Rainy River Essays

The novel The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien uses many effective rhetorical strategies throughout. In the chapter On the Rainy River, Tim O’Brien tells the audience a story he has never told anybody. Not even his parents, siblings or wife. He narrates the events and emotions that he experienced after receiving a war draft notice during the summer of 1968. O’Brien is ashamed about how he dealt with the notice and he feels as though he is “too good” to go to war. He spends the summer working in

One Day, One letter, One number. In “On the Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien, Tim is forced to make a huge life changing choice. Tim has a good life as a small town Minnesota boy who has a full ride through Harvard and knows what he wants in life. But when Tim goes to the mailbox on June 17th 1968, there’s a letter waiting for him. A draft letter and his body goes numb. A draft letter is a document telling boys ages 16 to 28 that they are going to be tested to be a soldier. If they pass all the health

"On the Rainy River" by Tim O'Brien is from a collection of stories published in 1990 called "The Things They Carried." All of these stories are related to the war in Vietnam and can be read as a memoir because the events are all loosely based on O'Brien's experiences. Through O'Brien's story of the Vietnam War, many themes and messages related to moral disorder and personal conflict are explored. The themes of fear and embarrassment and how they can influence your decisions are highlighted. Also

where an individual is forced to make a decisive decision to protect one’s life from potential death. To what extent will the individual go to protect one’s life? Is there even a certainty that their life is in danger? In the short story, “On the Rainy River”, Tim O’Brien suggests that when an individual is forced to face the element of uncertainty within their futures, their imagining of such futures, driven by emotions to fight or flee, results in the creation of positive and negative futures. The

The desire for autonomy is prevalent among individuals when challenged, however, some may reassess their initial motivations, and reconsider pursuing complete independence. The short story “On the Rainy River” written by Tim O’Brien, explores his attempts at balancing the desire for independence, without sacrificing previous, deep connections. Tim aspires for society's norms to align with his ideas, in an effort to combat his fear of losing meaningful relationships from crushing his ambitions. And

In the short story, “On the Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien, the author develops the idea that when an individual experiences a feeling of shame and humiliation, they often tend to neglect their desires and convictions to impress society. Tim, the narrator, starts off by describing his feeling of embarrassment, “I’ve had to live with it, feeling the shame”, before even elaborating on the cause of the feeling. Near the end of the story, he admits he does not run off and escape to Canada because it had

is a powerful motivator for people in general, and when it is applied to war, the effects can be great. It can motivate people to go to war, and dictate what actions they take while they are there. O’Brien’s own personal experience in “On the Rainy River” shows how the fear of shame is a powerful motivator in

A man you have never met might be the man to save your life. In the story “ On the Rainy River”, a Young man named Tim was drafted into war, and his only escape was Canada. Along his trip he came across a cabin owned by Elroy. Elroy gave Tim food and shelter, and gave him a chance to make a life changing decision. Elroy knew what Tim was going through, because he had lived it before. Elroy gave Tim the necessities to stay so that he could stay and figure his life out. When Tim first arrives

been before.” - Albert Einstein. Many people would like to believe that if they were ever faced with the choice to do what is right, or follow the crowd, they would choose to walk alone. This is easier said than done, and the short story “On The Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien is a great example of how significant events can shape who a person is. Due to the significance of the draft notice, Tim O’Brien’s perspective on his future, his surroundings, and even himself was altered drastically. The bright

