Respect In Tim O 'Brien's The Things They Carried'

Most stories of war have a hard time showing positivity in something as dismal as war. It's a story of brotherhood, love of people and their country, heroism, and pride. Bradleys father, a hardened WWII veteran, told his son, “Your teacher said something about heros… and I want you to always remember something. The heroes of Iwo Jima are the men who did not make it back,” (Bradley 343). He wants his son to know that all people involved in the war deserved to be honored and remembered, the ones who died more so than the ones who lived.

“We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who gave their lives that nation might live” (paragraph 2, Gettysburg Address). Lincoln explains it all by saying that the soldiers who gave their lives during the war should get a special place dedicated to them. He gave them a cemetery dedicated to those fallen soldiers who have fought. Since Lincoln dedicated a place for the soldiers, he believes that they should get that type of recognition for their brave service since they did a huge task for the nation by risking their lives. The strong men, alive and no longer living, who had a hard time here, have officially made it, higher than our weak strength to attract or let go (paragraph 3).

The men who served in the Vietnam War were just barely men, some of them were just hitting the age twenty. It was the draft which brought these boys into the fight involuntarily, to fight a war which they saw no meaning in. Many of these boys are the sons of veterans who fought in World War II, that came home to parades and were held up like heroes for fighting. Honorary men of the country and the soldiers fighting for Vietnam did not want to disappoint them. Thus, when O’Brien mentions in the quote, valor was not the point, he is trying to explain to the reader that the men went like it was a job they had to do, not a random act of courage that willed them to proceed.

Family: You Never Know What You Have Until it is Gone Throughout the memoir “A Long Way Gone”, Ishmael told how he lost his family in war, through this experience he realized that his family is crucial to his happiness and well being, he also learned that he could form other family bonds with different people. “I wanted to see my family, even if it meant dying with them” (Beah 109). The definition of a family is not limited to blood relation, other loved ones can be family as well. In the memoir, Beah confides in Esther, she understand more than he realized. Esther, Beah’s nurse, considered herself as his sister to help Ishmael, and Beah accepted that.

He got in touch with the family because of the significance of his friendship. The soldier felt obligated to write a letter to the family out of respect for the lost soldier and his best

He had a wife, a son and a daughter. His family was depressed about the death of Bucca. They had a memorial for him and on his grave it said “Life is short and Love is long.” Bucca was also in the army and worked in the special forces. For his line of duty his family is proud of what he did and they will not forget that day. Ronald Bucca was a great hero on 9/11.

Many “testimonials” from veterans from the cola wars are given about the “emotional trauma” of the time of war; Through the appeal of ethos.As the his work continues on cola war veteran Nathan McCune says that the war was not fought between many different people around but “brother against brother……...fear that you’d run into an old classmate”it is a way to reveal ethos in the article of the “Cola Wars”(7)As the journalist continues on with the speech ethos it became a powerful tool because it showed the fear in competing with fellow friends. The use of evidence about how “traumatizing” the “Cola Wars” were; this establishment of “testimonials” use ethos will continue to appeal throughout the essay.The allure of Ethos in his argument allows the critical thinker to continue establishing the claim about how many people exaggerate the small in important things while ignore the important

The fatigues induce a sense of patriotism that hits home with the American audience. Sports Illustrated hits many Americans in the hearts. By incorporating a picture of Tillman in army fatigues on their magazine cover. Many Americans have fallen family members, who died defending our country. Those who do not have members of their family fighting for freedom still feel a sense of empathy towards Tillman's family, because they would not want this to happen to one of their own ( SI “Remember” n.

The narrator starts by telling all the physical weights of the things the men had to carry, and then gets into their inner thoughts and reveals the emotional weight of the things the men had to carry. The main character, Lieutenant Cross struggles between his love and his responsibilities. Ted Lavender dies in the story and the soldiers are all shocked; it causes Lt. Cross to give up his love and become a man. In the story, Tim O’Brian uses a total omniscience point of view, which reveals Lieutenant Jimmy Cross as distracted, sentimental, and caring. This causes the reader to feel admiration for him leading the country, but also empathy because he is struggling physically and emotionally.

On the Rainy River Analysis One of the most compelling books I’ve read is The Things They Carried. This book is filled with many short stories of the Vietnam war. The Author tells the story from the perspective of the soldiers. This books shows us the sacrifice these men had to give for are freedom. The Things They Carried has many great stories by Tim O’brien, but On The Rainy River was my favorite and seemed to follow the psychological literary lens.

During World War 1, Hans Hubermann and Erik Vandenberg had a very close relationship while they were fighting in the German army. They were so close, that Erik basically saved his life by giving him a job to write something for the captain he knew that Hans was good at writing and would rather have him writing that in battle. “‘Hubermann sir, the voice belonged to Erik Vandenberg...’It settled then you’re [Hans] it’...He wrote letters as best as he could while the rest of the men went into battle. None of them came back” (177-178). Everyone on that field died that day including Erik, Hans’s best friend.

In the midst of the Vietnam War remained culture, stories and devastation. This terrible time for the country created more than just power for the U.S.A but also generated some of the items that help individuals get through everyday life. The items would include things like MIA/POW bracelets, dog tags-- the common choice-- etc. These bracelets were made to resemble the honor of the ones missing soldiers. The symbol of hope that people wear shapes our culture, the small piece of metal shows that the loved ones of the missing veterans have strength.

Tim O’Brien is the narrator of “The Things They Carried” recalls his personal experience in the Vietnam War. Tim writes about Jimmy Cross who is the lieutenant goes into battle with several men in his charge. Lieutenant Cross doesn’t show that his is a born leader in the beginning of the story in fact Jimmy appears to be unsure of everything he does. Lieutenant Cross does show that he is brave when he led all his men through the war. Lieutenant Cross also shows that he is a leader and has integrity when he suffer the death of the men that lost their life’s so that the troops didn’t have to bear the brunt, or the guilt, and the confusion.