Free Essays on Things They Carried

â€Å"What You Carry, Actually Carries You!† Imagine walking down the streets of Boston, where everyone was naked, who’s who, what are these strangers’ likes, dislikes’. Every one of us, each carry our own significant items and each one of those items shares a little peace of us with the rest of the world. The items we carry can show our backgrounds, our likes/dislikes’ and our personalities. Most people are proud of their culture and heritage, that is why many people carry significant items that express their backgrounds. â€Å"Kiowa, a devout Baptist, carries an illustrated New Testament that had been presented to him by his father.† (O’Brien 3). Kiowa is proud that his father has brought him up as a Baptist and wants to carry on his beliefs. Kiowa is much like my close friend, because he is proud of his family. This friend is so proud of his background that after his grandfather had passed away he tattooed his grandfather’s initials onto his wrist, he now carries on his families legacy until his own death. Most people are proud to show their backgrounds and always enjoy carrying something that displays their dignity. Not only do people display their cultures they also show information about them selves. As I walk the streets of Boston I can tell what people’s interests are just by the style of their clothes or even their pieces of â€Å"flair.† Just like in the movie Office Space, the employees were required to wear buttons that described their â€Å"attitude† and â€Å"individuality.† All over the world people dress in a certain way to show their favorite interest. For example, many people place patches or buttons that say â€Å"don’t eat meat,† from that button alone I can tell that person is a vegetarian. These people are proud of their accomplishment and want people around them to understand what type of person they are. In the same way we learned that Rat Kiley liked alcohol and candy because, h... Free Essays on Things They Carried Free Essays on Things They Carried Things They Carried In O’Brien’s â€Å"The Things They Carried,† repetition plays a significant role in portraying several aspects of the characters in the story. The author’s style of writing emphasizes and allows the reader to experience the reality and see the necessities of war, see the characters’ physical state, and the difference between characters during time of war. The use of repetition not only compares but distinguishes the characters’ role in the story. During the time of war these soldiers are not only battling the elements of war but also have to deal with the physical and mental strain it causes. Even though they experience the same war, they have unique personal items that help them forge on through their own self battles. O’Brien’s style of writing makes sure that the readers are able to differentiate between each of the characters. Each soldier has an important list of items which they carry at all times. During war, necessities are common items such as â€Å"can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wrist watches, dog tags, mosquito repellant, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets†¦Military Payment Certificates, C rations, and two or three canteens of water† (O’Brien 1425). The author distinguishes each character through the list of items. In listing and telling the readers what each sol dier carries throughout the war, O’Brien, individualizes each character and helps make that person more human. Some characters carry bibles while others carry condoms, each with their own significance. Each individual has something from their past that reminds them of home in the time of death. The use of repetition helps show each individual’s battle within their own self, allowing the reader to see the difference in each character. The items they carry not only affect the soldiers’ minds but their bodies as well, â€Å"they bore the physical burden of the environment, and they picked up many things to... Free Essays on Things They Carried Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried is a tale that deals not only with the risk of war, but also with the emotional effects it has on the young soldiers. Lt. Jimmy Cross is the designated leader. All of the men in the troop carried various items with them, both physically and emotionally. After the death of one of his soldiers, Cross is forced to reexamine his actions and realize the mistakes he has made. Although this man cares for his men, he does not fulfill his responsibilities. Throughout the story, it became clear to me that Lt. Jimmy Cross will not be able to forget about Martha, and that he is not an effective military leader. The things that Lt. Cross carries are different than the rest of the men. He carries memories and mementos of Martha, and these things fascinate him. â€Å"Lieutenant Cross carries two photographs of Martha† (O’Brien 420). These pictures control his mind. The author says that â€Å"Cross