying to a combination of six posts and replies.
In the beginning, it was hard for me to understand what was going on, and who the protagonist was because he talked about his fellow soldiers more than himself, especially Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. I don't understand how he could love, Martha, so much without her loving him back, especially since he didn't seem to know her that well, "he wanted Martha to love him as he loved her, but the letters were mostly chatty, elusive on the matter of love." Because of this, it takes his focus away from the war, and his soldiers causing him to lose a soldier named Ted Lavender. "right then Ted Lavender was shot in the head on his way back from peeing," "Lieutenant Cross found himself trembling."
ReplyDeleteTim O'Brien was a soldier that was drafted but he was against the war. I don't understand why someone who was going to college, and had complete opposite opinions with the war, was forced to join when there were many other men who would've been more willing to join, or had less to lose. That sounds bad but to me, it's true. He ends up deciding to run away to Minnesota to cross over to Canada, but ends up staying with a man named Elroy Berdahl. This man came off a little weird to me since he would never talk to Tim about his situation. He seemed to just know what was going on and helped him in a non helpful kind of way. "I think he helped Tim realize that running away from his life because of the draft wasn't the best option. So far, this is about as much as you get to learn about Tim in the story, it's mainly about other soldiers that he was accompanied with. "It was loud now. Loud, hard crying. Elroy Berdahl remained quiet. He kept fishing." Towards the end of the reading, I had two questions left unanswered. First, why did Rat Kiley basically torture the baby buffalo? Secondly, why did Curt Lemon get a perfectly good tooth pulled for satisfaction?
The narrator is pretty absent in the first chapter and focuses on the other soldiers and "the things they carried." What might all these items, and especially the emphasis on weight, symbolize? How does this affect a reader? Tone? Meaning?
DeleteI completely agree with being confused about who was actually the narrator at the start. And then to find out that O'Brian and Cross met up after the war to sit down and reconnect threw me for a loop. How do you feel the mental struggle with Cross affected him during the war?
DeleteIt confuses the reader trying to figure out where the main focus is at. I feel the mental struggle with Cross affected him during the war because of Martha. He was so distracted with her that he lost soldiers lives and was devastated by this event
DeleteAt the very start we learn about first lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his female friend Martha. He carries letters from her but still questions her. It doesn’t make sense to hold onto the letters if he doesn’t even know who she really is. While Cross carries letters the other men carry things they feel as important. That is the premise of the first part of the book. To describe what they people are carrying and illustrate that not everyone has the same “Necessities” when it comes to war time. In my opinion I don’t feel like they are thinking about survival when it comes to what they carry. They are thinking about what will make life easier for them and satisfied. Although not everything they carry is tangible. All of the men carry mental thoughts with them. Some bring love, others bring guilt and pain along with regret. One day Lavender is shot in the head and dropped dead. The craziest thing is that once the men were waiting for the chopper to come get Lavender they were cracking jokes and acting like it’s not a big deal. I feel like they were making jokes to help cope with the pain. The morning after Lavender died Cross kneeled down in his foxhole and burned the pictures of Martha. I feel he did this to get some weight off of his shoulder.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, everything that they carried had sentimental value to them that gave them purpose to not "lose their marbles" and continue on with the war to make it back home alive. Although some things got in the way when their minds needed to be set on the war, such as Ted being killed because of Lieutenant Cross's trance about his loved one Martha. She is a complete distraction because he was focused on gaining her love at the worst possible times, luckily though he realized this eventually.
DeleteThe personal items they carry could also keep them connected to themselves as individuals and people; as a reader, it helps me see them as human and not just soldier.
DeleteI agree with both of your comments it does show how human they are that they have feelings and not they are the "suck it up" type of people
DeleteAt the end of the chapter "Spin," O'Brien writes "Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, where there is nothing to remember except the story"(36). What do you think O'Brien means by story and memory? Which one has more truth? Continue to think about the story O'Brien tells.
ReplyDeleteI think that he means the memories are more truthful and reliable whereas stories are told man times and the events change and are eventually completely different from what actually happened.
DeleteI agree with Jeffs statement about how events change and are eventually different from what actually happened. Because I think that is what O'Brien is saying.
DeleteIn the beginning of the book we learn that lieutenant Cross is involved with a girl named Martha, and you can tell how much he talks about her he carries sentimental letters and things she has sent in. But he will talk about the war then stop talking about her and kinda go back and forth on different stories and accessions that are happening in the book. But "The Thing They Carried" where the things they explained caring in the war naming all there weaopns and also told us all the things the other soldiers carried. And what was a sentimental value to them. In the first chapter they talk about Moral and what Moral means to them and Henry Doppins had said "I don't see no moral". While they were talking around the dead boys body. While Lavender was taken away on the chopper it seemed like everyone kinda got quite.
ReplyDeleteYeah I agree with you, the things they carried kinda explained more of their profile and how they lived their lives back in the states. Also they seem to try and ignore the fact that someone died so they can stay sane.
DeleteYeah, you can visual and also sympathize their feelings. But on page 13 when Sanders kicked that dead boys head and watched the flies scatter do you think he cared about what he did after he did that? Because he didn't really seem to talk about why he did that.
DeleteI think that deep down it might have affected him but he wanted to act as if it didn't so he wouldn't come off as a "coward," but being scared is normal during war.
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