The Things They Carried: Blog Prompt #3

At war, it seems that most people become someone different. While in a war situation people leave behind who they are and create a new persona. I think this is done subconsciously to evade the truth that they are not a different person. People don't want to associate the horrors of war with themselves. When someone is at war they will become someone different. I think soldiers probably did know each other very well. they lived and died with each other and i can imagine they would have been very emotional about each other. these men were friends. An example of a emotional moment in the Things They Carried would be the death of Kiowa. The other men were very sad about his death and can't stop thinking about what they could have done to prevent his death.

Mary Anne Bell symbolizes the true behavior of women. Women aren't meant to serve men and tend to their every needs as was believed in earlier years. Women are independent and can have more curiosity and courage than men. O'Brien put this character in to his book in order to help break this belief. Bell shows the men what women are capable of.

In many ways this book is true but there are many things that O'Brien has added in to his story as well. O'Brien explained this in the beginning of his story. Characters such as Mary Anne Bell are not real but add to the story in a positive way. Some of the characters are real and some are fake. All of the decisions O'Brien made in his work are to improve the meaning behind the work. They give the book more meaning or they make the work more understandable.

The relationships and connections are not all real but they give a better view of how the war actually was. Some of the stories are faked to add more emphasis to certain themes such as the horrors of war. If O'Brien heard a story from someone that he found interesting he might decide to mix it into the rest of the story because it's worth talking about. Other parts may be taking out he said because they are too horrible. O'Brien's technique of story telling is symbolized when Lieutenant Jimmy Cross sends a letter to Kiowa's father. In this letter he only describes the good things about Kiowa and leaves out where he died, a sewage field.



QUESTIONS:
1. Is Jimmy Cross a good Lieutenant?
2. Who is the most important character in the novel or are the men and women equally important?
3. Why is the Things They Carried an important book to understand?
4. What is the most important theme in the things they carried?
5. Who is the most influential character in the Things They Carried?

"The Things They Carried" Response #2

The soldiers in Vietnam carried many things with them. Some of these things were heavier than others. the heaviest of these were fear and loneliness. One reason this burden is so heavy for them is because they have no one to talk about it with. They fear what other men will think of them even more than death. Jimmy cross burns his photos of Martha because he doesn't want to feel the weight of his loneliness. He wanted to block his thoughts of her out because it was too hard for him to just imagine being with her.

Jimmy Cross has as much fear as the other men. It is especially important to him that he not show this however because he is in command of the other men in his squad. He wants to set a good example for the other men. Cross blames himself for Ted Lavender's death. He doesn't feel that he was strict enough with the men and if he had been maybe Ted would still be with them. I believe Jimmy will die in the end because his love for Martha will distract him from his current situation. These men are not in a place for love they are in a place for fear.

The projects we have been working on over the last couple of weeks have all revolved around the Vietnam war. The writing and movie we have studied in class has shown the problems soldiers faced in this war and the corrupt politicians unbelievable insincerity.

"The Things They Carried" Response #1

War should be out last resort in times when our national security is actually at stake. The United States has fought in some wars that were worth fighting however many were not. George Bush used 9-11 to encourage Americans to support the war in Iraq. He called the war a "war on terror". What is a "war on terror" though? How could we actually win this war? The Bush Administration lied to America that there was weapons of mass destruction in the middle east and he in part wanted to go to war in order to avenge his father. Osama Bin Laden the man who organized the 9-11 attacks tried to kill Bush's father our former president when he was in office. We should not go to war for revenge. Revenge for bush, 9-11, or anything else. It's more important to protect ourselves than it is to search for invisible members of terrorist groups. I believe WWl and WWll were justified because Hitler needed to be stopped and the Allies needed our assistance to do so however we did not benefit much in the end from WWl. Vietnam is just like our war right now. We can't win and our government is involved for bad reasons. In Vietnam Americans were told we entered the war to stop the spread of communism ("containment"). The Pentagon Papers gave us new information however that revealed the dishonesty of our presidents during this time. One main reason that the Vietnam war is the longest we have ever fought is that our presidents didn't want to be the first to loose a war. Vietnam is the first and only war that we have officially lost. We should be spending more time and money on issues at home rather than abroad.

