The Vietnam War and The Things They Carried - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1373 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2019/04/07 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: The Things They Carried Essay Vietnam War Essay Did you like this example? The Things They Carried is a story that presents various accounts of painful experiences and traumatic events of the soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War. The author explores the great use of literary devices in explaining the occurrence of every event. In a well-developed piece that uses imagery, metaphors, reality, and fiction, OBrien represents the emotional baggage that the soldiers had to carry through the war. The things that the soldiers carried indicated their loss of purity, despair as they lost the way and their narrowed chances of survival. OBrien connects different literary devices. The narrative has the themes of conflict, escape guilt and acceptance. The story is narrated in the third person, and the reader becomes aware of the significance of the title. First, OBrien explains the theme of escape guilt by the letters and pictures Martha sent to lieutenant cross. Cross would spend the whole night looking at the pictures and reading the letters while imagining that he was with her to escape the thought of war. Cross is trying to escape from the reality of war that he was stuck with and he feels guilty about it. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Vietnam War and The Things They Carried" essay for you Create order Similarly, OBrien mentions several other soldiers who try to escape the reality in a similar way. Rat Kiley uses tranquilizers to escape the same reality, while Dobbin wears a pair of his girlfriends stockings around his neck. Seemingly, every character in the story has their unique way of running away from reality. The items used are also symbolically significant as they emphasize on the theme of escape. The story also explores the theme of love as OBrien takes us through his thoughts on the love story between Martha and Cross. Lieutenant Cross cannot stop thinking about Martha even at the camp. The two met in college, and ever since, no other girl has given him the same feeling of love that he felt for Martha. Similarly, the fact that Martha did not get married even after she got separated from cross indicates that she loved him. This is a case of mutual love that just would not work out. Whenever he looked at the photographs, he thought of new things he shouldve done. (OBrien, P.2). This line portrays an element of guilt and regret as lieutenant things of all the things he should have done for the person that he loved. Lieutenant cross carries with him the hope that he will one day reunite with the love of his life and start a family. He carries her picture everywhere he goes so every time he looks at it, he thinks of everything he should have done. The title of the story is symbolical as it reflects many things that the soldiers went through during the war. The title has a metaphoric aspect of fear and guilt that most of the soldiers carried in their hearts. The title symbolizes a burden whose impacts last in history. The physical weapons and the emotional ?weapons are also symbolic as they portray the nature of war and sets the mood of the narrative. From the weapons, we can immediately tell that the story is about war. The symbols provide a graphic description of the realities of war (OBrien, p. 21). The symbols enable the reader to see the story from the authors perspective. As the title suggests, the story portrays how the things the soldiers carried were not as heavy as their feelings of love, guilt, loss, fear ,and the awful memories of the war as portrayed in the line, They all carried emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing- these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific (OBrien, p. 23). The author also utilizes the aspect of thought. The story brings forth the memories of war that took place over two decades ago while portraying the physical, emotional, as well as the economic damages that the war brought to the society. These damages are reflected in the lives of the soldiers and their families (OBrien, p.23). The depressive nature of war is portrayed by the characters who had to take tranquilizers to calm their nerves. From a close analysis, OBrien uses the characters as metaphoric artifacts to represent people in the society. These soldiers blame themselves for the deaths of their fellow soldiers. Just like the soldiers, people always carry the memory, love, and grief for those who die in the war trying to protect us. The theme of war represents the state of conflicts and inhumanity in society. The society is always at a state of conflict as people commit all sorts of evil in the name of war. OBrien does not directly criticize the aspect of the war in the society through the series of events in the story and leaves the reader to reflect on what is wrong or right. The aspect of conflict appears in the soldiers decision to go to war. Many of them were afraid to go to war but felt the need to so they carried with them the pressure and acted like all is well. The soldiers undergo a personal conflict as the battle and thought between what is right and what should be done. The metaphor, all you can do is whimper and wait (OBrien, p.211) provides a clear picture of the soldiers attitude towards the war. They had no choice but to sit there and wait for their fate because things were already getting out of hand. The phrase also gives an idea of how the soldiers felt towards each other. Although they were not very close, they had an idea of how everyone felt because they were going through a similar moment at the same time. The phrase shows imagery and greater details of how Bobby and Azar felt towards each other. OBrien also developed strong relationships that almost felt as if the characters were all one person. OBrien applies a great use of repetition to develop the story. We see many instances of the characters reappearing in the story. This form of repetition forms an everlasting instinct for the reader to keep up with each character without losing track all through the story. Although the death of Lavender is mentioned at the beginning of the narrative, the narrator keeps taking us back to this event to give the reader more details about the event and create a new perspective every time. Repetition enables the reader to reflect back and keep memories of the soldiers. For instance, repetition is seen when Lieutenant Cross constantly thinks about Martha, his college girlfriend from way back. The repetition is meant to remind the reader of the love that cross had for Martha. Through this, OBrien successfully achieves character development and allows the reader to follow all the characters throughout the story. The story truly expresses the real meaning of contemporary literature. OBrien successfully brings all his ideas and experiences and place them in the story to create a meaningful piece of contemporary literature. He puts great effort to make the story look as real as possible using his own experiences. He achieves realism by mixing reality and fiction. Using his experiences in the Vietnam War, he gives pictures of the harsh truths about war and the real emotions that human beings really carry in their hearts. He also expresses the dilemma that people have to deal with in making rash decisions as well as the pain and guilt that survivors of war have to deal with. Characters in the narrative also use metafiction to get the real truth about the main events of the Vietnam War. OBrien describes the difference between happening truth and narrative truth in the chapter Good Form (OBrien, p.179) OBrien applies a non-chronological sequence in narrating the story. His story is based on random observation of the characters. The story revolves around the lives of the characters which primarily develops the story. He uses a simple language to understand the message he is putting across easily. He also uses slang, obscene dark humor, and military lingo to give the narrative an aesthetic value. Most of the conversations in the story are brief and punctuated with dashes instead of quotation marks to incorporate the spoken words into narrative.

