English 11
Throughout history, there have been many stories surrounding love and war that have been expressed in the forms of written materials and rhetorical tales. There are also been many books written by men and women as they engage in war activities on the battle fields. Many of these books contain short stories as to how the entire actions unfolded in the Vietnam War and many other different war battles in the world. As depicted by Tim O’Brien in the novel “The Things They Carried,” it is quite difficult to retell stories involving war, fighting, and killing. Many soldiers often express what they go through as they battle it out in the battle fields. In most cases, their stories are not pleasant or easy to listen to. This often worsens when it happens to be a true story surrounding what they faced. Most often, the majority of stories express how people gave affection and feeling for one another during the struggles of wartime. War stories are often thought to be sensational and breathtaking, and hence, are told during periods of bereavement and family or friendship bond creation (Klaits, 2011).
O’Brien’s story reiterates what normally happens to men when they are in war. On the battlefield, men are meant to demonstrate bravery, accuracy, and maximum protection over their lives, and the lives and property of the individuals at hand. This is their responsibility right from the time they begin their integrations with war (Williams, 2010). War is certainly not an easy experience as many of them get out injured, or dead. They come out with no other intention of going to battle fields again. However, it takes a heart and love for the job for many men to still go back to war and engage in battling with their enemies. Through reading “The Things They Carried, it can be seen that the book has been developed in a more sensual and free flowing form as it expresses every ordeal men go through while at war (Johnson, 2007).
Wartime can bring about many different emotions in people, including love. Love is a facet which has always determined how human beings relate with one another. As succinctly developed and expressed in this book, love is a critical facet used by men while at war. It is like a driving force, which enables men to interact with their enemies and manage to come out as winners. Within the body and ideological flow of the story, love is the only critical facet, which is used to engage and leave war at any given time. For instance, the article expresses that when these men come back and narrate their endeavors at war to fellow family members or friends, they appear unreal and sensible to life. Their tales, though normally short and to the point, are captivating and always influencing to the natural course of life (Jakes, 2011).
The narrator of this story is a real Vietnam veteran who was fully engaged in war, from the very beginning, to their fatal end. . He is trying to puzzle together the fictional and non-fictional sections and happenings of the story. His aim is to make the story worth listening to those who have an interest in it. The audience is encouraged by the fact that the narrator of the story is revealing everything as it took place, making the storyline captivating and motivating. Moreover, knowing that the narrator is a real Vietnam veteran adds more broth to the general narration of the story (Hagan, 2011). For instance, the origin and intention of the name Tim O’Brien is intended at confusing and mingling together the many happenings at war for the better listening and enjoyment of the audience. This is the name give to the story teller who appears to make most parts of the story look real and touching.
Throughout the narration, the narrator reveals insights into his life. From the beginning to the end of the story, the life-demonstration of the soldier is actually revealed as he engages in various ordeals of war. As the story unravels, one is able to figure out and get to know the special attentions, attributes, and perceptions of the narrator to the entire war as it happened in Vietnam. From this perception, it becomes clear that it is not pleasure or planned intention for these soldiers to engage in war. Whatever happens at war zones as in Vietnam is not likable and pleasurable to the soldiers and the situation as a whole (Hewitt, 1999).
The author of the story produces several repetitions in the narration. This is one of the mechanisms in which he uses to reinforce the narration to suit the preferences of the audience. There are other several narration techniques involved in the story, which includes repetition of certain phrases throughout the story. This makes the narration and the story worth listening to. The narrator is able to express his familiarity with the tales in the book by making a repeat of them (Stockdale & Stockdale, 1990). These repetitive mechanisms help the reader to gain a better understanding of what it felt like to be a soldier during the Vietnam War. The narrator has expressed his innate love for the war yet with repetitive connotations of dislike in his heart. As far as he keeps warning individuals against engaging in war and any other rivalry, he yet again encourages bravery and innate desire to fight and even die for something worth dying for. In this case, he prefers to die while serving his people as this shows a real love for them and the nation as a whole (Kogan, 2002).
According to the author of the novel, Cornell Paul, and the fictions “Doctor Who” television exemplification, the intention of the novel is to actually reveal how many soldiers and civilian individuals love war when it comes to depicting and demonstrating their love for one another. By the time one closes the book; he or she will be in a good position to understand the narrator very well. The novel has been written in simple and easy-to-grasp language of the modern times (Galeano, 2000). This makes the novel understandable to the average reader, therefore, it novel is a favorite for many school and city dwellers who spent most of their time reading programs and interpreting novelistic prints.
Men in war are often driven by their desire to show love and affection for what they are in service for. As Tim O’Brien relays, love and war are two things which drive and shape the world, yet they can also destroy it. As the story relays every activity taking place during wartime in Vietnam, what comes out clear is the fact that though most of the happenings are fictitious, they appear real and express the real innate and character of the soldiers engaged in war. Moreover, the general subject matter of the article is actually to drive people from engaging in war to the lives of all of us, that is, living in peace and harmony with one another throughout life (Eldredge, 2011).
References
Eldredge, J. (2011). Captivating Revised & Updated: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul.
Southampton: Thomas Nelson Inc.
Galeano, E. (2000). Days and Nights of Love and War. Middleborough: Pluto Press.
Hagan, P. (2011). Love and War. Chicago, CA: Samhain Publishing.
Hewitt, J. (1999). Love and war. New Hampshire, NH: Blake.
Jakes, J. (2011). Love and War: Part 2 of North and South Trilogy. New York, NY: Penguin
Group USA.
Johnson, J. (2007). Love and War. Havard: iUniverse.
Klaits, A. (2011). Love & War in Afghanistan. New York, NY: Seven Stories Press.
Kogan, D. (2002). Shutterbabe: Adventures in Love and War. New York, NY: Random House
Publishing Group.
Stockdale, J. and Stockdale, S. (1990). In Love and War: The Story of a Family's Ordeal and
Sacrifice during the Vietnam Years. New York, NY: Naval Institute Press.
Williams, D. (2010). Love And War. New York, NY: Headline.
