Symbolism in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried Essays

Written by author Tim O’Brien after his own experience in Vietnam, â€Å"The Things They Carried† is a short story that introduces the reader to the experiences of soldiers away at war. O’Brien uses potent metaphors with a third person narrator to shape each character. In doing so, the reader is able to sympathize with the internal and external struggles the men endure. These symbolic comparisons often give even the smallest details great literary weight, due to their dual meanings. The symbolism in â€Å"The Things They Carried† guides the reader through the complex development of characters by establishing their humanity during the inhumane circumstance of war, articulating what the men need for emotional and spiritual survival, and by revealing†¦show more content†¦By mentioning common and familiar items such as gum, candy, and Kool-Aid, the characters become more than soldiers carrying ammo. It is easier for the reader to relate to the everyda y accessible items. Despite being war heroes, as people often assume soldiers are, such symbols allow them appear as unique individuals with evolving personalities. O’Brien continues his allegorical index of items in the soldier’s inventory, which establishes the emotional and spiritual needs each soldier has for survival. Rat Kiley, the unit’s medic carried comic books and MM’s which O’Brien describes as things necessary for a medic to carry. The passage that reads â€Å"Rat Kiley carried a canvas satchel filled with morphine and plasma and malaria tablets and surgical tape and comic books and all the things a medic must carry, including MMs for especially bad wounds† (OBrien 339-340), is a perfect example of such symbolism. The reader knows that comic books and chocolate candies have little to no medicinal value, but because they are carried with Kiley’s medical supplies required for survival, they are of import to Kiley’s emotional survival. Having no practical physical application, he uses the items as an emotional distraction or a coping mechanism. Beyond the emotional needs of the men , the reader is met with Kiowa’s spiritual need. Introduced early on in the text, O’Brien writesShow MoreRelatedHeroism In Tim OBriens The Things They Carried1684 Words   |  7 Pagesreality that is war. A more realistic rendition of war is seen in Tim O’Brien’s short story, The Things They Carried. Throughout the story, O’Brien uses metafictional characters to portray the physical and emotional burdens carried by American soldiers who were forced to conform to societal expectations upon being drafted for the Vietnam War. The literary elements O’Brien uses throughout the story to convey this theme are symbolism, imagery, tone, and inner conflict of the protagonist. The VietnamRead MoreEssay about Literary Techniques in The Things They Carried1276 Words   |  6 PagesIn The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien uses many such techniques to provide more depth to his book. Four literary techniques used by Tim O’Brien are symbolism, pathetic fallacy, irony, and juxtaposition. One literary technique prominent in The Things They Carried, particularly in the story by the same name, is symbolism. Throughout this story, O’Brien mentions all the things that the soldiers carry with them, both physical and emotional. However, the physical items that the men carried is moreRead MoreThe Things They Carreid by Tim OBrien Essay2102 Words   |  9 Pagesto take up the task and make an historic account of one of them most grueling wars ever fought. Tim O’Brien is a Vietnam veteran who wrote the novel The Things They Carried. There is a fine line to be walked when writing the accounts of the war in a way that not only informs but also entertains; however, Tim O’Brien walks it successfully. In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, his use of symbolism and Metafiction helps portray the events that befall the soldiers fighting in Vietnam. The novelRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1342 Words   |  6 PagesThe Things The y Carried, published in 1990, is an American Novel written by Tim O’Brien. The story holds true to the Vietnam War. The different stories within the novel are never assumed to be equal, not because some are better than others, but because they hold disparate goals. These goals include everything from imparting life lessons to educating readers about their nation’s history. The Things They Carried is especially distinctive; it is overall a straightforward tragedy, with the main flawRead MoreSymbolism in Tim O Briens quot;The Things They Carriedquot;605 Words   |  3 PagesSymbolism In The Things They Carried In Tim OBriens story The Things They Carried we see how OBrien uses symbolism in order to indirectly give us a message and help us to connect to what the soldiers are thinking and feeling. During a war soldiers tend to take with them items from home kind of as a security blanket. The items they normally take with them tend to reveal certain characteristics of their personality. Henry Dobbins is the guy who loves to eat so he made sure he took someRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien862 Words   |  4 PagesIn the repeated use of ideas of weight throughout his short story â€Å"The Things They Carried†, Tim O’Brien highlights its pivotal symbolism: the intense burden of fear, especially of their own mortality, experienced by the soldiers, and thus weight’s role as the most important word in the text. O’Brien accomplishes this effect through recurring references to weight in relation to Ted Lavender’s death, and his frequent use of weight and weightlessness metaphors in the dreams of Lieutenant Jimmy CrossRead MoreSymbolism In Tim OBriens The Things They Carried1969 Words   |  8 Pagesfeeling. In Tim O’Brien’s short story â€Å"The