Today's Prompt

It's hard to say what is the best way for a school to educate. If i could have any school day my day would consist of classes that i enjoy and am interested in. It's unfortunate that we must take classes that we are not truly interested in but have credits or credentials that we need to graduate or that will help us get into a good college. On the other hand i feel like people need to get experience in a variety of fields to become a well rounded individual. The other argument for our current policy is that students can discover new things that interest them. For instance i never thought i would like classes like Biology or United States History but they were some of the favorite classes I've ever taken. I feel that our current policy works pretty well however i find it unfortunate that we have to take classes that we are not interested in instead of taking classes that we really want to take.

The Great Gatsby: What does it all mean?

"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And then one fine morning— So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." gatsby represents the American dream. We all want to become wealthy and successful but when this dream is achieved we will look back to the past for happiness. The most important concept that I observed in this novel was that wealth is not the key to happiness. The key to happiness is love and friendship. Gatsby thought that he would be able to relive the past but no one can do this. The green light is only a dream. We can't have everything.
If gatsby had gone to see daisy after returning from the war they may have been together but because Gatsby thought wealth was a priority he made a sacrifice that he would never be able to fix. Gatsby always wanted to be wealthy because he liked the look and he wanted to better his life but he made a mistake. he attempted to completely rid himself of his old name. this is a mistake and can never truly be achieved. i think we all wish we could change the past but if we did it might not be for the better. we need to accept out past and not worry about our pasts. look to the future and live in the moment.
the first time i realized this was in 6th grade. It has seemed like my whole life had been crushed and i would never recover when the skatepark i went to every day since i was seven years old shut down. It shut down after 5th grade and it took me almost a full year to get over it but when i did i realized that the skills i had learned on half pipes could be applied to street skateboarding. i still look back and i wish i could go back but i know that that's not possible and so i look forward. i learned in 6th grade that we must try new things and be flexable inorder to achieve our dreams. our dreams change and we must "go with the flow."
Look to the future and never forget the past. "The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God—a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that—and he must be about His Father’s business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end." Gatsby always looked to the past and he erased his earlier identity. Gatsby represents the stupidity of the American dream.

The Great Gatsby: Symbolism in Chapters 1-4

The Valley of Ashes displays several important concepts and symbols. The ash that is scattered across the ground is generated from New York. It symbolizes the deterioration of the morality of the society and the poor and unfortunate. Another symbol that i thought was significant in this area was the billboard of the eye doctor. The doctor looks down on Tom and Nick at all times as they are in the Valley. I think that the doctor might symbolize god looking down on the people of the 1920's. The doctor watches the morality of the ever growing city diminish. The white fence that they pass by on the way to the gas station symbolizes the edge of the purity of West Egg. As they pass by it they enter the Valley of Ashes.

The Great Gatsby: Characters in Chapter 1

I like this book and i enjoy Fitzgerald's writing style. I almost feel as if i am Nick when we read the book. I am enjoying the Great Gatsby much more than any of the other books we have read this year so far. I like the fact that this books is written in the first person. This gives me a sense of mystery because i only know what Nick knows. I can relate to Nick because i'm not wealthy like Tom is and i would be in the same situation he's in while at the party. The color that i saw most in this first chapter was white. It seems to represent purity and wealth. Another color is used once at the end of the chapter, green. I don't know what it means right now but i feel as though it will be important later in the book. At the end of the chapter Gatsby is staring at a green light across the water. Nick is watching him and almost calls out to him to meet him however he does not because Gatsby seems to be very content with watching the light alone.

In this chapter we meet four major characters in the book, Nick, Daisy, Tom and Jordan. Jordan seems to be a nice girl. Tom and Daisy both speak nicely of her. She seems to be some what like Nick in the sense that they both came from out of town. Nick asks “Is she from New York?” and Daisy responds “From Louisville. Our white girlhood was passed together there. Daisy Toms wife seems to be nice and charming but i have the impression that Nick does not like her that much. Nick thinks to himself, "I’ve heard it said that Daisy’s murmur was only to make people lean toward her; an irrelevant criticism that made it no less charming." So far i don't like Tom's character. He has shown to be immoral and even racist. Tom talks about the books he reads. He says they are acurate because their scientific and stuff, “Well, these books are all scientific,” insisted Tom, glancing at her impatiently. “This fellow has worked out the whole thing. It’s up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things.” I'm unsure if Nick has the same views as Tom. He may only be friends with him because they have known each other for a long time. I like Nick's character and i like how as he meets the other characters i am as well. "I decided to call to him. Miss Baker had mentioned him at dinner, and that would do for an introduction. But I didn’t call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone." I think Nick is excited to be in the city but he is unsure of what it will be like.