Draft In The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

A draft is a system for selecting young men for compulsory military service.The things they carried is an introverted perspective memory story. In the summer of 1968, Tim O’Brien, the author, receives a draft notice. DEspite a desire to follow his convictions and flee to Canada, he feels embarrassed to refuse to fulfill his patriotic duty. Most of the stories are told from the first person, but on many occasions, Tim O’Brien uses the third person. For example, Tim let his platoon-mate tell his story. The narrator is very flexible in the text: he speaks of the necessity of blurring truth and fiction in a true war story. The story is told in past tense, shifting between the Vietnam War in the late 1960s and the Tim O’Brien’s immediate past, two

When describing Jimmy Cross’s feelings for Martha, Tim O’Brien explains, “Lieutenant Cross kept to himself. He pictured Martha’s smooth young face, thinking he loved her more than anything, more than his men, and now Ted Lavender is dead because he loved her so much and could not stop thinking about her” (O’Brien 6). Jimmy Cross wished that the letters Martha sent him were love letters, so he somehow became blinded by them. Jimmy was so focused on his love for Martha that he wasn’t so engaged in the war which led to his death. Tim O’Brien utilizes the rhetorical devices allegory and motif to build on the persuasive techniques pathos and logos. The author frequently spoke on the things the soldiers carried and how the war has a meaning inside and out. Moreover, this war story means something in the text and real life. When describing the things the soldiers carried, Tim O’Brien states, “Rat Kiley carried a canvas satchel filled with morphine and a plasma and tablets… Henry Dobbins carried the m-60 which weighed 23 pounds unloaded” (O’Brien 5). Later on in the text O’Brien states, “when Curt Lemon was killed, I found it hard to mourn” (O’Brien 82). The author’s style speaks to the feelings of the soldiers. The author utilizes motif to reveal that the soldiers don’t only carry weapons when they are in war, but soldiers also carry hurt and fear.During their tour of duty, the men of the