Things They Carried† (pg. 433), the story follows Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his command during the Vietnam War. Lieutenant Cross constantly spends most of his time fantasizing about a girl named Martha, who he has an unrequited crush on. However after witnessing the death of one of his soldiers, while he was preoccupied thinking about Martha, Cross feels guilty and realizes that he needs to focus on leading his command. I believe that O’Brien’s â€Å"TheRead MoreEssay about The Things they Carried Symbolism772 Words   |  4 Pages The Things They Carried: Essay Prompt Two Tim O’Brien writes about both the physical objects they carry as well as their emotional burdens. The objects that these soldiers carry serve as a symbolism for what they are carrying in their hearts and minds. The soldiers carry items varying from pantyhose, medicine, tanning oil, and pictures. Jimmy Cross is an inexperienced sophomore in college, he signs up for the Reserve Officers Training Camp because his friends are doing the course. Jimmy Cross doesn’tRead More The Burdens of Lt. Jimmy Cross in Tim OBriens Story The Things They Carried1615 Words   |  7 PagesThe Burdens of Lt. Jimmy Cross in Tim OBriens Story The Things They Carried One of the most overlooked aspects in the life of a soldier is the weight of the things they carry. In Tim OBriens story, The Things They Carried, OBrien details the plight of Vietnam soldiers along with how they shoulder the numerous burdens placed upon them. Literally, the heavy supplies weigh down each soldier -- but the physical load imposed on each soldier symbolizes the psychological baggageRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Things They Carried 1409 Words   |  6 PagesDenali Dickson Butler July 22, 2014 Long Form I. The Author and His Times: 1. Birth- October 1, 1946 to present 2. The Things They Carried was published January 1, 1990. This novel discusses stories from the Vietnam War, written many years afterwards. The book shares stories from several different people during the war and shares the truth as they remember it. 3. The factor that influenced the author in his decision to publish this novel was his desire to share his stories with the world. Stories

The Twenty- First Century Has Brought A Rise Of Medical

The twenty- first century has brought a rise of medical technologies and has become known as the DNA age. Every person has a series of Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA, that caries the directions of that person’s everyday life and functions, all bundled up into a double stranded molecular structure. Because of these advances in technologies we have been able to manipulate, transform and create different organisms for the purpose of producing anything. This is also known as genetic engineering or biotechnology. This is when one is able to purposely manipulate any set of genetic codes to engineer or create new organisms by altering them to our exact specifications. With this comes the ethics behind whether altering genetic codes†¦show more content†¦Many disregard the opposed based on the fact that genetic engineering is seen as a sophisticated form, given that they are presented with manageable risks and great benefits that should be further explored. There are three mor al implications that need to be addressed with the growth of biotechnology. The ethical concerns, which are both secular and religious, the benefits versus harmful consequences and the justices of these enhancements. Well first touch on the secular and religious concerns of genetic engineering. Religious parties object to genetic engineering because they see life as being sacred and shouldn’t being altered by human hands, and is seen as playing with God. It violates the dignity of human kind and other forms of life that are having their DNA altered. These objections are based off of the existence of the power of one to defy and the secular objection is assuming that having a life in its natural state, not being altered is inviolable. This claim is sometimes disagreed by others due to the fact of evolutionary processes. By altering a life, their sacredness is being altered, which violates ones creator. Also genetic disorders that are uncontrollable and inflict self-mutilation such as Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, present altering of one’s self without being modified. It is sometime rebutted that what if one believes there is no creator and that simply things are just there. ThatShow MoreRelatedHow Did The World Changed Throughout The First Millennium Century?1687 Words   |  7 PagesHarsha died Xuanzang returned and the kingdom fell apart and divided for centuries. The world changed in many ways because kingdoms and empires rose and fell. In this lesson, you will read about how they expand and developed. Early in the first millennium C.E., a series of crises shook the classical civilization on China, Rome, and India. They had dominated their separate worlds and produced great cultural achievements. The first to fail was the Han Empire. It was a time of peace and increased prosperityRead MoreEssay about The Major Public Health Concern of Tobacco1390 Words   |  6 Pagesis up to the person to choose whether to use tobacco products or not, however most of these people believe tobacco companies should warn their customers of their products harmful affects. History Tobacco has been used since before our nation was colonized. During the seventeenth century, many British settlers earned their living in America from tobacco. King James attempted to decrease the profit made by tobacco growers by imposing heavy tariffs on their tobacco crops. Tobacco use was very wellRead More Vaccination: A Necessary Precaution Essay1525 Words   |  7 PagesThe issue regarding vaccinations and their accompanying side effects has been a prevalent