Blog Post 3

1.) Wes Hamilton can't remember the real names of his friends because they never used their real names. They were given nicknames that showed their identity for war. Wes, most likely along with the others, keeps this name close to them because it is symbolic of having everyone around in war. Their real identity didn't matter because it was about the person they are inside that counts, the nickname reflects on that. I think the soldiers in The Things They Carried knew each other as who they are at war, and not who they were back in the U.S.

 2.) Mary Anne was a character who centered herself around Fossie, but found that war was an interesting place. She attached herself to the landscape and people but her surroundings took her mind away from logical thinking and changed her into a war craving woman. The message O'Brien was portraying from having her in the book was that women were coming around to become more important figures in the world. Just like in WWII, women took a big part in the war effort, and in Vietnam they found what war was like. O'Brien showed that women were becoming prominent in the war effort though not fighting.

3.) O'Brien doesn't tell the entire truth and he doesn't completely lie, he remembers what he wants to remember. I think the truth can never be completely found unless documented, but he tries his best to share what is needed. He remembers as much as possible to give his side of the story. The only false he adds is to either make it a real story or protect readers from anything that they shouldn't know.
      The advantages of presenting a memoir in a way that isn't fiction or non-fiction is that he can embellish on the truth to make it more interesting. He also could make it a better book by doing this. The disadvantages of writing this way is it isn't a true war story. The reader also can't always trust what he says is true. The reader has to figure out what they are going to believe. It doesn't matter much to the story if you read it as a story, not a memoir. If you know it is just a story that is being told, you can imagine that not every detail is perfect or right.








The things they carried questions:
Why did they camp in the sewage?
Why didn't Norman pull Kiowa out even if he was going to die, aren't they supposed to die for eachother?
Do the soldiers ever have a translator with them?
Does O'brien's unit always stay around the same area in Vietnam?
How do soldiers fight back against mortar fire?

The Things They Carry

Tim O'brien talks about the things they carried and the weapons and items they used in their packs, but he also talks about the things they carried in their minds and hearts. They carried feelings and emotions from back home. Some of the "things" they carried were love of others, burdens from back home, regrets, and feelings for others.

Jimmy Cross is a character in the book. He is a Lieutenant in charge of everyone in his squad. He gets Lavendar killed, and is in love with Martha. He has written letters to Martha and sometimes hates her and sometimes he loves her. I predict he will make it out of the war and meet up with Tim O'brien.

The Pentagon Papers are about revealing info to Americans about Vietnam, Tim O'brien's book is about him in Vietnam, and the books and movie are about history of Vietnam. I believe Tim O'brien's book is about the times before the Pentagon Papers, but the Pentagon Papers might come up in the end of O'brien's book.

The things they carried

I believe war is necessary at times and under different circumstances. But other times war can be prevented when nothing happened to put us into war. Like in Vietnam, they did not attack us in any way to push us into war but we still went. But today's war was provoked by terrorism, and even though it may be about getting oil, you can't just let those people who died in 9/11 die without doing something.

I think the U.S. should be involved in war when it is to keep Americans safe. If going to war means no more american civilians will die then that is a good thing.

I know that the Vietnam war happened without many reasons behind it.

School

If I could change school, I would move it to somewhere in the world that is very nice and beautiful. School would be on a beach or near a very nice lake.  It would always be in the summer and every way you look would be a good view. The halls would never full and there would be less people in every class. The classes would never be boring and if I didn't feel like going I would have to.


There would be nap time, snack time, and recess every day. All classes would be like preschool. All we would do is color in the lines, learn how to share, and play games. We would also make money do it. Only people we like would be there.

Great Gatsby: What it all means

In The Great Gatsby Nick was a listener who was a main audience for everyone's life story. He found out everyone's true self and was trusted by them. Even when he first came into the novel, he was thought of as a trustworthy person by all the characters. I can relate to him.

Nick is the narrator of the story and has a presence in everyone's life. He befriends his neighbors, relatives, and new people. I am also a quiet listener type of person. Instead of always being in the conversation, I will listen to people's thoughts and figure out more about them.

Nick is also a trusted person. He is thought of by everyone as someone they can go and talk to about problems or stories that are personal. I am also someone who can listen to personal stories. I can keep secrets very well when people trust me and believe I'm a loyal person.

In the end as Nick character progresses to fully understand the reasons people are inclined to do what they do. He learns about himself as well, either personally, emotionally, or physically conforming to fit into others. I, too, change with each new person I meet. But not always for the good. Throughout my life, just like Nick, I have grown to judge while judging myself.

Great Gatsby: Chapters 1-4

The most interesting idea in the first four chapters was Gatsby. His character is interesting because everything he said could not be taken for the truth. The things Gatsby did made everyone question what he was hiding instead of his stories. Everyone knows him but no one actually knows about his past. Gatsby appeals to me because he is mysterious but open to people, even though people aren't sure who he really is.

Another idea is the billboard of the eye doctor. This is related to symbolism because his glasses represent an all-seeing power or God. Whenever people are near the billboard, they are sad about their sins. This is important to the novel because it is a way to show the characters have a different side to them.

The Great Gatsby

Nick has rich parents but has to earn money himself. He doesn't know anyone from the east because he is from the west.
Daisy is a rich person Nick knows. He went to meet them because they are the only people he knows.
Tom cheats on Daisy. Tom is racist.
Jordan is Daisy's friend who know Tom is cheating on Daisy.

The book is set in 1920s. It will be about Nick's life in the east. The writing style is from Nick's eyes but Nick is not the main character. Eyes, blue, and light have been to describe some characters.

The Great Gatsby

Researching the Great Gatsby showed me more about the time period than the book. I think the book will be more about a person's life than certain events. I have heard the book is short so it may only be about someone's year. It wasn't written too long ago so it probably is easy to read.

The most interesting thing I read in my research was reading about the 1920s. I saw that the 1920s made America rich but also made Americans poor at the end of the 1920s. I read about how social classes effected each person. And how women got rights from the government and they started working.