Discuss the feeling of displacement in Islandman. Essay

Discuss the feeling of displacement in Islandman. DISCUSS THE FEELING OF DISPLACEMENT IN ISLANDMAN.COMPARE AND CONTRAST WITH ONE OTHER POEM OF YOUR CHOICE. Island Man is by Grace Nichols. It is about a man who originates from the Caribbean but still dreams of his homeland, and wakes up to the sound of the sea on the sand and the caw of wild birds. He now lives in London and faces the reality of the North Circular and the monotony of Britain. The poem of my choice is Search for my Tongue, which was written by Sujata Bhatt. It is about what it is like to have to be able to speak a different language to her own, and what it would be like to lose it. By the end of the poem she is convinced it will be part of her wherever she†¦show more content†¦In England we dont have this luxury and we need to actually pay for services. Search for my Tongue starts on a very different note and immediately asks the reader questions about what it would be like to learn a different language. This is true of the whole poem, which, it could be argued, maintains an aggressive tone all the way through. Later on the poem gets very aggressive not in tone, but in the image it portrays and the impact it has. For example:- You ask me what I mean by saying I have lost my tongue. I ask you what you would do if you had two tongues in your mouth This first portion of the poem can be interpreted differently, depending on the way the narrator reads it or the way that you feel. If it were to be read aloud (like it was written to be) then, to be aggressive you could but emphasis on certain words, especially the yous making the listener feel more vulnerable. The next sign of displacement in Island Man is when, in the second stanza, the poet describes the morning on a Caribbean island. It is obviously not England as we dont have wild seabirds or fishermen anymore. They died, along with traditional Britain when we voted in Socialists after the war. They let people from all different backgrounds into our country without speaking a word of English. This trend has continued and is at an all time high as we speak. For example:- wild seabirds and fishermen pushing out to sea the sun surfacing defiantly

Jewasian free essay sample

Youre my favorite Jewasian! Ever tried eating matzah with chopsticks? Hahahah nice hat girl! These are all comments under one of my Myspace pictures. It is a picture of me a couple years ago, a fifteen year old Asian girl smiling sweetly wearing a pink yarmulke. No, Im not making a mockery of the Jewish faith; it is actually a personalized yarmulke from my Bat Mitzvah. I use the word Jewasian to try and describe myself, but I have heard variations like Jasian, Caujasian, Jewacish and more. In reality, theres a reason why theres not one labeling word for me. Its because theres not a large number of Korean girls, with Caucasian parents, who are also Jewish, just like me. My diverse background, that has sometimes made me feel uncomfortable, has shaped me to be the unique individual I am today, and it all started with my adoption. About four months after entering the world on July 27, 1991 in Inchon City, Korea, I arrived into the arms of my adoptive parents. My childhood was not out of the ordinary. It was just like most others living the middle class suburban life, but as I grew up I realized that there was more setting us all apart. Even though Ive lived a comfortable life, because of my background, I see the world differently. My biological parents had to stop their schooling after middle school to work in a sewing factory to survive. Unlike some of my peers who are sadly stuck in the suburban bubble, my roots are proof that other people would give anything, even their parenthood, so their children could have these opportunities. Thats why I appreciate the schools Ive attended, and although essays and huge tests can be stressful, Im lucky to even be able to experience it. Im glad Ive fully grasped that now. Its put a hunger inside me, a flame under me, urging me to reach my full potential. I know Ive been given this miraculous chance to be whatever I want, and wasting it is not an option. As if being Asian with two Caucasian parents isnt enough, I grew up in a Jewish household as well, adding another uncommon dimension to my identity. I attended preschool and then Hebrew school at my synagogue so the kids I grew up with werent fazed by my ethnicity, but once an outsider entered our classroom, the awkward stare was back. One night at Hebrew school a new girl entered and her first words were, OH MY GOD IS THAT AN ASIAN?! She said it with such surprise and a twinge of disgust, as if I didnt belong there as much as she did. Every Friday night our class had a Junior Congregation, but because of that girl, the following Friday night was different. The entire week I practiced all the prayers, the movements, the refrains, and different variations over and over again, until I no longer needed the support of the Siddur. Friday came and I volunteered to lead most every prayer, singing them by heart, glancing at the obnoxious girl struggling to follow along. I showed her that being Asian had nothing to do with being Jewish also. After that, there were no more Asian comments coming out of her mouth; ironically, there were onl y requests for me to teach her the prayers. I used to be uncomfortable with myself, with all my identities clashing together. But now, Ive learned to love the cultural explosion I call myself. Now I enjoy the shocked and confused faces when I explain my mixture of backgrounds because its a chance to teach them the different aspects of my life. I am open to others, willing to accept, and I can adapt to different surroundings. The comments from my friends under my Myspace photo embracing my diversity, using my word Jewasian proves that people can learn to accept without the cookie cutter American girl. Ive already accepted my diversity within myself and my roots, and now Im ready to teach what being Jewasian means to anyone and everyone who is willing to learn.