debate throughout society and medicine for a number of years. Some continue to believe that vaccinations are harmful and actually promote disease, but the truth is that the concept of immunization is one of the most significant advances in scientific history that has led to the prevention of countless diseases and epidemics throughout the world. Still, despite the overall improvement of public health, theRead MoreEmployee Benefits1773 Words   |  7 Pagesmajor part to its employees. Within the todays job environment employee benefits tend to be just as important as the salary therefore any organization that wishes to attract experienced as well as talented employees, a complete compensation package has to be in place. This is in line with the fact that as time changes, so is the insurance needs of the employees. The traditionally offered health insurance for employees that was in existence 3years ago may not meet the needs of employees anymore inRead MoreObesity Epidemic and Nations Health1684 Words   |  7 Pagesthis unhealthy eating and the obesity epidemic that has hit the United States is a result of that. In addition, children that eat too many calories pick up excess weight because of the lack of energy being burned through physical activity (Bales, Coleman, Wallinga 1). The problems with our health care has brought to the table many debates on what we do with it and how do we move forward for the future, and socioeconomic status and childhood obesity has been a part of that debate. In society today ourRead MoreAnalysis Of Rio De Janeiro s Most Infamous Favela1590 Words   |  7 PagesBrazilian favelas has in a way improved and also worsened. As Brazil is set to hold the Summer Olympic Games this year in 2016, the government has been intervening with the history of Rio’s violent crime rates; it was something the government had never done before, considering the severe corruption and risks of diseases in the favelas. Due to this intervention, many residents have been either kicked out or killed by police in the favelas. The political interference since 2008 has steadily decreasedRead MorePersuasive Essay on Overpopulation910 Words   |  4 Pagesever wondered how it is possible for that many people to live all on the same planet. I have had those thoughts several times and believe that overpopulation is one of the biggest problems in the world today. Overpopulation has become a major crisis in the twenty-first century and its detrimental affect on our living standards, environment, and much needed resources. The problem is not the number of people in this world, but the way people choose to live. The dilemmas created by overpopulation affectRead MoreObesity Is A Disease?1410 Words   |  6 PagesTo begin with, obesity was first brought to attention around the early 17th century. It was not until the late 1800’s when scientists have began using a measurement system called the Body Mass Index (B.M.I). With this tool a person’s body weight and height are calculated according to a chart. The chart has designated sections indicating: underweight, overweight, and obese (The History of Obesity). However, it was not until the twenty-first century that American Medical Association officially recognizedRead MoreNon Genetically Modified Food Demand1632 Words   |  7 Pagesproduced through genetic engineering. The processes involved in genetically modifying agricultural products involve the introduction of the genetic mate rials of a foreign organism into the genetic code of the organism that is to be altered. This process has been a cause for concern because of the lack of scientific data on the long-term safety of these processes. To understand what contributes to the supply and demand of GMOs, it is important to understand the relationship between the scientific and businessRead More The Biomedical Model of Health Essay1763 Words   |  8 PagesThe bio-medical model of ill health has been at the forefront of western medicine since the end of the eighteenth century and grew stronger with the progress in modern science. This model underpinned the medical training of doctors. Traditionally medicine had relied on folk remedies passed down from generations and ill health was surrounded in superstition and religious lore with sin and evil spirits as the culprit and root of ill health. The emergence of scientific thinking questioned the traditional

Why Go to College Free Essays

Why did you choose to come to college? Education is the most important part of one’s life. Not everyone goes to college right after high school. College is not intended for everyone. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Go to College or any similar topic only for you Order Now For example, some people decide to work right after high school. College is expensive and some may even say it is hard. However, college is not a bad thing it has some good qualities. For instance, it can be a time where students can venture out and meet new people. Like others, I, too have some reason why I choose to go to college. Such as, to better myself, higher paying jobs and get away from home. First, after high school may people do not consider going to college for whatever reasons one might have. Not going to college was not an option for me. However, my parents never went to college, and watching my mom struggle to make ends meet I just knew that I did not want that to be me. Therefore, I do not want to live my life, paycheck to paycheck, and worrying about weather or not I am going to have enough money to pay to keep a roof over my head. The reason for going to college is that I wanted to have a better life. Not everyone can go to college to better themselves, but I am lucky, and truly blessed that I am getting a opportunity to better myself. In fact, college is extremely important to me. I am the first one in my immediate family to go to college so it is a big deal to everyone that I not just go but to also graduate. Next, going to college not only helps me better my life but gives me more job opportunity. More and more jobs require more than a high school education. A person with a bachelor’s degree will earn, on average, almost twice as much as workers with a high school diploma. Master’s degree earn $31,900 more per year than a high school graduate. Furthermore, people who go to a two year college earns $250,000 more than someone who does not. More importantly, a college education can help you discover new areas of knowledge, consider life long goals and make wiser decisions. Getting a college education is an investment that is going to be with me for life. How to cite Why Go to College, Papers

