I want to know how this story speaks to you, what it makes you think of, and what it has to do with the rest of The Things They Carried (ie how it influences/adds to your understanding of theme).
Why do we tell stories? Why is the act of telling stories about yourself and your personal history important? (Or is it?)
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This story really helps you understand the theme of the Things They Carried, because most of the time we think of it as the literial sense of carry. I don't thing that was the theme at all; I think it is the things that happen to us in out lives that affect us in some way that change who we are, it is the things we will always carry with us no matter where we go; they are a apart of us like it or not. I think that story really speaks to me of how each event big are small changes us a little bit it shapes who we are no matter if it happens a month ago or 10 years ago it still has the effect it did as if it were yesterday. I think telling stories is important, it helps with the healing process. It also explains to people why we are the way they are. We as people judge people all the time without getting to know them, and if we took the time to get to know them by listening to their stories, we may find out exactly why something such as a simple necklace could mean the world to a person or why they can't ever go back to their once favorite place. We learn the memories/pain they will always carry with them.
I believe that the theme of this story is to help us all understand how to carry the personal burdens we all must carry. I think that the theme Tim O’Brien tries to get across is that we all carry burdens and it is important to share them. We tell stories to share our experiences with others. Some stories could be beneficial to another person one day while others may be told just to hear ourselves talk. Sometimes we tell stories to get things off our shoulders. We may tell them through speaking or writing. People have different ways of sharing stories. I think that it is important for me to tell personal stories about myself. It helps me to relieve stress and have another person hear what is going on. Sometimes others can offer advice to help your struggle or burden. It is important to share stories to get to know others. It makes friendships easier to develop so you can understand one another.
I think this story’s purpose is to connect the reader to an everyday situation, and not just Vietnam. It shows how everyone has burdens that they carry with them on a regular basis. I think it also has something to do with the kind of person the character Tim O’Brien was. He shows how things he cared about impacted his life. This story also definitely portrays the theme of The Things They Carried by showing how everyone has situations in life that they hold with them because of the impact they had on their life, and unfortunately Tim’s most significant event was Vietnam.
We tell stories because we either never want to forget something, or we are so upset by the situation we use stories as a way to deal with it. I think it is definitely important to tell stories about your past because your past shapes you, and it is necessary to overcome the bad things in life as well as learning from the good things that happen to you to.
It was really interesting reading both OBrien's take on death and the way to treat it as well as the ways that the other men dealt with the death that was around them.
OBrien's point that you can keep someone alive through a story is very true. I have never had someone close to me die, so I do not have first hand experience, but from listening to other people, and from just rationalizing the thought, it seems very obvious that keeping a person alive in a story is very plausible. The way that OBrien describes how he immortalized Linda in his mind is a perfect example of this. He made stories about her, and recounted the times with her. In his mind, this kept her alive.
For the other men, they did not exactly need to keep people alive in their minds, but they needed to soften the blow of death. They did this by poking fun at the dead.
I think we tell stories to relive the past. There are numerous things in the past that we want to be the present again, but realistically we cannot make that happen. So, we tell stories to relive them. It allows us to live in that moment again, and to think about that time and the emotion that we felt during that time.
This brought the whole book to a personal level for me. It went from a book about war and a decent(but very well written) book to a great book. I personally write stories to keep things alive, metaphorically and literally. It's a great release I feel and it is important because when you write it down it opens the opportunity for others to read it and more times than none the more time someone tells a story aloud the more it changes. So if it is written down then it is set in stone. It ties everything together in the book, like a concluding statement. Because it is how O'Brien deals with things and puts a purpose for the whole book.
This story makes me think about how I would feel if something like that would have happened to me. O'Brien handles everything by writing about it. As for the rest of the story, it makes you realize what the whole story is about. I think the theme is how certain circumstances in our lives make us stronger and change us, no matter who we are.
