The Things They Carried By Vietnam Veteran Tim O Brien

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote in a letter to President Harry Truman that, â€Å"No one won the last war, and no one will win the next war.† As civilians it is hard for us to imagine the unspeakable horrors that soldiers face while on the battlefield. It is equally hard to understand how they come back home so very different than the men and women we saw off at the airport all those years ago. Many soldiers have said that they went to war as a boy and came back without a mind; even though they ‘won the war’, the costs outweighed the benefits because they have to carry all of the things they did in the war zone with them the rest of their lives. In The Things They Carried, Vietnam veteran Tim O’Brien repeatedly says that he has an intense need to write down the stories of his oversees experiences even though the memories are too painful to think about. With that in mind, this essay seeks to answer the questions: Does writing about their experience h elp soldiers cope? What about Tim O’Brien; does writing about his experiences seem to give him any sort of relief at all? Psychology majors are taught about many different diseases of the mind, one of which is PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Defined by the American Psychological Association, PTSD is â€Å"an anxiety problem that develops after extremely traumatic events, such as combat, crime, an accident, or natural disaster† (‘PTSD: National Center for PTSD’). Symptoms include intrusive memories, survivor’s guilt,Show MoreRelatedThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1169 Words   |  5 Pagesbut are set in the past and borrows things from that time period. A story that fits this genre of literature is The Things They Carried. The story is about Tim O Brien, a Vietnam veteran from the Unite States, who tells stories about what had happened when he and his team were stationed in Vietnam. He also talks about what he felt about the war when he was drafted and what he tried to do to avoid going to fight in Vietnam. The Things They Carried by Tim O Brien was precise with its portrayal of settingRead More Things They Carried Essay: Disembodiment723 Words   |  3 PagesDisembodiment in The Things They Carried  Ã‚  Ã‚   With some knowledge of war, one can begin to appreciate Tim O Briens The Things They Carried.   But when the work is viewed in its strict historical context, another layer of   meaning rises to the surface.   Tim O Brien is a veteran; as a result there are many things he takes for granted (or so we think) and does not tell us.   Americas involvement in the Vietnam war resulted from internal domestic politics rather than from the national spirit.  Read MoreEssay On The Things They Carried1629 Words   |  7 PagesThe Things They Carried, reflects the saga of drafted soldiers during the Vietnam era who were sent to the Vietnam War. The author, Tim O’Brien, describes the things that the men carry during their tour of duty. The items carried are both physical and impalpable items and what these things are is subject to the individual soldier. They carry the necessities for survival in the jungles of Vietnam as well as the personal things each soldier feels necessary to make life as comfortable as possibleRead MoreThe Things They Carried Vietnam Essay1571 Words   |  7 PagesHow Society Influences Man: Tim O Brien in Vietnam Tim O Brien s novel The Things They Carried is meant to display the effects of Vietnam on both American soldiers as well as the boys they once were. Vietnam is a society where human decency is left behind, and death is embraced as either a joke or an escape--where the horrors of reality are turned comical and exaggerated in order to keep going. Tim O Brien shows how Vietnam turns him from a boy unknowing of death, to a young man unwilling toRead MoreAnalysis Of Tim O Brien s The Things They Carried Essay1574 Words   |  7 Pages To Ban or not to Ban : The Things They Carried Host: Hello and welcome to ban or not to ban, where the nations most exciting topics are discussed between opposing parties. Today we re debating whether or not to ban â€Å"Tim O Brien s novel The Things They Carried. In this book author Tim O’Brien depicts the Vietnam conflict by distinguishing between the role of whether or not to be a civilian or a soldier. Though the book is fictional, Tim O’Brien portrays himself as a man who strugglesRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien892 Words   |  4 PagesThe Vietnam War was a long, exhausting, and traumatic experience for all of the soldiers and those who came with them. The Things They Carried, by Tim O Brien illustrates the different affects the war had on a variety of people: Jacqueline Navarra Rhoads, a former nurse during the Vietnam war, demonstrates these effects within her own memoir in the book, The Forgotten Veterans. Both sources exemplify many tribulations, while sharing a common thread of suffer ing from mental unpredictability. DesensitizationRead MorePsychological Changes During Soldiers From The Vietnam War981 Words   |  4 PagesSOLDIERS FROM THE VIETNAM WAR The survival of a soldier depends on what he wears. In war, the line between life and death is thinner than ever, and often, supplies, weapons, and the equipment of a soldier is the only thing that can cause the line not to clear. But, a soldier also carries his memory, memories, amulets, ghosts of the past, and trivial objects that do not let him forget that there is another life-the life-beyond war. Soldiers of Alpha Company, who fought in Vietnam, carry everythingRead MorePsychological Changes During Soldiers From The Vietnam War1215 Words   |  5 PagesTHE VIETNAM WAR A soldier s survival in war depends on what he wears, and his life is just one step away from death. However, a soldier not only carries supplies, weapons, and equipment; a soldier also carries memories, amulets, ghosts of the past, and trivial objects that do not let him forget that there is another life beyond war. The Soldiers of Alpha Company, who fought in Vietnam, carry everything they could. And, those men and things are making their appearance in the story The Things TheyRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1407 Words   |  6 Pages       Our introduction stated that in â€Å"The Things They Carried,† author Tim O’Brien tells us not directly of the soldiers of Vietnam, or the situations they find themselves in, but about the things they carry on their shoulders and in their pockets. These â€Å"things† identify the characters and bring them to life.   I find that to be true as the author unfolds the stories about war and the uncommon things one carries in to war both inadvertently and on purpose.  Ã‚  Ã‚  As it was noted: Stories about war –Read MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1377 Words   |  6 Pagesmany veterans who would love to have it as good as we do. Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried discusses many veterans who experience the burden of shame and guilt daily due to their heroic actions taken during the Vietnam War. The book shows you how such a war can change a man before, during, and after it’s over.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As I reflect on the many conflicts America has been a part of, none can compare to the tragedies that occurred in The Vietnam war. As told in The Things They Carried (O’Brien)