Introduction to Macro/Microeconomics Barcelona

Questions: 1. Explain the distinction between macro and microeconomics? 2. Using a diagram, explain why an economys income must be equal to its expenditure? 3. Should policy-makers care about GDP? Explain your answer.? Answer: Introduction Economics is the social science of choice. It deals with how people choose the scarce resources efficiently in order to produce various commodities and also how the central authority of a country produce and distribute different good and service to the people such that their utility will be maximized. This subject is concerned with the money, interest rate, capital and scarce resources. Now, the three main questions that arise frequently will be discussed below. These three main questions are -1) the key difference between the micro and the macroeconomic theory, 2) why the income of a country should be equal to the expenditure of the country and 3) Why do the policy makers give importance to the GDP of a country (Sheffield, 2015). The Key Diffrence Between Macro Economics And Micrpeconomics Economic theory can be classified into two parts- 1) Microeconomic Theory and 2) Macroeconomic Theory. Micro and Macro-these two terms were first used by Ragnar Frisch. The term micro means small. The other term macro means large. Macroeconomics deals with the analysis of individual economics units such as consumers, firms and small aggregates or groups of individual units such as industries and markets. However, macroeconomics deals with the analysis of the economy as a whole and its large aggregate such as total national output, national income, total consumption, aggregate investment, etc. The microeconomic theory makes a microscopic study of the economics. This theory tries to determine the mechanism through which different economic units attain equilibrium. This theory does not consider the totality of behavior of all units in the economy. It takes into account the total resources of the economy as given and tries to analyze how these resources are allocated efficiently among di fferent economic units such that their utility will be maximized. On the other hand, macroeconomics is concerned with the behavior of the economy as a whole. This theory deals with the total amount of goods and services of an economy, the growth of the output, inflation rate, unemployment rate, the balance of payment, exchange rate, etc. The main focus of this macroeconomic theory is on the economic behavior and the policies that can affect total consumption, investment, monetary stock in an economy, the budget, amount of debt, etc. In brief, this theory deals with the major economic issues arises in an economy(Bishop, 2013). Why The Income Must Be Equal To The Expenditure In an economy, total income must be equal to the total expenditure so that the economy will be in the equilibrium. Every economic transaction has a buyer on one side and a seller on the other side. Therefore, each expenditure by the buyer will be the each income of the seller. Thus, it can be said after considering the total economy as a whole the total income of an economy will be equal to the total expenditure of the same economy. The total expenditure of an economy can be measured using the GDP of that economy. It is the total expenditure done by the economy on its currently produced goods and services. On the other hand, the total income of an economy in a given period is the total earnings of the economy from the current production of goods and services. Any imbalance in the income and expenditure will take the economy in a disequilibrium position from where the economy always tries to return its equilibrium point. The amount of inventories plays a significant role in this adjus tment process. The firms in an economy experience unplanned changes in the inventories. This induces the firms to change their production level immediately. This change in the production level in turn influences the total income and total expenditure of the economy. As a result of this, the economy move towards the equilibrium point. This adjustment process has been shown in the following figure. In the below figure, initially the economy is operating at point A. The 45-degree line in the below diagram shows all the point where income equals expenditure. Let us assume that for some reasons, the GDP is greater than the income. This has been shown by the income level Y1. In this situation, the firms are selling less than they are producing. The unsold goods are then added to the inventory stock. This unplanned increase in inventory induces the firms to reduce their production. The process of this inventory accumulation and the continuous fall in income continues until the economy reaches its equilibrium position(Sheffield, 2015). Again let us assume that the GDP is lower than the total income. This is indicated in the following figure by the income level Y2. In this situation, the firms have to meet the demand for goods and services by drawing down their total stock of inventories. But when the firms see their stock