I think we tell stories to release some of the feelings that we have. We want someone else to know what we have to say. It's human nature to want someone to listen to what has happened in your life and what you want to say. I guess telling stories about yourself and personal history is important so that what has happened in the past can stay alive. In the book, O'Brien talks about Linda as if she was still alive. Because he talks about her, he keeps her alive. When we talk about things from our past, we keep it alive. The stories that we have to tell are the things that we carry, which ties in to the whole theme of the book.
This story was freaking sad. I didn't have an event like that in my childhood, so I couldn't connect to it very personally. I think the fact that it happened to him when he was so young is important because he had been "carrying" that for.. 43? years. So, "The Things They Carried" agreeing with some other people here, is talking about the things you carry in your soul and all that good stuff.
Or, the things you hump in your soul. :)
Telling stories is important as a means of self-expression. O'Brian tells stories. He is alive. Norman Bowker couldn't talk about it. He is dead. This is the best example of this from the story. Also, it is important because of the history. Stories immortalize things. I was reminded of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, though that is much happier than this story. "So long lives this and this gives life to thee."
This story was the most "heartbreaking" of them all. This story really gave me a glimpse of the ways of life and death in O'Brien eyes. The way he holds on to Linda's death shapes how he handles death throughout the entire book. I do not think the "things they carry" have anything to do with materialistic things. It's the experiences we have and take along with us in memory. I know I tell stories to help reconnect that bond again. I miss certain days and times in life and I tell stories to help relieve that pain and discomfort. It is a part of the grieving process for most individuals whether they want to admit or not. It is important. It can relieve stress and tension. I believe by telling stories it can help others as well.
Oh gosh. This story really made me sad.. Although I cannot personally relate to O’ Brien’s experience, I can agree that you can keep a person alive by writing about them. By thinking of and telling stories about Linda, O’ Brien was able to carry her throughout his life. We all have things that we will always carry, whether it’s an experience or a materialistic object. Everything we do, see, and think of has an effect on all of us. The underlying question is whether or not we choose to carry them with us in our journeys through life.
We all tell stories simply because we have nothing else to do. Stories help to address our point of view and opinion. Sometimes we make up stories to make ourselves look cool or better than other people; for self-confidence. Everyone has their own reason for telling a specific story. I prefer to tell funny stories because I think they are funny :) Anyways.. We all tell stories about ourselves falling down the stairs at school or getting drunk over the weekend (not me) because they define who we are, either as clumsy or just intoxicated. Each of these stories plays a different role in our lives. They allow us to reflect on the past and laugh at all of the stupid things we did. I would say they are important to our personal history. However, some stories don’t have much meaning. I guess it just depends on its content and who is narrating it.
Ahhh, now we find out what O'Brien carried. I mean, having your first crush die, that would be horrible. I don't believe there is any way to get around being affected by that for the rest of your life. The thing that this brings to my mind is a funeral I attended a few years ago. A friend of mine died at 17 years old from a few causes. At his funeral, they buried him in all of his riding gear, and when you looked in the casket, it just moved you because it was the same person, just lifeless. This affected me in a way to always keep in mind to make good decisions, and to keep those around you close. As for O'Brien's situation, he says that he tells stories to keep people alive. This makes me think that all the people he has told stories about(or made up) are dead. But I think it might have been a good exercise for him because he probably felt lonely after Linda died, and being it 4th grade made it that much worse.
I think we tell stories because in some way, the things we tell are important to us. By telling them to those around us, I believe it is a bonding process to see if it is important to the other people. I like what Cameron said also, about reliving the past because even though we can't really make it happen again. Stories can be communication between one and his or her mind, or those around. It's important to tell these stories because it keeps the past alive, kind of like what O'Brien says. Not so much the making up part, but things that are true should be continued to be told so they are not forgotten.
You know, you hear people say "I wish I could go back to this or that..." Well, from my perspective story telling is that metaphorical "rewind button." It puts you back into the stuff you enjoyed most, or something that really meant something to you. When you want someone to know the story or experience you felt/feel you tell them the story. It keeps it alive, like O'Brien did with Linda. She was his first love, and by experiencing her death at a young age shaped him into the person he is now and also helps him deal with the deaths he encounter during the war. When you have someone really close to you die, it's extremely traumatic, I know from experience. But reminiscing the time you had with the, helps ease the pain. Telling others those stories help show them how you feel, it's like metaphorically "putting them in your shoes.
