Essay on Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried

The emotional weight that each man endured is also described, but in a more profound amount of mind compelling detail. In the description of what Ted Lavendar was carrying at the time of his death, the author describes the usual flack jacket and helmet, but also his “unweighed fear”. Truly, this unweighed fear is captured in the quote “They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried”. The meaning of this is that the men could hide their feelings in their equipment, but were actually at

In this sense, inexplicable fear of death can manifest itself in an excessive desire to obtain achievements to counteract this anguish and the person takes an anxious race against time, no enjoyment of one's own achievements. The deep religious beliefs, rituals and ceremonies helped familiar with death. Friends and neighbors accompanied the suffering and the dying and provided support and comfort in this difficult time of the end of life. “Numerous Researchers now for many people believe that, continuing bonds with the deceased is a regular part of healthy adaptation” (Klass & Walter,

With over two million Americans serving in the Vietnam war there's well over two million breath taking war stories. The Things They Carried is a quick, inexpensive, powerful read writen by Tim O'brian and published by Houghton Mufflin. I would reccommend this book to anyone with enough time to read a meer 233 pages for only $15.95 at Barnes and Nobel. If you're debating whether or not to read this book, and believe me you wouldn't regret it, continue reading to learn more about this rousing book.

In “The Things They Carried”, O’Brien introduces the “love story” between Martha and Cross before Cross got deployed in the war. This helps O’Brien to advance the plot of the story by introducing the first conflict right away, since Cross uses her as a distraction from the surroundings of the war. In the first paragraph, Cross is slower and a bit distracted, wondering if Martha is a virgin (O’Brien 108). As Cross loses himself to the thoughts of Martha, it causes him to become a weak leader and eventually causes his internal conflicts to become external. As Lavender gets killed, Cross begins to feel guilty and ashamed, realizing then that the lines Martha signed with love did not actually mean the love that he believes (O’Brien 118). The story begins non-chronologically, as it constantly switches from the past to the present without any warning. Specifically, Cross has flashbacks to Martha that then switches back to the present with his fellow comrades in the Vietnam War. These flashbacks represent Cross’s distraction over Martha throughout the story, which helps the reader see Cross as a terrible

The intent of this paper is to write about a class experience of the shadow of death, and reflect upon the readings, discussions and personal stories that have emotionally impressed me. Terms such as euthanasia, suicide and death rituals were discussed during the lectures in class leaving me with a sense of loss. The many beliefs and world vies, that may differ from the American culture, were considered, which I found to be enlightening. The examination of various concepts such as practicality, wisdom and humor were presented and illustrated in “Understanding dying, death, & bereavement” written by Leming and Dickinson (2011).

“The Things They Carried” was a story about soldiers caught in the confusion of the Vietnam War. There are a lot of apparent themes that are dealt with when writing a story about war, especially about death. I enjoyed reading this story; however there were some things about it that I was concerned about. I would like to discuss the author’s style of writing, his meaning of the title “The Things They Carried” and the way the author and his characters deal with death. This story was written with a variety of styles, and it was in a non-traditional format. The main style seems to be a third person, limited omniscient story. However, this story also includes elements of flashback. In a traditional

Death can either bring people closer together or push them farther away. It is a turning point for everyone close to them. Death brings out how people feel and what the person did to help or didn't do to help. As shown in Antigone and in The tragedy of Julius Caesar, death is delicate subject that can affect everything that happens in the future.

Death has interested humans since the origins of humanity. It has spawned copious different coping mechanisms to help us come to terms with our own mortality. Anthropologists claim this contributed to the creation of religion and by extension, the use of specific, strict burial rituals across different cultures around the world. These rituals are comforting in the face of the darkest philosophical questions ever posed. On a more individual scale, coping mechanisms vary drastically between people. Edgar Allan Poe is known for the questionable coping mechanisms he used throughout his life. He suffered many tragedies and expressed his pain through alcohol abuse, gambling, and most importantly, his disturbing writings. Poe is particularly known

People respond to death in many different ways depending on personality, gender, circumstances of the loss, and support from others (Grief and Loss). Some people may have a prolonged and intense reaction towards death while other people may heal a lot quicker (Wortman and Boerner). It is normal to experience different emotions after a death such as, anger, resentment, guilt, fear, or loneliness (Brand, Fox, and Bosch). Even the main character in “100 Faces of Death” felt numb after the third or

When the fear of death becomes intense to a certain point, this is referred to as death anxiety. There are a number of reasons as to why some people suffer from death anxiety more or less than others. Since this paper focused on the aspect of the elderly dealing with death, those were the points that were discussed. Older adults suffer from death anxiety less often than younger adults because of reasons such as religion, and gender. As adults get older, there is a negative correlation with fear of death. This may be because of increased exposure to death and the aspects related to it. Interestingly, there may be other personal uncontrollable factors that perpetuate death anxiety, or at least make it stronger or weaker. Some of these uncontrollable factors include gender, and psychological disorders. Some psychological disorders may have roots in the intense fear of death, which then causes individuals to feel hopeless (like in the case of depression), or makes them feel the need to control every aspect of their life (in the case of obsessive compulsive disorder). My interviewee expressed the notion that religious individuals have an easier time coping with the concept of death because of the comfort of knowing what ultimately happens after death. There are many factors that can shape what an individual feels about death, and this paper explored a few of

A violent and untimely death provokes many reactions in the bereaved; a drastic solution to

Death is the end of life and is a topic that is always hard to discuss and understand. With the times evolving the topic at hand is not as difficult to approach, think, and or talk about. According to John Meyer, “This fascination with death in the contemporary world is probably a healthy sign showing people's maturity in not being afraid to face the fact and certainty of death” (104). Universities have participated in the topic as well to put that subject in the back of each young student’s minds, and letting them be able to face or understand death. The speech that I attended on practical matters with the death and dying process ties with the subjects of Eschatology, Human Suffering, and Moral and Ethics Chapters.

There are many times where a person is experiencing a really good day, but perfection somehow turns into an active verb of whats now imperfect, instantly changing their whole day in just seconds prior to the news of death. Whether the news of death being about a family member, or being the death of a friends’ family member, the news of the occurrence has a powerful effect. Across the world, there are about 151,600 deaths each day. If you were to take each one of those deceased individuals and assume that at least five family members are mentally affected by the news, it shows that there are a minimum of 758,000 people a day whose lives are changed, and whose emotions are tampered with to an extent of the news of just one simple word, death. I was given the opportunity to interview Brian Jones. He is apart of the pre-dental club at Xavier University. He lost his grandpa to a known disease called pancreatic cancer. Statistics shows that there are about 40,560 patients that die from this disease each year alone. On December 8, 2008, Brian and his family were of the individuals affected by death in a day. The sudden lost of his grandpa came with an emotional cost.

Attitudes towards death changed rapidly in the twentieth century as a result of the tremendous

There are many different ways in which the dead affect the living, but perhaps the best examples can be seen through literature. James Joyce was an Irish novelist, and no doubt one of the most influential writers of the early 20th century. Joyce explores the intersection of life and death in, The Dubliners, a collection of short stories. He begins with the story, “The Sisters,” and ends the collection with, “The Dead.” In both of these stories, Joyce uses the stream-of-consciousness to show the reader observations of big events through small details in the everyday lives of the main characters. Joyce explores themes such as paralysis, to ultimately show how death impacts the main character of each story and