What item do most men carry the things they carried?
The narrator, Tim O’Brien, describes the things all the men of the company carry. They are things in the most physical sense—mosquito repellent and marijuana, pocket knives and chewing gum. The things they carry depend on several factors, including the men’s priorities and their constitutions.
What did Tim O’Brien carry in the things they carried?
Tim O’Brien: I carried all the standard military stuff: grenades, ammo, an M16, sometimes an M60. Letters from mom, dad. Letters from a girl back home. More than the physical, I carried incredible terror with every single step I took.
What are some of the intangible things the men carry?
“They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing- these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight” (21).
What did all the men in Alpha company carry?
What emotional baggage did all the men carry? What weight did they share? Anxiety, love, hatred, grief, and terror.
What could Jimmy Cross never forgive himself for?
What could Jimmy Cross never forgive himself for? Jimmy Cross never forgave himself for the death of Ted Lavender. Years after the war, Jimmy Cross went to visit Tim O’Brien and after seeing a snapshot of Ted, Jimmy said that “[Lavender’s death] was something that would never go away” (O’Brien 26).
What are freedom birds Why do the men feel guilty for dreaming about them?
His guilt is justifed because they probably could of prevented the death. Identify the men in Lt. Cross’ platoon and identify some of the tangible and some of the intangible things they carry into war.
What does Martha symbolize in The Things They Carried?
In “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, Martha to Cross represents an idealized version of the life he has left behind at home. Fantasizing about her allows him to at least partially shut out the horrible realities of war that are all around him.
What is it significant that Martha never mentions the war in her letters?
Why is it significant that Martha never mentions the war in her letters? Martha is not a part of the war so she does not mention it. Martha represents a world away from war. List some items that men carry.
What is a Freedom Bird The Things They Carried?
In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien refers to jumbo jets as freedom birds, meaning the aircraft a soldier would board to return to the United States and leave the horrors of Vietnam behind. He talks about how soldiers would think of being carried away by these jets while standing guard at night.
What does Rat Kiley carry emotionally?
In The Things They Carried, Rat Kiley emotionally carries stories about the war, the responsibility for the lives of the men in the platoon, and the burden of witnessing violence and death.
What did Kiowa’s death symbolize?
Kiowa’s death is symbolic of the senseless tragedy of war. He dies in a gruesome way, drowning under the muck of a sewage field about which his lieutenant, Jimmy Cross, has a bad feeling.
How does Norman Bowker die?
O’Brien says that “Speaking of Courage” was written at the request of Norman Bowker who, three years after the story was written, hanged himself in the YMCA .
What chapter does Norman Bowker kill himself?
In the chapter titled ‘Notes’, the narrator reflects on his friend Norman Bowker’s difficulty in transitioning to post-war life after Vietnam, his suicide, and the impact of this event on his writing.
Why does Norman Bowker feel guilty?
The source of this guilt is a horrible incident during Norman’s time in Vietnam, in which he fails to save the life of his comrade Kiowa. Norman tries to pull him out, but the smell of his surroundings overpowers him, and he lets Kiowa slide down beneath it.
Why did Norman Bowker take his own life?
This stands in contrast to Bowker’s actions in the novel, and points to what motivated him to take his own life: the lack of an objective. Bowker embodies the paradox between the need for emotional truth and the pain many feel in expressing it.
When did Bowker kill himself?
1978
Did Norman Bowker have PTSD?
A Vietnam War veteran named Norman Bowker had suffered a lot of pressure since he came back from the war. A high percentage of Vietnam War veterans were diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Is Norman Bowker a real person?
MINNESOTA — Norman Bowker sadly passed away in 1978. Bowker was found hanging from a jump rope by a couple of his friends in the late evening. He was an esteemed soldier in the Alpha Company troop who fought in the Vietnam War. Bowker was known for always carrying his diary.
What does Norman Bowker want?
Norman wants to talk about Vietnam, and he imagines how he would tell his father about almost earning a Silver Star, but his father is too busy to listen. Norman wants to talk about nearly saving Kiowa’s life and about how he feels he failed in not doing so.
What was found in Kiowas rucksack?
After reporting the MIA for Kiowa, Lt Cross was ready to give up on searching and call it a day. when the three men found Kiowa’s backpack, how did they know it was his? It contained his mocassins and his New Testament Bible. During the search, Jimmy Cross kept imagining what he would write to Kiowa’s father.
What did everyone carry in the things they carried?
Everyone else carries a standard M-16 with a standard 25 rounds of ammo, but Ted Lavender was carrying 34 rounds (and his fear) when he was shot outside Than Khe. The list of characters’ ranks and positions adds to the reader’s understanding of life as a soldier.
Who is Eddie Diamond In The Things They Carried?
Diamond is a soldier assigned to the same medical detachment as Rat Kiley before the latter joins the Alpha Company.
Why does Tim hate Bobby Jorgenson?
Tim hates Bobby Jorgenson for many reasons. He almost lost his life because of him. Tim describes Bobby as green and incompetent, “When I got shot the second time, in the butt, along the Song Tra Bong, it took at son of a b*tch almost ten minutes to crawl over to me”. He was humiliated which made him hate Bobby more.