The Things They Carried

“I did not kill him. But I was present, you see, and my presence was enough guilt.” (O’Brian 179) In this quote we see a paradox. The previous stories turned out to be fake. He never killed a man but being there when he was killed made him feel the guilt of killing another human. So there was still truth to the story.

“I was afraid of him—afraid of something—and as he passed me on the trail I threw a grenade that exploded at his feet and killed him.” (O’Brian 131) This showed a lot about our author's character. He was afraid of something unknown.

The author was clearly against going to the war and did not want to kill or even be there. He did not kill but he felt the burden and guilt of killing a man doing the same as him. Trying not to disappoint his family and others who expect him to fight. War does not care who you are or what you mean to something.

“Daddy tell the truth,” Kathleen can say, “did you ever kill anybody?” And I can say, honestly, “Of course not.” Or I can say, honestly, “Yes.” is an example of paradox, although he didn’t kill the man he feels although since he was there a part of the blame falls on him. 

“ I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why story truth is sometimes truer than happening-truth.” is an example of perspective. Although he didn’t kill that man, being there made him feel like it was his fault. He is saying that sometimes it's more about the feelings you get from the story than the story itself. 

I think the author's message on war is “War gives soldiers a weight that can never be lifted”.  War leaves lifetime effects on the people involved-it never actually leaves them. Even witnessing events can change someone's life forever.

“It was not a matter of live or die. There was no real peril. Almost certainly the young man would have passed by. And it will always be that way.” (O’Brian 133) Perspective is a literary term for this because it helped be understand that he didn't want to kill this person he did hate him or dis like him he did it because that's what his body had been trained for and he didn't have to kill him he could have just walked on by.

“Yes, maybe a scholar. And for years, despite his family’s poverty, the man I killed would have been determined to continue his education in mathematics.” (O’Brian 128) Juxtaposition is a good literary term. This made me better understand the story and how I saw it was he was kind of describing his life as his when he was coming up with ideas of how this young man's life was and that, that man could have been him laying there.

I think the author's perspective on war is that you may have to do things in war that aren't always good. 

“The Man I Killed” By Tim O’Brien

“He was not a Communist. He was a citizen and a soldier.” (O’Brien 125) Character. This quote is an example of character because it’s describing who the soldier is. This quote helps me understand the story more because it describes who the soldier is in the story. 

“The butterfly was making its way along the young man’s forehead, which was spotted with small dark freckles.” (O’Brien 127) Imagery. This quote is an example of imagery because it paints a picture for the reader. This quote can help me understand the story better because it’s describing what’s happening in the story.

These literary terms can help me to understand the author’s perspective on war. The author goes into descriptive detail which tells me that they know a lot about war. A message that I can take away from this story is that soldiers are left with bad memories.

“The Wave that Takes Them Under”

“Punching the god-damned clown”- This is a metaphor for masturbating, which Henderson believes that is all the higher ups do while they are out there risking their lives.

“He thinks of home, of Anna, of sand pouring in their bedroom window”- This is perspective. Henderson is thinking of his wife and sees sand pouring in through the window in their home. He’s seeing the sand pour through and drowning him, not being able to go home to her.

The authors perspective on war from what i believe is that War should be about working together to achieve a goal. But when you are out there risking your life and following orders while the person giving orders is sitting around doing nothing but barking orders, it's not worth drowning in the dunes of death

“‘Kiowa shook his head. There was some silence before he said, ‘Stop staring’” (O’Brien 128)---The literary term that represents the quote the most is Perspective. This helps me understand the whole story because it shows Tom’s perspective and how he sees the young man he just killed. He relates to him in his own way and he has no idea who he is but makes up who he is by relating his life to his. This causes Tom to just feel bad for what he just did and confused because he doesn’t know why and he can’t do anything but just stare at what he has just done. This leads to Kiowa telling him to stop staring because Tom is so lost in his mind about this Man.

