assignment 7

A psychological look into The Things They Carried

There are many ways to look into a work of literature from many perspectives or points of view. People use different forms of criticisms to gain a new insight in any work of literature. A psychological criticism is the best approach to analyze “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien. We get the chance to look into the mind of these men when in the middle of war. In this approach, we get to see not only the physical burdens these men had to carry but more importantly their psychological conflicts of dealing with the pressures of war and their own inherent flaws as human beings.
The first thing I would like to point out is the character of Jimmy Cross who is unwilling to accept the fact that he is in war and uses Martha as an escape from it.. He the main character in this story and is therefore the one we see most of their psychological mind. He is a young man who is pulled out of college and thrown into a war he wishes to have nothing to do with. He is constantly obsessing over her and fantasies about romantic trips with her. Martha was not just some girl he was obsessed with; she was also an escape from the war. In her letters, Martha never mentions anything about the war which only reinforces cross’s refusal to acknowledge the war. Jimmy kept a photograph of Marta on him at all times and looks at it when ever his squad stopped hiking to make camp for the night. An example of his obsession can be seen in this passage referring to Martha’s picture, “At night, sometimes, Lieutenant Cross wondered who had taken the picture, because he knew she had boyfriends, because he loved her so much, and because he can see the shadow of the picture taker spreading out against the brick wall”(Tim O’Brien). Cross would rather worry about Martha’s dating status than face the reality of the war he is in.
The second point I would like to make the character of Kiowa who is unwilling to trust others but is a religious man who wishes to feel remorse for them. Kiowa is mistrustful other people which was a trait that he pick up from his grandmother. He was likely raised by his grandmother or at least lived with her during his childhood. He is a devote Baptist who always carries a New Testament that he received as a gift from his father. The bible itself is a source of comfort for Kiowa. It can be seen in this passage from the story “He liked the smell of the New Testament under his cheek, the leather and ink and the paper and glue, and whatever the chemicals were” (Tim O’Brien). His faith in god is obviously a security blanket that he holds on to. It’s the only thing that helps him make sense of his war torn surroundings. Kiowa has strange feelings of conflictions over the death of Ted Lavender. It is best put in the words of the original text “it seemed unchristian. He wished he could find some great sadness, or even anger, but the emotion wasn’t there and he couldn’t make it happen” (Tim O’Brien). His confliction stems from the fact that he does not feel remorse over the death of a fellow squad mate which to him does seem like something a Christian would do. Kiowa feels guilt over the fact that he only feeling happy to be alive but feels nothing for Ted Lavender. He wishes to empathize for other but cannot due to his untrusting nature. Kiowa is touched when he sees lieutenant Cross crying over the death of Ted Lavender and wishes that he can be more like Cross and have the same capacity for grief.
The last point I would like to make again involves Jimmy Cross after he learns that he must take responsibility for his squad. At the beginning of the story Cross is unwilling to accept his responsibility as the squad leader on the mission. It is not until death of one of his squad mates, Ted Lavender, that he can no longer avoid the reality of his situation. Cross feels tremendous guilt over the death of Ted Lavender because he feels that it was his fault. He thinks to himself that he should have been paying more attention to his lookout duties at the time rather than fantasying about Martha. Cross realizes how pointless it was to pine over a girl who was thousand miles away while he was in the middle of a warzone with peoples lives on the line. It is best seen in the text “He felt shame. He hated himself. He had loved Martha more then his men, and as consequence Lavender was now dead and this was something that he will have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war” (Tim O’Brien). Cross knows that he must now live with the guilt of Ted’s death and comes to the conclusion that he must make changes. He finally accepts that he is in the war and must take responsibility for the members of his squad. He gave up his thought of Martha and any other distractions so that he can focus on his duty.
To conclude, the story is about men who have to deal with the pressures of war and their flaws as human beings. First we see Jimmy Cross who is unwilling to accept the reality of the war he is caught in and responsibilities of being a lieutenant. Next we see Kiowa who is very untrusting of others but wishes to empathize with others due to his faith. Last we revisit Jimmy cross who deal with the death of a fellow soldier and must change in order to accept his responsibilities. It is never certain what people will do when faced with war but best most can do is to try their best to get through it.