I think the theme isn't necessarily about the things you actually carry with you physically, but what you carry with you mentally and emotionally. Those things could however have some significance on the things that you actually carry around with you. It's influenced by what you have experienced in your life, whether it's good or bad. Those things help you cope with things you later encounter in life, which is why i believe people say "Everything happens for a reason."
Gah, this story was sad. It would suck for your crush to die at such a young age. Most children don't know how to properly cope with things like that. This story explains the book as a whole. Every soldier carried their past with them. With each item or possession that a soldier had, there was a meanigful story to go along with it. In class, we were always curious if some of the stories they told were true but as I found out in this story, they were stories made up to keep the person who died, alive. My grandmother died when I was 13 and I can see how making up stories about a deceased person can make a person feel better.
Personally, I tell stories to relive the moment, make someone laugh, or vent about the situation. If I've been through a bad situation, by re-telling the story, it helps me get over the event easier. I think that telling stories about my past helps people understand me better and get to know me.
Even though TTTC ended very sadly through “The Lives of the Dead,” I am glad it had some kind of revolution to end it as apposed to it just dropping off and leaving the reader clueless like 1984 did. But, like everyone else, it is very sad that O’Brien had to lose his first love. I don’t think anyone gets completely over there first love; there is definitely an inseparable bond that comes with love, but people can move away from that for many different reasons. But O’Brien never had that chance; she died in the 5th grade. I think that makes it harder than just breaking up with a first love and seeing them move on. I say this because you can get over that person, but if they were to die, they will be there forever and always. I mean, O’Brien couldn’t even get over her before she pasted. And experiencing something so traumatic at such a young age, I mean what do you tell a 5th grader in that situation? He had to experience a terrible heartbreak that most people could never imagine. But I believe through this story, he relieved a lot of the heartbreak he had with him for so long. Maybe telling his story was his “getting over” the death of Linda from such a long time ago?
I believe we tell stories for many different reasons. Some have morals to teach lessons, some are just straight up history or past times stories, some are funny to lighten up the mood in the room, and others are just juicy gossip that everyone likes to chew up and spit out. But some stories are different; perhaps the most important stories to tell, these stories are the ones where a person lets a piece of themselves go in their story. A burden maybe, but nevertheless, these are the stories that allow a person to get over something that was meant to be let out but they kept it in for way too long. This type of storytelling lets you leave a terrible time in your personal history behind, and move on, which is what a person that carries this burden has to do, either that, or go crazy trying to hold it in.
I feel that the main purpose of this last story was to help us understand the overall theme, which it did for me. I was starting to kind of get the drift near the end, but the end helps tie everything back. We see that the things they carried is about the personal losses and grievances that are put on your shoulders when you lose someone. In this book, we see how different people react to losing someone. Whether, it was burning pictures, making jokes, or even the worst scenario, suicide, everybody reacts differently. I write stories, tell them more so to help keep my memories alive for the good ones that is. I want to cherish the memories that I have made and I think by telling them you get to go back and experience the good moments. This is kind of why I think O’Brien tells so many war stories about the ones who have fallen. He wants to upkeep the dead and make them alive. When we tell stories about someone who is deceased it helps bring them back to memory, and you can almost connect with them again. Personally, my grandfather died two years ago. And I can relate to this greatly, because while the grieving process was tough, we now tell stories about him so we can remember him and not let him out of our memories. So in a nutshell, I believe the true purpose of telling stories, is to help relieve the past. It prevents death from limiting one’s impact in people’s lives.
