Have you ever killed anyone?

    As I read through these sections of The Things They Carried the most prevalent and emotionally charged part was the description of the man Tim O'Biren killed.  The young, Vietnamese man is described as a real being with parents, ambitions, and a war story of his own.  I feel that this view of any human as "human" can serve to solve many problems we face today.  In today's society I feel that lives are taken without regard for the owner.  People are people, each one has a family, was once a child, and may have experienced the same things as many others, but violence has become such a large part of society that these things are ignored.  People become targets on video games and lives lost leads to a victory, but how can anyone be victorious when life is lost.  I feel that as time goes on war becomes more and more political and citizens become less and less aware of the severity of it.  Taking a life is in essence taking a piece of the puzzle that is the world.  Each person is real and human, having emotion and feeling pain, connecting them in an unexplainable way to every individual.  I think that one can learn from Tim O'Brien's reaction to the death of this Vietnamese man and this section's description of the man whose life was lost; one can learn that every person is REAL.  Death is not a video game or political strategy it is force far more powerful than it has come to be preceived. 

No Going Back

    After reading this part of "The Things They Carried" I realized the true severity of the effects of the Vietnam War and the almost incredulous effects it had on human nature.   I don't believe the story told of her coming to Vietnam, however I found the telling of her story to be amazingly descriptive despite its legitimacy. The "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" arrives in Vietnam as a innocent school teacher, however she is entranced by the violence and entire idea of war.  I think this story contributes greatly the over all image of Vietnam that Tim O'Brien attempts to convey.  I've concluded so far that this image is intended to be one of a war against environment and against insanity rather than a war against any actual enemy. As Mary Anne slowly becomes one with the violence and triviality of the war, I noticed the true power of war.  It can change a person's outlook and it can forever imprint violence in a human.  I also feel that this makes a statement about women in the war.  The soldiers find the story of Mary Anne to be incredulous because she is a woman and they have trouble in accepting that she was flown over.  Also, when Mary Anne arrives she begins working as a nurse figure, but as time goes on she strays from her set feminine role and becomes a "soldier" to an extent.

A new kind of picture book.

   I found this video of Kseniya Simonova to be a completely amazing and artistic take on war.  Although this artist tells the story of a different war I feel that both this depiction and the one of the Vietnam War in this section can be related.  In The Things They Carried, the narrator expresses that a true war story hides nothing.  In both the gruesome story of the Vietnam War and the story of the disastrous effects of World War II in the Ukraine,  raw emotional seeps throughout.  I find the story told in The Things They Carried to be one of extreme importance. As Simonova reflects on the past of the Ukraine, I feel that it is necessary for Americans to remember the Vietnam War and understand the severity of it whether they were alive at the time or not.  Although the narrator explains that there is no moral to a good war story, I feel that a greater appreciatation can be gained through such reflections and new emotional understandings can be formulated.

Frienemies

    In these two very short sections a TON is revealed about the nature of the Vietnam War. The soldiers fought one another.  Whether out of frustration or anger, members of the same "team" were in disagreement.  I cannot help but assume that the ambiguity of their situation added tremendously to the stress and tension within the troops.  I noticed that the Vietnam War clearly led to a form of insanity.  Dave Jensen becomes cynical from his fight with his "friend".  It is completely understandable that in such unclear conditions and a routine of mindless killing, that the line between friends and enemies can become blurred. 
    Apart from the revealing the murky division between friend and enemy, these sections also reveal a more gruesome viewpoint.  The accident that leads to Lee Strunk's death is described graphically and puts the dangerous conditions into perspective. I would assume that this danger was amplified by the unorganized and trivial nature of the war. 

"I ain't got no quarrel with the Vietcong."- Muhammad Ali

     So far in my reading, I get a sense of resentment from Tim O' Brien towards the war.  He clearly expresses the ambiguous reasoning behind the war.  Young boys, some only 18, were asked to kill and possibly die in a country with its own problems.  I find it extremely disturbing that our country has been involved in such a serious conflict without any definite goal.  Sure, predicted theories like the "Domino Effect" allowed for slight reasoning, but most of the boys drafted either did not understand the reasoning behind the conflict, did not care, or were in opposition to the cause.  I feel that Tim O'Brien's story of fleeing from the draft raises questions pertaining to the fairness and legitimacy of the draft method.  I understand that in desperate situations a draft may be necessary, however I feel that because of the Vietnam War the system should be reviewed extensively.
    This chapter "On The Rainy River" also highlights the issue of nationalism and patriotism.  It made me question when does patriotism lose against personal beliefs?  As in Muhammad Ali's quote above, some of the soldiers who participated simply did not care for the cause.  I dont find this to be a selfish response, but one of question.  Why should the soldier's care?  They were given a "patriotic" death sentence for a cause never made lucid to them. 

Back when comfort was a pair of panty hose.

      In these two sections of The Things They Carried, an unidentified speaker, who was obviously in the same platoon as Jimmy Cross, tells of his remembrance of the war and describes the changes since then. I found that the speaker has an extremely vivid memory of all aspects of the Vietnam War.  I found this to be expected.  Even after many years, such a terror-filled experience is destined to leave its lasting marks.  I find it interesting that the speaker was aware of Jimmy Cross' "obsession" with Martha and that even after many years and growing in maturity Jimmy Cross, himself still proclaims his love for a woman who has clearly stated that she won't love him back. The speaker attempts to take a more positive approach in his recollection, however, the descriptions of things such as the smell of an "empty body bag" still flood the memories.  I felt as if the speaker laughs at the idea of writing happy stories.  Since stories are usually influenced by experience, the prevalent experience of the war overwhelms the stories of the speaker.  I am beginning to wonder what else happened in Vietnam and whether or not all of the men mentioned earlier survived.  I found the mention of age in the platoon to be enlightening as to how truly innocent and naive some of the soldiers must have been.  I found the connection between memories stories as a method of reminding one of where they started and how they got where they are to be extremely effect in uncovering the importance of remembering.

They carried "tons" of things.

When I first opened The Things They Carried, only the technicalties and excruciating detial of the Vietnam War were prevalent.  List after list of pieces of equipment, sentimental items, good luck charms, and explosives helped me to immediately relate the title to the information presented.  The soldiers literally carried pounds and pounds of things. I came to see, however, that more than the physical baggage, the soldiers "humped" extreme emotional baggage.  Although introduced in an odd way, Tim O'Brian presents the Vietnam War as an experience for a soldier that can never be matched.  I don't know much about the Vietnam War besides the history book facts, but just the first few pages of this novel have put the level of detriment and emotional distress the war brought to the soldiers into perspective.  As described in the book, the war was a different world for the soldiers completely isolated and exiled from all that was "normal".  Normal for the soldiers is constant, undeniable fear and also pride.  I feel that this novel is going to aim to uncover the reality of war that normals citizins are religiously shielded from.  It is the raw report.  It reallly helps me to take more interest in the condition of our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq now.  I want to ensure that my friends over seas know that there is a world far different from the one their in now waiting for their return.  Tim O'Brian expresses in his first few pages that the things they carry, are far more incredulous than heavy weapons and ammunition.