I knew that it would be easy for me to meet the requirements for the drawing poster project, and that was my goal. Furthermore, my project connects to the the novel because, in my poster board I showcase important scenes from the chapter On The Rainy River. It all starts on June 17, 1968. The main character Tim O'Brien is against the war. He attends political meetings here and there. Tim considers himself “Politically Naive”. He just won a scholarship to Harvard University where he plant to attend

confident incorrigible man. His morals later then became corrupted, he gave into the pressures, his self proclaimed Lone Ranger status had been infected and debunked by his end decision of serving in the Vietnam war. Thesis: In the story, On the Rainy River, the author, Tim O’Brien demonstrates that an individual allows societal pressures and expectations to override their core values, morals, and beliefs; peer pressure forces individuals to put their beliefs aside so they can fit in with everyone

the event of a crisis, a person’s response and perspective of it can define him or her. In the novel, The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, and the short story, “On the Rainy River”, written by Tim O’Brien, the characters experience crisis all around them. Hans Hubermann in The Book Thief and Tim O’Brien in “On the Rainy River” have a hard time staying true to themselves in moments of crisis. They are torn between decisions on a blurred spectrum between right and wrong, and struggle to fight for

Reader Response of “On the Rainy River” The short story “On the Rainy River” by Tim O 'Brien explains to the audience that all men are influenced to go into war, and that they should hide the fears and emotions that they may have along the journey. Throughout the short story the author explains his journey and opens up about his emotions when he was sent to war. Being the audience of this short story explains to you what every man must go through if they were to be sent to war. When the short story

point or theme he or she is trying to make. By putting a character in certain situations and creating an according reaction, a reader may be able to empathize or be persuaded to think a certain way. For example, in Tim O’Brien’s short story, “On a Rainy River,” the author tries to tell or teach readers that society may be responsible for many of the problems people face. In Tim’s case (the main character society forces him to make one of his toughest decisions, and within these decisions or conflicts

fall in war are given status and respect. While those who survive are made to relive events of the war, retelling the experience of war allows soldiers to add details to make them seem more courageous than they might truly be. The story of On the Rainy River by Tim O’Brian tells a story of his lack of courage. O'Brien used his intelligence to find reasons that he should not go to war, such as not being able to survive or being better and thinks that there is no purpose for the Vietnam war and that there

The chapter On the Rainy River is a depiction of what it is a like to get a draft notice. Tim O’Brien exemplifies the emotions a soldier goes through when they get a draft card. The feelings he wants the readers to feel is arguably the best depicted in this chapter. The story is believable, even when as a reader, we know it is not true, because the book is fiction. Tim O’Brien wants us to believe this story because he wants the reader to understand the emotion truth. This story may of not happened

no war. Everyone has the same moral desire to survive and live. This display of killing innocent Vietnamese civilians was shown in all four texts “Casualties of War”, “Apocalypse Now”, and in the short stories “The Things They Carried” and “On a Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien. The film “Casualties of War” directed by Brian De Palma shows multiple examples of corrupted human morality at war. During the film, we see the corrupted morals through the film characters of Sgt. Tony Meserve (Sarge), PFC Antonio

“On the Rainy River”, Tim O’Brien’s most prominent story, reveals “society’s contribution to shaping the character’s decision-making” (IPL). The story expresses emotions that drive from the war he was forced to take part in. The author of this story is Tim O’Brien, “attempting to relieve shame and guilt about his involvement in the war” (CliffNotes). “Post-colonial criticism plays an important role in the story, since it focuses on the relationship between colonizers and colonized people” (Dibekulu

In Tim O’Brien’s chapter of The Things They Carried, titled “On the Rainy River,” Tim changes his mind about serving in the Vietnam War. At the start of the chapter O’Brien strongly states that he has no wish, nor wants to serve, but by the end of the chapter Tim decides to go anyway. I disagree with Tim O’Brien’s choice to serve in the war, because it is a rash decision. He has no desire to fight in Vietnam; however he feels that he will bring shame and dishonor to his family and town if he does

From a post-colonial perspective, the effects and impacts of colonialism on cultures, society, and the human mind can be examined. The short story “On The Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien narrates the autographic thoughts and actions of the author after he is drafted into the war. O’Brien runs from his duties out of fear before stepping up and returning to fight for his country. After reading this short story, a post-colonial perspective can be taken through a more profound analysis when it becomes evident