I don’t know if you remember Mr. Thomasson, but I texted you earlier in the reading expressing my extreme confusion regarding certain parts of the book. Why things that were mentioned were relevant? Why are they being cited? For me, this last chapter gave me an answer. O’Brien mentions that in Vietnam, the soldiers devised ways to make the dead seem less dead—they kept them alive with stories. Preceding content led me to believe that O’Brien was the only one in the story affected by the deaths of men in Vietnam; everyone else just sort of brushed it off to the side as we do when an ant or a spider is killed. I realized, however, that these guys were affected also. They as O’Brien mentioned made ways to keep the dead alive. I feel that O’Brien’s personality and weird antics can be attributed somewhat to the death of his “first love” Linda. Death in any phase of life is tragic of course, but at a young age coping is typically easier (nor easier to deal with, but easier to get over) . For O’Brien, however, he has carried with him the death of Linda for his whole life.
People tell stories about themselves in general to remain relevant; to give people a sense of who they are, what they bring to the table. Things that will feel are important to us are things that are usually expressed in stories. Stories help to define a person explicitly to others, but also implicitly within themselves. The things that we care enough to mention in the form of stories are what helps us realize what is important in life and what needs to be remembered. Believe it or not, stories go a long way in your legacy. People remember things about people through the stories they tell, boring or interesting. It gives them personalities and characteristics. Boring, charismatic, exuberant, boastful, pretender—the stories we tell give us defining qualities.
I think that this story really ties the entire theme of the book together. It helps us to realize why throughout the story, death didn't seem like that big of a deal; the soldiers typically just shrugged it off. It seems as though O'Brien doesn't really take death as seriously as it should be, but who can fault him? When his fourth grade love died, he found out from someone saying she simply 'kicked the bucket' and his dad thought something as small as an ice cream cone would make him feel better. I agree with everyone else that said that the whole purpose of the book was not necessarily about the materialistic things that the soldiers carried, but the thoughts, feelings, and memories that they constantly had to focus on. With their lives constantly changing and their closest friends constantly dying, the only thing that was certain to these soldiers was their memories.
I think this story adds to your understanding of the theme because it gives a story of O'brien's life as a child where he was not involved with war and he still had to deal with stuggle with the death of the girl he loved as a 9 year old. This particular tragedy was probably the first tramatic thing that happened in his life and it was probably the first "thing he carried" in his life. He carried this sadness with him the rest of his life and he had to learn how to handle the burden.
We tell stories I believe because we want people to have things to tell about us even when we are gone. I think it is important because telling stories helps you relive your past which sometimes is what you need to do. It also lets other people know your story.
I think the story is a justification for why O'Brien wrote the book. To me the whole book equals this last chapter. You would get the same theme if you dissected either one of them. I did love this chapter though the little girl dying was a very emotional section. I understand what O'Brien is saying but i like him am having trouble describing how it is or why we tell stories. But i guess what im trying to say is stories are like keys to the locked doors we put up to keep others out. By telling a story you are giving someone permission to look into your life and try to find the real you. Not just the person you act like.
So starting off I just typed this whole thing and it was pretty sweet and it deleted it. So this is a limited version somewhat because I am now frustrated.
This story was really sad. It really justifies why O'Brien looks at death the way he does and provided a more in depth of the things that we carry. It goes beyond the physical things we carry and dives into the emotional and mental things we carry and how those interact. Little events and big events can all change us in a way somehow. He kept Sarah alive because he loved her and allowed her to live forever through he story. I also think this heartbreak really helped him in the long run with war. I mean 5th grade and your love dying? that's pretty awful for anybody.
I think we tell storied to relive moments we hate, relive moments we love, stay young, and keep things alive. Stories to me really help people realize where they came from, how they got to where they are, and allows them to understand themselves in a better light. I love telling stories of myself as early as I can possibly remember because it allows me to relive that moment and understand why that happened and how much I have grown. This chapter made me sad, but also bought the story full circle.
This story was very sad. I was expecting her sickness at all. I feel that we tell stories about our past and personal history because we want other people to be able to relate to our lives and what we experienced because most of the stories that we keep and remember are stories that have impacted our lives in some way and made us see things in a different perspective or even have something to do with the way we act towards certain things. A lot of times we tell stories because we just want to make people laugh but our best stories are the personal ones that we don't share with just anyone. O'Brien is telling us that we carry these stories with us because they are important to us and are things that only we carry with us and no one else can.
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