Sunday, November 26, 2006
Thoughts on the author- Tim O'Brien
"Forty-three years old, and the war occurred half a lifetime ago, and yet the remembering makes it now. And sometimes remembering will lead to a story, which makes it forever. That's what stories are for. Stories are for joining the past to the future. Stories are for those late hours in the night when you can't remember how you got from where you were to where you are. Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except the story." ~Tim O'Brien
What do you think about this? How is this expressed in the first chapter of the book, The Things They Carried? Write about this for 15 minutes, and post your results as a comment. If that doesn't work, then print out your response and turn it in by the end of the period.
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16 comments:
I do believe Tim O'Brien makes a really good point. I agree that stories are a way to escape reality and just focus on the story at hand. In the first chapter of the book, The Things They Carried, there was so much action and details that i actually felt like i was in the middle of battle with them. I felt like if I didn't finish reading this chapter I would have died. I was just that interested!
I do agree with Tim O'Brien about how storys can indeed let you escape from reality and into a dream world of your own, which you can control.
I guess that by his statement, Tim O'Brien meant that stories are not always told acurately. Even Historical accounts. He is implying that perhaps not even his own story occurred exactly the way he described it. This may be one of the reasons why there is alot of repetition in the story. O'Brien keeps referring back to the death of Ted Lavendar and Jimmy Cross's love for Martha. He may have done this because he could not remember everything that went on during his time in the war and he filled in the gaps repeatedly with the things that he could remember most vividly. This actually helps the story because it tells us about the people that were most important to him and how he felt after being separated from them.
a memory is like a flame on a candle..if the flame goes out then there is no light but if it goes out and you light it again then u can see light again...a memory is the same way if u forget about something but and u dont remeber then that memory is lost but if u remember then the memory stays for as long as u remeber
I think that his thoughts are true. People tend to write about things to escape from the brutal reality. The sensory words that he uses in the story, The Things They Carried, really captures the thoughts of the writer and makes it very realistic for the readers.
I think war has a deep influence on Tim O'Brien' life. He could not foget everything that he had experienced. Days after days, the memory still can't erase. Writing a story is a way for Tim O'Brien to escape from the reality. He watched the war; he had a deep feeling inside his heart. Writhing a story might be a good way for him to express his feelings.
I can relate to Tim O'Briens idea about stories. I ,however, also have another theory about stories. The mind can sometimes be carried away by the story that is being developed, this could be interpreted as the future or maybe it could just be ideas or experiences that the mind wants to revisit in order to complete a story.
I read this before it was part of your homework.I need more time to finsh this!!!<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
I trully agree wit O'Brian that "Stories are for eternity.." because once we die no one else will know our stories or experiences unless they're written and published. This is shown in the first chapter of the book when he goes into detail about the characters and their surroundings. He describes their emotions and their characteristics- showing you how they act. These tools of exemplification help the reader actually feel like they are inside story and keeps them interested and wanting more.
Wow...I truly enjoyed reading what you had to say. I'd love to hear more about what connections you can already see between O'Brien's thoughts on the power of story and how he is creating his story of the Viet Nam war. For instance, Gabriel (Hand Banana), do you see any hint in the first chapter of what you think story means?
I think that O’Brien is right and that’s why he wrote this story to show what happened in the Vietnam War. He wants us all to remember or rather to actually know what it was like since we were no there to see it all happen. He must want to let out to light what can’t be seen. Besides even for generations to come many will see also have the chance to see what it was like and how it happen. The things they carried emotionally physically and symbolically are important and good thing to know. I think that many write to leave more than a story behind, but rather to leave a big good or bad memory.
i think Tim o'Brien is a crazy man with too much time on his hands... no haha i kid. stories are only the thoughts of the author's mind. Perhaps the author wishes to be someone else or to be back in the past to relive some glory days. i agree with Tim O'Brien. Your memory or perhaps you may not always be there but writting stories can be kept.
WELL THE FIRST CHAPTER ON THE THINGS THEY CARRIED THEIRS IS A LOT OF DISCRIPTION WRITTING. FOR A MAN/SOLDIER HAVING MEMORIES ABOUT THE WAR IS UNFORGETABLE. IMAGINE HAVING TO WATCH YOUR BACK 24/7, BEING AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS, KNOWING THAT YOU COULD BE KILLED AT ANY MINUTE CAN'T CAUSE AN EMOTIONAL SCAR. HAVING THAT IN MIND,O'BRIEN'S STORY,SHOWS A LOT OF DESCRITIVE WRITTINGS WHICH IS A EMOTIONAL SCAR, BECAUSE HAVING REMEMBER EVERYTHING THAT SOLDIERS CARRIED EVEN THE WAY OF THE ITEM MUST SHOW THAT IT IS UNFORGETABLE MEMORY.SOME MEMORIES ARE CLEARER THE OTHERS BUT A SCAR WILL LAST FOREVER.
Tim O'Brien is a smart man with lots of ideas in his head. I think that he write books like "The thing they Carried" because it sounds like he wants to keep living in the past and not the future, because the way he writes it's very detail it sound like if he was witnessing it as if it was happening at that time. I also agree with O'Brien that story last forever. Stories are also to escape from reality. Well just the way he writes because he is so detail.
In the first chapter of the book its really about discribing what the soldiers are carring. Theres a story about a guy that writes letters to a lady that he hasn't met. then she turns out to be a lesbian. I dont really know this is from chapter one, or two, it might be both.
i believe that O'Brien has a point to what he is saying because remembering something is in the now.At that momant your bringing it back down to evry detail so its like reliving it in a sense. This is expressed in the chapter by O'Brien telling his story and bringing it to the persent by giving real life details and making realistic. So by writing this book and telling his story hes bring his memories to life and making them forever to be read by many more to come.
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