• Home Page
  • The Things They Carried Figurative Language Analysis

The Things They Carried Figurative Language Analysis

Improved Essays
Show More
At first glance, The Things They Carried seems like a collection of one man's war stories. But this novel is full of so much more, it talks about love, loss, and recovery. The author, Tim O'Brien, being a veteran of the war himself, used his writing as a way to cope with the trauma he experienced. O'Brien connects these themes though the use of conceit. Conceit is the likening of two very opposite things through figurative language in stories. for example, love and war are completely different, which makes them perfect contenders for the use of conceit. O'Brien really uses this to his advantage in The Things They Carried. It's like he's saying that even thought there is war, there can still be love. The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong gives

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The Things They Carried Synthesis Essay
    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Things They Carried Synthesis Essay

    Synthesis Essay The novel “The Things They Carried” written by Tim O’Brien is a simple yet intriguing story about the items a troop of soldiers carried while stationed in Vietnam. Tim O’brien makes sure the story circles and centers around the horrible conditions of Vietnam. He also puts a voice in his writing so it seems like this topic was very difficult to write about. Throughout the story, O’brien seems to gain trust and courage in his writing and in his audience of young adults.. “The Things They Carried” describes the Vietnam experience and focuses on and prepares O’brien to discuss emotional issues and not just physical or environmental.…

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Tim O Brien Cross Analysis
    • 759 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Tim O Brien Cross Analysis

    The Things they carried by Tim O’Brien was a very interesting novel. The author Tim play a big role in the novel as Cross. Cross shares similar stories in this book as his fictional childhood and his time in the army days. In this novel Cross used characters to demonstrate what his life was like. These characters were soldiers that carried a lot of different things from mental illness, guns, abuse and most of all fear.…

    • 759 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Levels Of Truth In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried
    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Levels Of Truth In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

    In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien breaks down the border between fact and fiction as he articulates a credible collection of war stories. O’Brien takes the unique role in the novel as an imaginary character created from a blend of real and fabricated elements, but he still makes sure to elucidate that the novel is merely a work of his imagination. Nevertheless, this style of autobiographical fiction forces readers to question the fictional nature of the novel. O’Brien himself understands the blurred line separating fact from fiction, and he discusses the complex relationship between the two in his storytelling.…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Things They Carried Syntax Analysis
    • 394 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Things They Carried Syntax Analysis

    In the excerpt from The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien effectively develops his philosophy that a soldier carries pride, and that they also hold the burden to do terrible things to others for justice and most of all they have to experience terrible things. through his creative use of a variety of syntax techniques. One such technique is his use of polysyndeton. . He writes, “War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling, war is drudgery.…

    • 394 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Imagery In The Things They Carried
    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Imagery In The Things They Carried

    Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried follows a group of soldiers through their tour of Vietnam. Throughout the story the reader is provided with imagery from a soldier coincidentally named Tim O’Brien, detailing the items his fellow soldiers carry in their knapsacks. The items carried show great personal connections to one another, as well as their lives outside of the war. Not only are the items described, but the emotion of warfare is depicted in great detail. Therefore, O’Brien’s imagery creates an important narrative from a soldier’s point of view.…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Irony In The Things They Carried
    • 1696 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Irony In The Things They Carried

    This endangered the men and exposed them to extensive danger in the field. O’Briens memories from war help him create a true experience for the reader, “Like most of the literature of the Vietnam war, “The Things They Carried” is shaped by the personal combat experiences of the author” (“The Things They Carried” 320). He can make connections through the characters others would not be able to make, revealing true emotion. Readers praise O’Brien for his ability to blend facts with fiction in his war stories. One major motif in the book is the burdens carried by soldiers, O’Brien reveals all the feelings these men experience throughout different periods of the war process.…

    • 1696 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Denial In The Things They Carried
    • 1151 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Denial In The Things They Carried

    The Truth Lies Within The Story When faced with trauma, every individual reacts differently and chooses to express their emotions distinctly. This is especially evident in soldiers and how they deal with loss during wartime situations. In his novel The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien explores different coping mechanisms for those in traumatic situations. O 'Brien explores the various ways with which soldiers cope with wartime experiences such as through social dependency , through denial and through storytelling in order to deepen one’s understanding the effectiveness of these coping mechanisms. He argues that the only true way to cope is by accepting the reality of the situation one is facing.…

    • 1151 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Sweetheart Of The Song Tra Bong, By Tim O Brien
    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Sweetheart Of The Song Tra Bong, By Tim O Brien

