I believe the author is trying to convey a sense of contradiction between historical explanation and personal experience. He is trying to persuade the audience that O'Brien could not be accurate in reitterating the happenings of Vietnam because it is all told from a personal experience. However, I believe that every historical fact ever told can only derive from a personal experience because, after all, a tale can only be told from that person's perspective, whether it is stating a fact or not.
I think the most interesting insight I gained from this is just reading all of the various perspectives that were obtained from critiquing and, rather, enjoying the The Things They Carried. It was simply cool to see that a single story could attribute to so much insight, and no two perspectives were ever even a slight match. The critics say that he keeps his faith to both the stories of Vietnam and to Vietam itself, and I agree with this because it wasn't all fluff and bunnies throughout the story. It was harsh and crude and a seemingly accurate portrayal of life during warfare, in my opinion.
The author does criticize O'Brien's lack of validity by saying, "For many critics, the war cannot be represented accurately through traditional literary modes..." He believes he has no place attempting to relay a message that can never be foretold to the extent that it needs to be in order to grasp the depth of the experience.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The Things They Carried
In the midst of all that has been going on with me, you know, spreading myself so thin I'm almost transparent, I've finally found the paper with my original password on it.. I'm thrilled. This is amazing I was seriously about to make a third blog.
Anyways.. The Dentist. Prideful, overbearing, showing no sign of weakness. Poor Curt Lemon displays the exact contradiction of his true character in this short story. His pride has taken over him and has literally made him seem like he belongs in an asylum. I mean honestly, its the dentist. I even get scared still; getting your teeth cleaned is pure misery. Number 53 on my Hate List.
He faints of course, succumbing to his fear that has built up inside of him, and his embarrassment completely overrides his sense of humor. You'd think he'd laugh about this sort of thing, but that does not happen. Being in the war and living the life of the ultimate bad ass has definitely gotten into his head. He should not fear such a minute phobia as going to the dentist, so he thinks, and it upsets him to see that he has leaked weakness through his emotions and lack of panic control.
He has succumbed to pride and let it override any other emotion he would like to express to the other men. Pride has taken the reins in his mind and is attacking every situation through its own perspective.
Through all this, I realized that people should be able to express their weaknesses. We are not made of stone, so why act like it? The author is trying to highlight that the men in the story know that showing any sign of weakness proves that they are less of a man and should not be shown as much respect. However, this is, in reality, a war mentality and not a feminist mentality, and it will be hard to understand unless reading from that perspective.
Basically, I think Pride is the central focal point that the author was trying to express through this story.
Anyways.. The Dentist. Prideful, overbearing, showing no sign of weakness. Poor Curt Lemon displays the exact contradiction of his true character in this short story. His pride has taken over him and has literally made him seem like he belongs in an asylum. I mean honestly, its the dentist. I even get scared still; getting your teeth cleaned is pure misery. Number 53 on my Hate List.
He faints of course, succumbing to his fear that has built up inside of him, and his embarrassment completely overrides his sense of humor. You'd think he'd laugh about this sort of thing, but that does not happen. Being in the war and living the life of the ultimate bad ass has definitely gotten into his head. He should not fear such a minute phobia as going to the dentist, so he thinks, and it upsets him to see that he has leaked weakness through his emotions and lack of panic control.
He has succumbed to pride and let it override any other emotion he would like to express to the other men. Pride has taken the reins in his mind and is attacking every situation through its own perspective.
Through all this, I realized that people should be able to express their weaknesses. We are not made of stone, so why act like it? The author is trying to highlight that the men in the story know that showing any sign of weakness proves that they are less of a man and should not be shown as much respect. However, this is, in reality, a war mentality and not a feminist mentality, and it will be hard to understand unless reading from that perspective.
Basically, I think Pride is the central focal point that the author was trying to express through this story.
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