Tim O'Brien's story, The Things They Carried, is a short narrative about a platoon of military soldiers sometime during the Vietnam War. The story is narrated from the third person and mainly focuses on the many thoughts of Jimmy Cross and his obsession with his love interest Martha during the course of the story. However, the story also focuses on many of the physical and emotion burdens that the soldiers carry throughout their time in Vietnam. This story attacks many difficult themes such as the futility of war and the stress and lives of the men in it.
Tim does this through listing the many items that each of the platoon member carry and the item's corresponding weight. As most of the items they carry are necessary for the groups survival, the items that are brought that are not necessary alludes to each of the men's character throughout the story. Ted Lavander, who has much fear and anxiety from war, carries along with him tranquilizers and a bag of marijuana to combat his fear, while Jimmy Cross, who has an obsession with a girl named Martha, slugs around with him various photographs and letters from her. However, Tim also includes the actual weight of objects to juxtapose them against emotion strains that the soldiers must also carry with them along Vietnam, which shows how both types of problems add additional "weight" for each men to carry.
Although Tim depicts these men to have various personalities with hopes after the war, Tim also shows how the very nature of war can twist the lives of these men. For instance, in one paragraph the narrator states that the war they are fighting is "an endless march, village to village, without purpose, nothing won or lost" which blatantly states that their presence in Vietnam serves no purpose, and every new mission is just another repetition of that.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Weblog Entry 10
In Charles Baxter's short story "Gryphon," the main character Tommy narrates his experience with his eccentric substitute teacher Ms. Fercenzi. Although he is initially skeptical of the fantastical stories she recites in the beginning, he later develops an admiration for her and a fascination with all of her exciting information, even though they are mostly fictional accounts. To achieve not only Tommy's fascination but the other students, however, Ms Fercenzi must often intertwine unconventional and conventional ideas into her lessons, and in the process lies to her students many times throughout the story. Although dishonest and misleading for her students, the unconventional and conventional ideas she exhibits to her class help foster her children to develop in many ways. Three main examples of when she mixes together ideas are when she explains about the gryphon, prophesies to the children's fortunes, and explains to the children that 6x11 is 68.
The first time Ms Fercenzi intertwines conventional and in conventional ideas is during her first lesson with the students. While reviewing over arithmetic problems, one of the students gives the incorrect answer of 68 to a question, yet Ms Fercenzi dubs it correct. Although most of the children argue with her that the answer is 66, Ms Fercenzi denies this and tells the children that while she is present 6x11 is 68. Thus, by taking a simple arithmetic equation and applying her method to the answer, she succeeds in mixing together conventional and unconventional ideas.
The next time she intertwines those ideas is when she is explaining what a gryphon is to the class. She tells the children that a gryphon is an animal in existence with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion. She even goes as far as to say that on her trip to Egypt she encountered a live one. By taking simple animals in existence such as lions and eagles and amalgamating them together into a fantastical being, Ms Fercenzi mixes together conventional and unconventional ideas once again.
Finally, during her last lesson with her children, Ms Fercenzi pushes boundaries once again by predicting her students futures using playing cards. She goes around predicting everybody's fortunes, and even to the extent where she reveals that one of her students will have an early demise. In this scene she uses simple playing cards and bestows upon them unearthly powers, thus successfully combining both conventional and unconventional ideas for the last time in the story.
Like i said earlier, the mixture of conventional and unconventional ideas that Ms Fercenzi shared with her children were not entirely honest. However, although dishonest, her purpose as a teacher was to inspire her children, and through the numerous enthralling tales she told she was able to stimulate the children into using their imaginations and developing a view on the world that broke secular boundaries. Thus, in the end her dishonesty was justified.
The first time Ms Fercenzi intertwines conventional and in conventional ideas is during her first lesson with the students. While reviewing over arithmetic problems, one of the students gives the incorrect answer of 68 to a question, yet Ms Fercenzi dubs it correct. Although most of the children argue with her that the answer is 66, Ms Fercenzi denies this and tells the children that while she is present 6x11 is 68. Thus, by taking a simple arithmetic equation and applying her method to the answer, she succeeds in mixing together conventional and unconventional ideas.
The next time she intertwines those ideas is when she is explaining what a gryphon is to the class. She tells the children that a gryphon is an animal in existence with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion. She even goes as far as to say that on her trip to Egypt she encountered a live one. By taking simple animals in existence such as lions and eagles and amalgamating them together into a fantastical being, Ms Fercenzi mixes together conventional and unconventional ideas once again.
Finally, during her last lesson with her children, Ms Fercenzi pushes boundaries once again by predicting her students futures using playing cards. She goes around predicting everybody's fortunes, and even to the extent where she reveals that one of her students will have an early demise. In this scene she uses simple playing cards and bestows upon them unearthly powers, thus successfully combining both conventional and unconventional ideas for the last time in the story.
Like i said earlier, the mixture of conventional and unconventional ideas that Ms Fercenzi shared with her children were not entirely honest. However, although dishonest, her purpose as a teacher was to inspire her children, and through the numerous enthralling tales she told she was able to stimulate the children into using their imaginations and developing a view on the world that broke secular boundaries. Thus, in the end her dishonesty was justified.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Weblog Entry 9
It is almost obvious that in Jhumpa Lahiri's story "Interpreter of Maladies" their is no hope for the Das family to change their ways. too well does Jhumpa successfully manage to present and depict an incorrigible family that is ignorant and full of deceit. The mother of the family, Mrs Das, performed adultery against her husband while simultaneously ignoring her children, while the father, Mr Das, remains indifferent towards his entire family and only pays heed to his camera. The children, Bobby, Ronny, and Tina, fail to follow their parents instructions and constantly do things they are told not to do such as play with goats. Besides for neglecting each other, the family also manages to physically harm each other throughout the book. Towards the end of the story, Mrs Das litters the puffed rice she had as a snack on the ground, contrary to what Mr Kapasi told her, which thus leads to Bobby savagely getting attacked by monkeys. Even during this event the family reveals how little they care for each others safety. Tina, the youngest daughter, informs Mr Das that Bobby is getting attacked with no anxiety, almost as if it were a simple statement. Mr Das, reluctant to help out his dying son, shrugs off helping him by stating that the monkeys might start attacking others if he tries to help. The family is so reluctant to help Bobby that it is Mr Kapasi in the end who saves Bobby from possible death. Finally, after Mr Kapasi hands Bobby over to his "family" the only remedies that they have for him is a simple pat on the head, a stick of gum, and brushing his hair, instead of treating his injuries. Thus, through the actions of her characters, Jhumpa Lahiri concludes that the Das family is horrible and that in no way Interpreter of Maladies is a tale of hope.
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