optimism in candide Essay Example For Students

optimism in candide Essay Voltaires Candide uses anti-heroism as an object of mockery against the philosophers of the Enlightenment. Candide, the hero of the novel travels around the world where he encounters many difficulties. During his travels, he sticks to the teaching of his tutor, Doctor Pangloss, believing that everything is for the best (3). The sheer stupidity of these illogical conclusions points out Voltaires problem with most optimists: the illogical degree to which they would carry their doctrine.. Panglosss interpretation of cause and effect is so ignorant as to be comical such as the physics lesson . While Candide tells an interesting story, it is more important as a satire. However, this does not prove Voltaire is a pessimist. In Albert Camus the plague there is a different type of optimism. As the plague takes over the town and more and more people start dying the main character Rieux is the only one who remains to have a sense of optimism. Albert Camus was taught to look on the brighter side of life from a young boy or so according to his autobiography. Like rieux who seemed to be the only one who did not seek greed or isolation during the extremely hard time. Philosophers believed that reason could be used to explain everything. The philosophers believed that people could make the world a better place to live in. Voltaire is against such optimism. Voltaire chooses to simplify it to the extent that it seemed complacent and absurd, and he went on to make us think if happiness was real .1-2). According to Voltaire true happiness can only be experienced in an unreal world. The trouble that Candide endures after leaving Eldorado culminates in his eventual abandonment of optimism. Candide loses four of his sheep laden with priceless jewels due to natural causes, and then sees his two remaining sheep stolen, and the local magistrate indifferent to the theft. Certainly, says Candide, if everything goes well, it is in Eldorado and not in the rest of the world (42). Candide goes a step further, Oh Pangloss, cried Candide, you have no notion of these abominations! Im through; I must give up your optimism after all. Whats optimism? Said Cacambo. Alas, said Candide, it is a mania for saying things are well when one is in hell (40). Candides happy view of life is contrasted with and challenged by suffering that he goes through, throughout the book. Hence, Voltaire uses the book to show foolishness of optimism. Voltaire also satirizes religion. According to him the extremely pious and the clergy are willing to turn their back on their fellow man, but those who have not even been baptized are willing to lend a helping hand. Candide, shortly after the battle, asks many religious individuals for alms, but they all, including one who had just lectured on charity, refused to aid him. Finally Jacques the Anabaptist takes pity on his fellow human, a featherless biped possessing a soul (6). Voltaire attacks not only the blanket optimism of Dr. Pangloss, but also the religious aspect of faith the idea that there is a good will guiding earthly events. The fact that good and bad alike suffer and die seems to be evidence that God is not in charge. Voltaire believed that God had abandoned the world because he was a Jesuit. (183). the hypocrisy of religion, especially that of the Roman Catholic Church, is recurrent in Candide. Underlying the satire of religious practices is Voltaires outrage at all forms of fanaticism and intolerance. Voltaire claims that religious leaders blame the fall of man as the system we put on all these individual maladies. Voltaire adds, it is clear that the system undermines the very foundations of the Christian religion, and explains nothing at all (88) .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57 , .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57 .postImageUrl , .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57 , .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57:hover , .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57:visited , .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57:active { border:0!important; } .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57:active , .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57 .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uaabf33434ae942cea017fb75ec15ca57:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Shakespeare's Hamlet - Observations of Madness Essay, Camus conveys his own philosophy in a certain way so that his characters are subject to his personal ideals and morals. Camus believes there is no god, and essentially that human beings need to be responsible for their own lives ,happiness and decency .through the eyes of all of his characters . Through his use of false optimism . Wade says Voltaire destroys the philosophy of optimism by graphically .