often wondered who had taken the picture, because he knew she had boyfriends, because he loved her so much, and because he could see the shadow of the picture taker spreading out against the brick wall† (420). The pictures and small gifts from Martha are all that Jimmy can think about, they distract him from his responsibility of protecting his men. It took the tragic death of Lavender to make him realize that he had not fulfilled his duties. â€Å"Lavender was dead. You couldn’t burn the blame† (430). Instead, he burns the photos of Martha. He turns her letters and pictures into a pile of ashes. He was hoping to find forgiveness form his guilt, but none was found. Even after this action that makes me believe that Cross is leaving Martha behind, he â€Å"saw Martha’s gray eyes gazing back at him† (430). He will never be able to forget about his obsession with the young woman. He will live the rest of his military career in guilt for his carelessness which led to the death of one of his men. As a conclusion unf... Free Essays on Things They Carried â€Å"What You Carry, Actually Carries You!† Imagine walking down the streets of Boston, where everyone was naked, who’s who, what are these strangers’ likes, dislikes’. Every one of us, each carry our own significant items and each one of those items shares a little peace of us with the rest of the world. The items we carry can show our backgrounds, our likes/dislikes’ and our personalities. Most people are proud of their culture and heritage, that is why many people carry significant items that express their backgrounds. â€Å"Kiowa, a devout Baptist, carries an illustrated New Testament that had been presented to him by his father.† (O’Brien 3). Kiowa is proud that his father has brought him up as a Baptist and wants to carry on his beliefs. Kiowa is much like my close friend, because he is proud of his family. This friend is so proud of his background that after his grandfather had passed away he tattooed his grandfather’s initials onto his wrist, he now carries on his families legacy until his own death. Most people are proud to show their backgrounds and always enjoy carrying something that displays their dignity. Not only do people display their cultures they also show information about them selves. As I walk the streets of Boston I can tell what people’s interests are just by the style of their clothes or even their pieces of â€Å"flair.† Just like in the movie Office Space, the employees were required to wear buttons that described their â€Å"attitude† and â€Å"individuality.† All over the world people dress in a certain way to show their favorite interest. For example, many people place patches or buttons that say â€Å"don’t eat meat,† from that button alone I can tell that person is a vegetarian. These people are proud of their accomplishment and want people around them to understand what type of person they are. In the same way we learned that Rat Kiley liked alcohol and candy because, h... Free Essays on Things They Carried One major concern of the Americans during World War I was the communist influence. There was a group of men known as the â€Å"Hollywood Ten.† They were put on trial in front of the House Committee of Un-American Activities to review the effects of Communism in America. This group consisted of writers and producers that were called to testify whether or not they were members of the growing Communist party. Due to the refusal to testify these men were put in jail and blacklisted. There were many men that were a part of the â€Å"Hollywood Ten.† A few are Alvah Bessie, Lester Cole, John Howard Lawson and more, including Dalton Trumbo. Many of these men after being blacklisted and not being able to find employment continued on to literary works. Before Trumbo was involved in the â€Å"Hollywood Ten,† he was a writer. Dalton Trumbo was born on December 9, 1905 in Montrose, Colorado. After high school he went on to the University of California and Southern California, after attending the Universi! ty of Colorado for one year. After the death of his father, Dalton assumed responsibility to support the family, and he moved to California. Dalton wrote films for Vanity Fair and Hollywood Spectacular. While working for Hollywood Spectacular he wrote his first novel, Eclipse in 1935. Then following this he was hired by Warner Brothers as a screenwriter. Dalton then wrote twenty-five screenplays in the next six years. One of them being â€Å"Kitty Foyle,† a story about a white-collar girl and her troubled love life. This won an Oscar nomination. Dalton Trumbo was fired from his work at Metro-Goldwyn Mayer in 1950. It was after that that he completed some of his best scripts. He had found a man by the name of Ian McLellan Hunter who published his work for him. Hunter ended up taking all of the credit for Dalton’s work of Roman Holiday. Dalton was suffering from cut-rate prices and needed to move to Mexico before the government found out his real id...