assignment 6

I have to say that at first that I did not like the ideal of have to write up a blog every week. Despite the fact that I am not a lazy man, it seemed like too much work to me. I remember thinking to myself how will I be able to do this every single week. It was later when the teacher told me that we would have to do five papers instead of the two that we assigned if it was not for the blogs. I am now very glad that we blogs cause they are far easier and far more enjoyable then a lot of papers. As for how do I feel about people reading my blogs? I do not really think too much about it. I just write down what I think about the stories we read in the blogs as they are assigned. I am sometimes interested in what other people have to say about the blogs that I have written. It is a very interesting experience reading the bogs that my fellow classmates have written. I sometimes find people who share my same opinion in the blogs. When I started the class I did not know what to expect from it. At first I was expecting it to hard but I am having more fun than I expected.

assignmet 5

Edgar Allan Poe
The Raven

[First published in 1845]
horizontal space Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.'

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore -
Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
`'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door -
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; -
This it is, and nothing more,'

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
`Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; -
Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!'
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!'
Merely this and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
`Surely,' said I, `surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore -
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -
'Tis the wind and nothing more!'

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door -
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door -
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven.
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning - little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door -
Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as `Nevermore.'

But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -
Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before -
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.'
Then the bird said, `Nevermore.'

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
`Doubtless,' said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore -
Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore
Of "Never-nevermore."'

But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore -
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking `Nevermore.'

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
`Wretch,' I cried, `thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he has sent thee
Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! -
Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted -
On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore -
Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore -
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore -
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting -
`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!

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"Assignment #4--Criticism."

In many works of literature, the author most likely includes a lot psychological elements in their stories. It is for this reason I believe that psychological criticism is the best approach to examining the story The Things they carried by Tim Brien. The story is about a small group of soldiers on a mission in the jungles of Vietnam during the war. The story goes into deep detail of burdens theses men were forced to while at Vietnam. It should also be noted that the author, Tim Brien, was drafted into the army after graduating from college. The author of the story had real first hand experience to the horrors of war. He obviously used his experiences to write this story to realistically show how people react to war in different ways. One example is the soldier who dies in the story Ted Lavender. Ted step most of constantly drugged up to escape the reality of war and his duties. His death comes as a surprise to his squad but does not cause dramatic reactions from them. Everyone just accepts the death and continuo to move on. Only two soldiers in the squad that were affected in someway by Ted’s death were Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and Kiowa. In the case of Kiowa, he feels that he should care more about Ted’s death but can not bring himself to. For Jimmy Cross it was a wake up call. It was the guilt over Ted’s death he felt that made him take his duties and responsibilities as the team leader seriously and to give up any and all distractions.

the things they carried

I have to say that the story The Thing they carried is a very deep emotional story about war and is effect on people. It explores not only the material objects they carried but also emotional baggage they have with little to no hope of ever being able to set it down. The main character of the story, Jimmy Cross, is the main focus of this insight. He is a young man who was living a peaceful, college life before being forcibly thrust into a completely pointless war at the jungles of Vietnam. He gets made lieutenant of a squad of men in a similar position as his own despite having no military experience only because he has a college education. The young lieutenant from the beginning of the story clearly wishes to have nothing to do with the war in Vietnam. He had a girlfriend named Martha before the beginning of the war who he was hopelessly in love with. He spends a lot of his time and energy thinking about her and generally obsessive over her. Some of the things he obsesses are weather or not she is still a virgin. The fact that he obsesses over her virginity implies that he maybe a virgin himself. He also wonders and fears weather or not she loves him at all as much as he loves her. He practically worships the letters she sends him as gifts from god. He himself notes that in her letters that she never mentions the war in any of them. In some unconscious level, Jimmy is using her as an escape from the war he is in. He never took the war seriously in the beginning, mostly daydreaming about being back home with Martha away from the war, which is just a hopeful illusion of his. His illusion is shattered forever when one of his squad mates died while he was on lookout duty. The guilt he feels over his squad mate’s death causes him to forsake Martha, burn her letters and picture, and give up any hope of escaping the war in order to focus completely on the mission and the safety of his squad.