of inventory is decreasing continuously, they have to increase their production level. As a result, the economy again approaches to the equilibrium point (Bishop, 2012). Therefore from the above analysis it can be concluded that any imbalance in the income and expenditure induces the economy to move from the disequilibrium position to the equilibrium position. Therefore, to keep the economy in a stable position the income of the economy must be equal to the expenditure of the economy. The Importance Of Gdp To Policymakers Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the value of all final goods and services produced in the country within a given period. This includes the value of goods such as house and electronic goods, and the value of services, such as train, airplane rides, the lecture by the teacher, etc. The value of each and every good and service is calculated at the current market price. This is a very esoteric concept from the common mans view but the very useful concept at the time of policy making by the economists.GDP is the well-being indicator of the residents of a country. This measure can be used easily to understand the current state of an economy as well as how the economy is changing over time. This measure is also useful to compare the economic conditions between different countries. Now different uses of GDP estimate will be discussed below to understand why policymakers give so much importance both on the value of GDP and also the GDP growth rate (Klein, Bauman and Ramos, 2013). 1) GDP is calculated by adding together total consumers expenditure, investment expenditure, government expenditure and the amount of net export (GDP=C+I+G+NX). These four components describe the present inclusive scenario of an economy. Hence, this GDP can give insight into the current trend of the economy. This also helps the policymaker to understand the relative position of the country compared to another country in the world economy. The policymaker then adopts various fiscal and monetary policies to reach the targeted GDP growth rate and narrow the gap between two countries (Krugman, Wells and Baechler, 2013). 2) GDP is also a useful indicator used by the policymaker of a country for the internal development to make various economic planning and formulate effective policy. Government of a country often shows interest in the study of demographic change, overall health condition of the population, supply of skillful labor, overall literacy state of the country along with the countrys GDP. This helps them to allocate scarce resources efficiently such that the sectors having an urgent need for money will get the capital first. This efficient allocation is very useful especially for the rapid economic development of both developing countries and less developed countries (Library.ulster.ac.uk, 2015). 3) GDP growth rate is also important for the policymakers of the central monetary authority of a country. This rate helps the policy makers to set appropriate interest rate and other tools they used to control the money liquidity in the economy. It is known that interest rate is negatively linked with the money supply in an economy. A decrease in the interest rate leads to the increase of investment by investors and also the consumption spending by the consumers. As a result, the money supply in the economy increases so much. This increment in the money supply also influences on the overall price level of the economy and leads to the rise in inflation rate. A high inflation rate can hamper the economic growth of a country in the long run. Very high or too low inflation rate both can impede the growth rate. Therefore, the level of inflation rate should be at the moderate level. To keep the inflation rate at a desired level for sustainable development the policy maker has to implement effective monetary policy and for that it needs to observe first the countrys GDP (Library.ulster.ac.uk, 2015). Conclusion At the end, from the above analysis it can be said that although both micro and macro economics deal with the efficient allocation, there is a little difference between them. Microeconomics does the analysis on the individual economic unit whereas macroeconomics takes the whole economy as its analysis subject. It is also discussed in this essay that the income and expenditure of an economy must be equal to keep the economy in a stable condition as the volatile economic condition is not helpful to sustain economic development. The third analysis shows why policymakers pay much attention to the GDP growth rate of the economy at the time of policy formulation. References Bishop, S. (2012). AP macroeconomics/microeconomics 2013-2014. New York: Kaplan Pub. Bishop, S. (2013). AP macroeconomics/microeconomics 2014. New York, NY: Kaplan Pub. Klein, G., Bauman, Y. and Ramos, F. (2013). Introduccio n a la macroeconomi a en vinetas. [Barcelona]: Debate. Krugman, P., Wells, R. and Baechler, L. (2013). Microe conomie. Bruxelles: De Boeck. Library.ulster.ac.uk, (2015). University of Ulster Library - Electronic Resources. [online] Available at: https://library.ulster.ac.uk/electronic/eresources.php [Accessed 25 Jul. 2015]. Library.ulster.ac.uk, (2015). University of Ulster Library - Library Databases - ABI Global Package. [online] Available at: https://library.ulster.ac.uk/electronic/check/eiscard.php?eisno=1 [Accessed 25 Jul. 2015]. Sheffield, U. (2015). FAME - Databases - The University Library - The University of Sheffield. [online] Sheffield.ac.uk. Available at: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/library/cdfiles/fame [Accessed 25 Jul. 2015]. Sheffield, U. (2015). Nexis - Databases - The University Library - The University of Sheffield. [online] Sheffield.ac.uk. Available at: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/library/cdfiles/nexis [Accessed 25 Jul. 2015].