“If he could not fight little boys, he thought, how could he ever become a soldier and fight the Americans with their airplanes and helicopters and bombs” (O’Brien 127)---The literary term that represents the quote the most is Perspective. This helps me understand the whole story because  once again Tom relates to the boy and we see it in Tom’s perspective. He has no idea who he is and he continues to relate the Man to himself and how they both shouldn’t be in war and both were unfortunate to be put in war. 

These literary terms helped me understand that the authors perspective on war is that “War can bring out the true you”

“There were no thoughts about killing. The grenade was to make him go away-just evaporate-and I leaned back and felt my mind go empty and then felt it fill up again.”---Perspective

This quote is an example of Tim's perspective on the grenade situation and helps me understand that time does not want to be a killer. Tim just doesn't have the strength to fight in a war. 

“He told me that it was a good kill, that I was a soldier and this was a war, that I should shape up and stop staring and ask myself what the dead man would’ve done if things were reversed.”---Juxtaposition

This quote is an example of juxtaposition as Kiowa asks Tim to reflect on his kill, and wants Tim to try and see how the scenario may have played out if it was the opposing soldier with the grenade. This helps me understand that Tim was in a tough spot, and sometimes you are forced to make a decision without any time for consideration.

These two quote help me understand the author's perspective on war, by giving us a situation that challenges the narrator. The author's message on war is that sometimes you will be forced to make decisions without time to address the possible effects. The message that I took away from this story is that not everyone has is made for war mentally and physically, so killing is going to affect every soldier differently.

“Ambush” by Tim O’Brian

“He lay at the center of the trail, his right leg bent beneath him, his one eye shut, his other eye a huge star-shaped hole.” (O’Brian 133)

This quote represents imagery, which this chapter has a lot of. It emphasizes the character's guilt and how he really feels about killing someone. Being able to describe the scene in horrific detail. Especially since they looked harmless, the character feels even more guilty.

“Even now I haven't finished sorting it out. Sometimes I forgive myself, other times I don't.” (O’Brian 134)

This quote kind of represents juxtaposition, revealing how the character feels about the aftermath. That sometimes he convinces himself that he did nothing wrong, but other times, he can’t. I think the perspective the author is trying to push is that even in war people will make decisions they will regret. That even in war people will make mistakes. And things like this aren't things you can go back and change, so they’re just decisions/mistakes that you will have to learn to live with.

“The man I killed”. “His jaw was in his throat, his upper lip and teeth were gone, his one eye was shut, his other eye was a star- shaped hole…it was this wound that killed him” (O’brien 124). In this quote imagery is the main literary term used. This helps me better understand the story because the way this is described is what soldiers see everyday and I feel like that's the reason for this story to show us what soldiers see almost all the time. This story also helped me understand the author's perspective because in this story is perspective of war is war is real and there is just stuff soldiers see that many others don’t so we don’t know what they're going through and that also really the message I got from this story that war is something that soldiers really get. “The young man’s fingernails were clean. There was a slight tear at the lobe of one ear” (O’brien 128). This quote shows repetition because most of the story this sentence was repeated. This quote helps me understand the story better because it's repeated in the book so I think it was like his mind going back to the beginning and thinking about this all over again in “real” life. I believe the author's perspective of war is something could have happened minutes or years ago but soldiers will always go back to that moment. The message I believe is war goes on while the mind stands still. 

"On The Rainy River", By Tim O'Brien

"Courage, I seemed to think, comes to us in infinite quantities, like an inheritance, and by being frugal and stashing it away and letting it earn interest."(O'Brien 40) This quote is an example of the literary term Metaphor, it helps me understand the story better because he is sharing his beliefs and it makes me think that he would rather go to school and have money than go and fight for his country.

"I survived, but it's not a happy ending. I was a coward. I went to the war."(O'Brien 61) This quote is an example of the literary term Paradox, it helps me understand the story better because he confirmed his beliefs and showed he regretted going to war because it was not what he wanted, but I think he knew it was the right thing to do. 

I think the author's perspective on war is that it is always gonna be there and that his message about war is that people think and feel differently about certain things. The quotes and literary terms showed this because it explained his side and his reasoning of why he didn't want to participate in fighting in the war. 