    When people hear stories, most of the time they can tell if they are real, but sometimes it can be hard to tell. Tim O’Brien’s novel The Things They Carried shows his and the experiences of many other soldiers in the Vietnam War. He describes all the horrible things they see, what they feel, and the impact of the war on them. Along with the memories of war, he also includes the art of writing and the importance of stories. In some of the chapters, O’Brien even writes about events that never actually happened.…

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Concept Of Truth In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried
    • 1324 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Concept Of Truth In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

    In the end, the only thing that matters is how it makes us feel. This novel is meant to make the reader feel. Regardless, we will still attempt to dig into each individual story and figure out how it is a tool to get across some theme and Tim O’Brien will cringe. It doesn’t matter if The Things They Carried is a collection of short stories or a novel, because, as a whole, it follows the definitions of a true war story: there is never a moral, it cannot be believed, it does not depend on truth, and most importantly, it makes the stomach believe. O’Brien is like Sanders in his storytelling, in that some things may be embellished and sometimes he interrupts his own story, but the point of it is to make us “feel the truth, to believe by the raw force of feeling” (70).…

    • 1324 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Intangible Things In The Things They Carried
    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Intangible Things In The Things They Carried

    The Things They Carried Essay In the book The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, the soldiers carried many things during the war that were linked to the person they were. The story takes place in 1960’s during the Vietnam war, and is a collection of short stories by Tim O’Brien who was drafted into the war in his early twenties. The book is based on events and emotions that affected him during the war, and in the first chapter he writes about all of the things that the men carried in Vietnam. Many of these things were tangible objects that represent them and their lives during war, but more so was the intangible things that defined them in this story.…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Theme Of Ptsd In The Things They Carried
    • 1209 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Theme Of Ptsd In The Things They Carried

    Post-traumatic stress disorder is a reoccurring issue throughout the book The Things They Carried. The author, Tim O’Brien, tells war stories of several different men from the same Alpha Company in Vietnam. The harsh reality of the effects of the Vietnam War is described through the feelings and long-lasting impact it had on soldiers. The emotional and physiological problems faced by war veterans is addressed throughout this whole novel. Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is something people develop after witnessing or experiencing a terrifying event.…

    • 1209 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Theme Of Physical And Emotional Burdens In The Things They Carried
    • 1142 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Theme Of Physical And Emotional Burdens In The Things They Carried

    Throughout this wide range of stories, however, there are similarities and themes that connect them and make them relatable to people from all backgrounds. One example of these themes is the idea of physical and emotional burdens and the toll these have on the soldiers both during and after the war. Therefore, In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien’s use of painfully honest metaphors, imagery, and anaphora reveals his overarching theme of physical and emotional burdens. First, O’Brien’s effective use of metaphors clearly conveys his theme of physical and emotional burdens. For example, one of the soldiers, Henry Dobbins, keeps his girlfriend 's pantyhose tied around his neck while on duty because, “they kept him safe.…

    • 1142 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Things They Carried Theme Essay
    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Things They Carried Theme Essay

    In “The Things They Carried,” Tim O’Brien shares numerous war stories to illustrate the life of a soldier in the Vietnam War. Throughout the book, the narrator, Tim O’Brien, shares stories about the soldiers in his platoon during the war. He shares what each soldier carried and its significance. He also discusses the effects of the war on the soldiers’ life, including his own, by using themes. O’Brien utilizes several themes in his stories, such as love and guilt.…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Things They Carried Rhetorical Analysis Essay
    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Things They Carried Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    Author and Vietnam War veteran, Tim O’Brien, in his fictional novel “The Things They Carried” ties together his real experience from being in the Vietnam War with a fictional twist on all his stories throughout the novel. The stories complexity allows O’Brien to emphasizes the difference between “storytelling truth” versus “happening truth”. O’Brien uses rhetoric devices such as repetition and metaphors and diction to highlight the effect storytelling has on a reader’s emotions such as grief. O’Brien also emphasizes the fact that stories allow for the diseased to keep living through their own chronicle memories, which gives his novel a purpose: to aid readers through their own grief by sharing the stories of these Vietnam war soldiers. In…

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Mortality In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried
    • 1214 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Mortality In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

    Juxtaposition through grotesque imagery, such as the man O’Brien kills, reveals this concept of life versus death and how O’Brien is lead to reevaluate his life as a result of war. Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried uses motifs and juxtaposition to convey a feeling of O’Brien’s own emphasized mortality as a result of war and his proximity to death. In war, there is a highlighted sense of mortality due to proximity to death.…

    • 1214 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings