Module #16 - Discussion #1 - What did THEY carry?

5/5/2014

Be sure to read the first vignette in order to participate in this discussion.

In the title story "The Things They Carried," how do the things the men carry help define them as individuals? What are some of the more interesting items? Which "things" were unexpected? What would you carry if you went to war?

Please respond to two (2) peers during this discussion.

Alyssa Saggio

5/6/2014 01:25:33 am

The things each men carried throughout war helped to shape each and every one of them because it allowed their personalities to show beyond each of their "tough guy" appearances. Although Tim O'Brien writes that each man carries only the essentials, some of them consider different things a "necessity" of war. One of the most unexpected and strange items I read about were the pantyhose that Henry Dobbins carried around his neck, belonging to his girlfriend. While it may show his love for his girlfriend, I thought it strange and interesting. In addition, the condoms did seem strange to me because it's not like there are a large amount of women around the soldiers. I thought that maybe these condoms acted as symbols of the safety precautions they were taking. Also, I thought it was sweet that some of these men took the time to carry pictures of their girlfriends or other loved ones; one example could be the pictures that Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried of Martha. These pictures, to me, could represent the absolute love and devotion each men had for their girlfriends back at home. The fact that Kiowa carries a copy of the New Testament shows his religious opinions and values, and values are something of utter importance when going to war. The last items I will mention, although I could go on forever, would be the dope and tranquilizers that Ted Lavender carried before he was shot. I think that these items acted as a symbol for the stress and anxiety each soldier faced during times of war; it was hard to find methods of relaxation, so I'm sure dope was the easy way out. Although I must carry the essentials, I feel as though bringing something of personal value would be significant while fighting. For instance, I would carry a hair brush. Being that I am a girl, and my hair is long I would constantly need to keep t up out of my face. Also, my hairbrush is something that my grandmother gave to me before she passed away so it would help to remind me of good times.

Mrs. Erdman

5/6/2014 09:33:06 am

Nice to see you applying your analyzing techniques to the literature. Symbols of precautions = condoms. Nice.

Brian Burke

5/8/2014 02:57:04 pm

I agree that each of the items contributes to their character. I also agree that the objects were not always brought as necessities. The panties deffinitely resembled his girlfriend at first sight, but that may have more meaning to that character than the readers know. Or perhaps it's there for humor too. It's almost like comic relief in a sense. The hair brush is a good item in my opinion. It's sentimental value is enough reason, and it's also lightweight. This actually made me question whether or not they allow long hair in the military for girls. If they shaved your head, would you still bring the brush?

Devin Blattner

5/8/2014 03:02:49 pm

Like Mrs. Erdman said, I thought it was nice how you used analyzing techniques to try to figure out why each person brought the item they did. I also thought that it was creative to think of bringing the hair brush that your grandmother had given you before she passed away. That would certainly be a good trinket and memory to help you get through hard times, plus your hair would never be knotty!

Aly

5/9/2014 04:20:31 am

The condoms and the pantyhose were things that I forgot in my post. I think that they weren't stressed as much as maybe the pictures of Martha or the pot. They are peculiar in the way that they show no real value. Who would the men be having sex with? I guess the pantyhose do show Henry's love for his girlfriend. Maybe they smelled like her at the time and that's why he wanted them as apposed to a picture.

Cole

5/6/2014 07:04:24 am

The objects that the men carry in their bags show the type of people they are. It shows their emotions/feelings. I think one of the interesting items that was in one of the bags were the tranquilizers. Also, the bag of dope was interesting because it's weird that they allowed that. The fact that the one guy had comics was also kind of interesting. The bag of dope was definitely unexpected. The one guy had letters from a woman that wasn't even his girlfriend which was strange because why would she send him those letters then? If I were to go into war, I would definitely want a picture of my family/loved ones. I would also have something for me to do to help pass some of the time; either a book to read or a book of crosswords. The last thing that I would bring with me would be a large container of vitamins in order to stay healthy.

Mrs. Erdman

5/6/2014 09:35:11 am

The drugs are always discussed with this novel. Many teens think that they "didn't allow that." Let me say this. Does no one smoke dope today? Have we eradicated drug dealers, drug users, overdoses, etc.? Why is it hard for people to think that people of the "hippie" age smoked dope and took some with them to war?

Alyssa Saggio

5/7/2014 11:55:45 am

Let me just say, I didn't really think that the dope was unexpected. I actually figured that somebody would be carrying it. I guess it acts as a major relaxer for many people. I agree with Mrs. Erdman's sarcastic comment saying, "Does no one smoke dope today?" Practically everyone does. Drugs and drug dealers are certainly not eradicated from today's societies. Also, I'm not sure how much "vitamins" would keep you healthy either. I mean, to some extent they will help but I would rethink that if I were you,

Brian Burke

5/8/2014 03:29:20 pm

Many of the items brought did seem somewhat strange. From tranquilizers to comics, there was a range of items amoungst the men. I did not expect some of those items to be allowed either. Bringing personal things such as photos is simple lightweight object as well. From reading the novel the author explains the weight that each individual is burdened with. Photos weigh almost nothing and porvide meaningful memories as well as comfort a person.

Brian

5/8/2014 03:29:56 pm

provide*

Aly

5/9/2014 04:17:59 am

I was also confused by the letters. I think that they made him feel comfortable and gave him a piece of home and that was all he could focus on to get through the day. It was quite creepy though that they were never really in a relationship and every time he talked about her he would mention her uninterest in him.

Alyson

5/6/2014 09:07:37 am

What the men carry with them define them because each person brings their own unique items with them. It shows what kind of person they are. They each bring personal items that remind them of home or what they want to come home to. I think the stone was interesting because the Lieutenant has a weird obsession Martha. I also found it weird that they were allowed to have drugs on them such as tranquilizers and marijuana, but then again who is there to regulate it and tell them that they can't. I think the items that were interesting were also unexpected. If I went to war I would carry a good luck charm with me because you never know what is going to happen and it also nice to have luck on your side.

Mrs. Erdman

5/6/2014 09:36:24 am

Yes, each item has its own significance to the person. I bet if you emptied out 20 teenaged girls' purses, you would be shocked at some of the junk they carry with them on a daily basis ;)

Devin Blattner

5/8/2014 03:11:51 pm

At first I thought it was super cute that Lt. Cross carries pictures of Martha. In the beginning of the story, I thought maybe they were going to be married or dating but as I read on and got to the vignette, "Love", where Cross mentions that they aren't together and never really were, I was a little shocked that he had carried pictures of her everywhere he went. I felt bad for him because he was so obsessed with her and she never gave him a chance.

Cole

5/9/2014 01:57:53 pm

I agree that the stone was interesting. Why would he carry a little pebble? It shows how Cross has a slight obsession with Martha. Yes, it's hard to believe that they didn't say anything about the dope. The tranquilizers I would imagine would be okay, but the dope is crazy. I didn't think to carry a good luck charm. I do suppose it would be comforting having something that you can hold on to you that brings you to a happy, safe place if you were ever worried about something.

Devin Blattner

5/6/2014 10:16:24 am

In some type of way, each item that the men carry can sort of tell the reader what type of person they are. In the first vignette of the book, the author talks about the different items each person carried. The soldiers brought items they cherish but they also brought items that were a necessity. I was really surprised that Lavender brought marijuana since it is considered an illegal drug in most US states today. Then again, this was in the 1960's and things were a lot different. Another item that one of the soldiers carried that shocked me was condoms. I never would think that this would be an item that soldiers would carry. If I was drafted into the war I would definitely bring a picture of my family and my pets to motivate me when I was in doubt. I would also bring some chocolate bars for an extra snack because chocolate always makes me happy.

Cole

5/9/2014 02:03:05 pm

I didn't even remember the one guy carried condoms. You're right, that is strange. Why would he need condoms if he's at war? Although things were different with marijuana in the 60's it is still hard to believe that it was able to be smuggled onto military planes over to other countries. Chocolate would be a good thing to bring, but don't you think it would get messy because it is very hot in Vietnam. I don't think it will last long before it's chocolate syrup. That's actually why they made M&M's.

Brian

5/6/2014 02:26:16 pm

The solders all brought their own unique interesting items. Some of them useful while some not. Each individual had items that represented them as a character. Interesting items such as the photos of Martha we brought along. These two photos held sentimental value to the character holding them. He also held on to her letters as well. A lot of the items had no real use but were special to each character. Another item brought along was a comic book. I find that interesting because that would be something that I would bring. I may want a personal item to reflect on, or bring me back to a certain memory. Being in a foreign environment, people would like to have something that reminds them of home.

Brian

5/6/2014 02:28:29 pm

An item that I would bring would be a music device. There's most likely more electricity now rather than back then when people brought objects, so I wouldn't see it as useless. The music would help remind me of home and calm me down during the time of war

Alyssa Saggio

5/7/2014 12:02:28 pm

I really liked your take on the whole music thing. Especially if it were an I-Pod in a recharging case, or even some type of radio or Walkman that could run off of batteries. In that instance, I would bring CD's and batteries or load up on music from I-tunes for the I-Pod. In my opinion, there is music for every mood, and I love almost all music. I just think this was an awesome idea to take me out of the war and depression mindset while fighting. I also agree with your feelings of wanting to bring something of sentimental value to remind them of home.

Comments are closed.

Module #16 - Discussion #1 - What did THEY carry?

Mrs. Erdman

Archives

Categories

Writer

Proudly Powered