"The upper lip and gum were gone. The man's head was cocked at a wrong angle, as if loose at the neck was wet with blood" ( Obrien 126) the author uses imagery to explain the man that has been killed. This helps me better understand the story because it shows how it affects the character 

"...- a scholer,maybe." OBrien 128 juxttion

the main character in inferencing that the man he killed to be a scholar possibly. He later goes on the explain the man's possible life making me guess that maybe he's more or less reflecting on his own life instead of the man.

the message from this story I got was soldiers are people too. the short story help me built that perspective because of the author telling of the dead soldiers' possible past life

"The Man I Killed" By:Tim O'Brian 

"His jaw was in his throat, his upper lip ans teeth were gone, his one eye was shut,his other eye was a start-shaped hole." This quote is an example of Imagery. This quote helps me understand what the soldiers seeing and describing after he throw a grande. 

"The man that I killed... it was this wound that killed him." This quote shows the lit term Perspective. This quote helps me understand how he feel and how guilty he feels after kill a man. 

This lit terms help me understand the author's perspective on war because he is describing how the solider feels an what is going on in his mind and what he is seeing after . It also helps me understand what a lot soldiers have to go thought and what they have to see almost everyday.  

I think that the authors perspective on war is that something can happen and seconds and you have to make a discussion right or wrong. I took away that war ugly and there may be a right or wrong discussion but you just have to choose one and deal with the consequences later.  

In the story, "On the Rainy River" by Tim O'Brien, the two literary terms that stood out to me the most were Simile and Perspective. The first quote from this story was, “He didn't speak. He was simply there, like the river and the late-summer sun. And yet by his presence, his mute watchfulness, he made it real. He was the true audience. He was a witness, like God, or like the gods, who look on in absolute silence as we live our lives, as we make our choices or fail to make them." (O’Brien 60) This quote here has multiple similes, and helps us understand how Tim is feeling. The lines of Elroy “simply there, like the river and the late-summer sun” and “He was a witness, like God” showed us how much his presence altered his vision. He makes it seem although he is beginning to feel guilty, as if Elroy is the real life God, standing there disappointed. The second quote from this story was, "I survived, but it's not a happy ending. I was a coward. I went to the war" (O’Brien 61) This quote shows perspective as it really shows how Tim felt throughout his decisions. He realized he was a coward for going to Canada, but also it wasn’t a happy ending, as he did the one thing he didn’t want to do, which was go to war. Based on the story, I believe the author's perspective on war is that it is not needed. He has the character, Tim, flood to Canada because he didn’t want to fight in the war. He states multiple times how Tim didn’t want to go to war, and how Tim doesn’t support war.

"On The Rainy River" by Tim O'Brien

“I would go to war--- I would kill and maybe die--- because I was embarrassed not to" (O'Brien, 59). This shows both understatement and paradox. The reality is there that he's going to war and will kill people, and perhaps die himself, but all because he's embarrassed not to. Also, understatement for casual mention of death.

“I survived, but it’s not a happy ending. I was a coward, I went to the war" (O'Brien, 61). Again, understatement and paradox both. Surviving yet saying it's not a happy ending, as if it's the end for you yet you survived. And understatement in the slim amount of information, as this quote is fairly concise, and few words are required to get the point across simply because there's no real going into detail about the situation.

These terms helped me better understand war by showing war can be a harsh reality, but yet feel like it's a dream, and can be underestimated for the effects it has on people, or what happens and what is experienced in war.

The authors perspective on war is that it is tough, and it's a struggle for people who go through it, even before they fight.

My message taken from this about war is the war is traumatic and not easy for anyone. Survived war, or going to war, it is not easy. And it leaves an impact on you, sometimes even before you fight in war, even when it's only just a thought of fighting in one.

I am choosing the quotes based on the stories The Man I Killed, Ambush, and Good Form. These stories each display great literary terms.

