Distortion In The Things They Carried

O’Brien says how “a true war story, if truly told, makes the stomach believe” (74). Consequently, the stories shared are often exaggerated, but are still legitimate because they aim to relay the feelings the person has about the topic and emphasize the points that are most significant to them. This further increases the understanding of the audience and aids them in understanding the magnitude of the situation for the speaker. O’Brien displays this when describing his decision on going to war. He says, “At some point we must’ve passed into Canadian waters, across the dotted line between two different worlds” (53). Although we don’t know whether O’Brien actually went on this trip, there is no doubt that he was conflicted over going to war. This scene helps visualize this internal strife and gives an insight into his perspective, making it the truth. Thus, something can be true if the sentiment and relevance that corresponds with it is in accord with the message the author wishes to

Alice Munro is a Canadian short story writer and Nobel Prize Winner. In her article “What is Real”, Alice Munro discusses the difficulty many of her readers seem to have in telling fact from fiction as she writes about her own fictional works. Her readers, she recounts, often ask her if she writes about real people, or real events, apparently unable to comprehend “the difference between autobiography and fiction” (Munro). However, by the end of her article on the subject, “What Is Real?” Munro admits that the imagination is one she herself often blurs. “Yes,” she writes, “I use bits of what is real, in the sense of being really there and really happening, in the world, as most people see it, and I transform it into something […] in my story” (Munro). In other words, Munro sees her work as a kind of fiction because she uses both reality and fact. This makes her work honest but yet not real at the

Throughout The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien it is difficult to separate what is fictitious, and what is true. During the entire work there are two different “truths”, which are “story truth” and “happening truth”. “Happening truth” is the actual events that happen, and is the foundation or time line on which the story is built on. “Story truth” is the molding or re-shaping of the “happening truth” that allows the story to be believable and enjoyable. It is not easy to distinguish “happening truth” from “story truth”, and at times during the novel O’brien reveals which is which. On the other hand, when the reader is blind to

We present pasted together parts of our lives to the public, parts of our lives that make us look like winners, likable people. Again, Whitehead helps readers visualize this process through posing questions.“‘Should I wear glasses in my profile pic?’... ‘Do you think it’s working?’ ‘Did you get away with it today?’... ‘Why do you think they call it Survivor?’” (Whitehead 415). The rhetorical questions, again, help his audience to picture themselves going through the same process as the producers, making an obvious winner out of themselves. Whitehead also alludes to a popular reality show, Survivor, in which loser and winner edits are present every episode. This allusion helps readers to compare the processes they go through daily to those of the producers. They string together parts of their lives just as parts of contestants’ lives are strung together to form clear story arcs. Through the use of rhetorical questions, Whitehead clearly engages his audience and has them reflect on their own tendency to “edit” events in their lives.

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is a book not easily forgotten. A fictionalized version of O’Brien’s own experiences with the Vietnam War, it details the courage, carnage and camaraderie found on the front lines. Things is a gritty, intense read. On the opposite side of the spectrum lies Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott. Bird is a slightly snarky, entertaining book of writing techniques and tips. At first glance, Things and Bird have little to nothing in common. In reality, though, Lamott’s writing advice can be seen at work in The Things They Carried. In fact, part of Things’ unforgettable realism is achieved through the use of Lamott’s writing tips, especially those concerning honesty and truth.

“Fiction is the lie that helps us understand the truth.” This quote by Minnesota author and veteran, Tim O 'Brien, displays his passion for writing stories that make truth come to life. Tim O’Brien is a remarkable man who has positively affected the world through his literary works regarding the Vietnam War. His personal life and authorship through his military experience, have led to making him one of the most influential war authors to date.

In Tim O’Brien’s novel, “The Things They Carried,” imagination is seen to be both beneficial and harmful. This novel consists of a story truth and a real truth. Tim O’Brien writes the book about the Vietnam War based primarily on his memory of the war. He does not remember every detail of the war, thus he makes up some false details to make the story seem more interesting. He does not only describe his own experiences, but also describe the experiences of other characters. He wants the readers to be able to feel and understand how he felt during the events of the story; he wants to provoke an emotional truth. O’Brien tries to prove that imagination is not completely a bad thing and that it is also a good thing. O’Brien starts to create stories about what could have happened in addition to the real war stories about himself and other characters’. With the power of imagination, O’Brien is able to talk about something that did not actually happen in his past. Imagination helps him escape reality and create a whole new life. Therefore, O’Brien uses imagination to do things that cannot be done in real life, to feel relieved, to confuse the readers on what is real and what is not, and to give the readers false belief.

Firstly, the anecdotal format exhibited in “The Things They Carried” is similar to that presented in “Spin”. The usage of this literary device in both chapters enables O’Brien to grab the attention of the reader and retain it for the duration of the story. In the first one, the narrator uses brief, interesting vignettes to

There are many levels of truth in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. This novel deals with story-telling as an act of communication and therapy, rather than a mere recital of fact. In the telling of war stories, and instruction in their telling, O'Brien shows that truth is unimportant in communicating human emotion through stories.

The world is a massive place full of endless literature, beginning from ancient scrolls to daily news articles, filled with many secrets, perspectives and surroundings that help connect literature to an individual’s daily life. Some writers use the skills of literary elements to express and discuss an event that has happened to them or what has happened to others. This helps others to comprehend the perspectives of the author’s understanding toward an incident that one might experience. For instance in Flannery O’Connor’s short story, she uses many literary elements to express her views over most of her stories. O’Connor expresses her views in her short story, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by using the literary elements of point of view, irony, and setting.

In many respects, Tim O 'Brien 's The Things They Carried concerns the relationship between fiction and the narrator. In this novel, O 'Brien himself is the main character--he is a Vietnam veteran recounting his experiences during the war, as well as a writer who is examining the mechanics behind writing stories. These two aspects of the novel are juxtaposed to produce a work of literature that comments not only

Most stories are not just stories written to entertain the reader. Intentional or not, writers are often commentating on the world around them. Social commentary is interwoven in the fabric of novels, and it is often up to the reader to determine what they take away from any given work. Although written for entertainment’s sake, stories usually include the social or political views of the author and serve as a platform for their views to be made known.

This clever story is crafted down to the smallest detail - every word and expression implies something, often has a second meaning and so manipulates the reader's opinion. The factor that makes this story even more

A narrative is constructed to elicit a particular response from its audience. In the form of a written story, authors use specific narrative strategies to position the ‘ideal reader’ to attain the intended understanding of the meanings in the text. Oliver Sacks’ short story The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is an unusual short story because it does not display conventional plot development; the story does not contain conflict or resolution of conflict. The genre of the story is also difficult to define because it reads as an autobiographical account of an experience Sacks had with a patient while working as a neurologist. Although it is arguable that the narrative is a work of non-fiction, it is nevertheless a representation, distinct

They way stories are told may morph, but never will storytelling cease. From their people skills to their memories, there is no argument that storytellers possess boundless talent and intelligence. They were the first educators. And now, storytelling is a large part of everyday life. The news in the morning, the gossip throughout the day, the casual response to the casual “What’s up?” – It’s all a form of storytelling. Our lives are steeped in it. In almost every conversation a story is told. At every turn a story is born. So we all are storytellers, and the world is our audience, just waiting to hear the gospel leave our