An example in one is Juxtaposition. This is from the short story; Good Form “‘Daddy, tell the truth,’ Kathleen can say, ‘did you ever kill anybody?’ And I can say, honestly, ‘Of course not’ Or I can say, honestly “Yes.” (180 Tim O’Brien) This helped me understand as a reader what he was thinking. He wants to tell Kathleen about war, the truth. But he knows that there are negative outcomes to both and he wants to wait until she is more mature. This shows that war comes home with questions that can trigger memories.

Another literary term would be POV. Point of View is extremely important because it tells you who is telling the story, what’s going on, and potentially what the person is thinking. In the short story The Man I Killed we are listening to this man tell a story about the man he just killed. We can infer that it’s not true. He assumed that he was a mathematician and had his life planned out. The man felt guilty for killing him. “His life was now a constellation of possibilities. So, yes, maybe a scholar. And for years, despite his family's poverty, the man I killed would have been determined to continue his education in mathematics” (128 Tim O’Brien) 

The message I took away from each story is that war causes guilt and creates questions that you make not want or even know the answer to. To me, the author seem to mention death, confusion, and guilt. We took the perspective of the man that killed someone else in the war. 

The Man I Killed

"there was a slight tear at the lobe of one ear, his clean black hair was swept upward into a cowlick at the rear of the skull, his forehead was lightly freckled, his fingernails were clean,"(Obrien1)

This is imagery. This helps better understand the raw gruesome aspect of war and death.

"butterfly on his chin, his neck was open to the spinal cord and the blood there was thick and shiny and it was this wound that had killed him."(Obrien1)

This is juxtaposition. It contrasts the beauty of a butterfly with the singe of death. It helps understand seeing the other things in war that seem cliche but they really can happen.

The authors perspective on war is through seeing beyond what is in front of you. The author pictures this mans life and aspirations, opinions, and goals. But he is simply a dead body.  This story made me take away how one action can affect many more people than just the one that is focused on.

On the Rainy River, Tim O’Brien 

“...you’d hear a quick splattering sound as the clots dissolved into fine red mist.”(O’Brien 43) is an example of imagery because it is a descriptive moment. It lets the reader experience what is happening in the text.

“...almost ferocious silence.”(O’Brien 49) shows an example of paradox. It is a paradox because something ferocious is very violent and aggressive, which isn't silent. This quote is a difference between reality and character perspective. 

Lit terms Imagery and Paradox helped me further understand the story because it gives the text more of a picturable ability. A message I took away from the story is a message about war is courage. Courage can change a man from a protagonist to a soldier in war. 

""Well, right now,” she said, “I’m not dead. But when I am, it’s like . . . I don’t know, I guess it’s like being inside a book that nobody’s reading.”” (245) this shows simile because it tells you being dead is like being in a book.

""Anyhow, it’s not so bad,” she said. “I mean, when you’re dead, you just have to be yourself.”” (245) this shows both understatement and plot because she just plays it off like being dead is really nothing which helps him to think more about the whole idea which helps move the plot further.

His perspective on war is that every dead body has a story, you just need to open their book and read it. But most people don’t sit down and read that story instead they play off the fact that being dead is nothing to worry about at all as they high five and make jokes about the dead.

“On The Rainy River”

“ A million things all at once - I was too good for this war. Too smart, too compassionate, to everything. It couldn’t happen. I was above it” (O’Brien 61). This quote is an example of perspective. This quote helps shows the author's message about war by tying this quote to it, but it also shows how our character feels towards war, and that not everyone including himself, should have to be there

“I would go to war - I would kill and maybe die - because I was embarrassed not to.”(O’Brien59) This quote is an example of plot; it helps us understand how the author got his main point understood by the readers by tying it directly to the characters' thoughts. This quote is the main character saying he would do whatever he thinks is right in war because he doesn’t want to be there.

I think the main idea in this book is that people are too smart for war. After our main character got drafted, he didn’t want to go to war. He thought that people like him that have something going for their life should be given a choice rather than sent out in battle unwillingly, and the people that want to fight can.