Job 3

“ It was not a matter of live o die… And it will always be that way.” (O’Brian 133)

This passage stands out as an insightful identifier because it explains what happens at war and what was Tim O’Brian’s experience of killing a man. The realization is he didn’t really need to kill the man as his life did not depend on it. Tim has pulled the cap of the grenade and by then had no option but to throw it. He did and a man died.
Tim says, “and it will always be that way.”(O’Brian 133) He says that because there is nothing that can change what happened. He doesn’t express regret or guilt. He is just resigned to the idea that this is what happens in war.

“There was no music…’why’s she dancing?” (O’Brian 134)

Again this passage supports the theme that what happens in a war just doesn’t make sense. A girl is dancing even though we find out that her house burned down and her family is dead. There was no music is an insightful identifier that there was nothing to dance to, just as there is no reason for the girl to dance. It makes no sense. This supports the theme that you cant explain the strange things that happens at war.
That isn’t to say that if there was music and the girl was dancing it would make sense. It means there was no reason to dance and the music is a metaphor for the reason.

“I did not look on my work as therapy. But that nonetheless help to clarify and explain.” (O’Brian 158)

I chose this passage because I thought it was an insightful identifier to how the author was able to write the book. By writing about what happened to all of them. O’Brian was able to document what needed to be known and understood and once they were on paper. He could start letting go of these stories. It was therapy for him to write them down.
O’Brian says, “ By telling stories, you objectify your own experience. You separate it from yourself.” (O’Brian) This shows how he could deal with his memories so that he could go on with his life. Norman Bowker wasn’t able to let go of his memories as Tim was. I think that writing the stories was very significant to understanding the book was written.

“Briefly he stopped and watches the clouds… The rain was the war and you had to fight it.”(O’Brian)

O’Brian writes another insightful identifier that is a metaphor for the war. In this text the war is compared to the rain. The rain wouldn’t let you up just like you cant take a break from the war. You just have to deal with it as you would the rain with all its inconveniences.
Another realization could be that there is something positive with lots of rain like plants growing, so maybe something positive also came out of the war.

“Azar kept shaking his head… You’ve got to admit, its pure world class irony”
An insightful identifier is that O’Brian is always writing about the irony of their situation. In this passage he refers to them, “ Wasted in the waste.” (O’Brian 165) By this he keeps repeating this idea that not only was the war like being in shit, but they actually were in real shit in that the field where they were camping in was used as toilet.
Being in the war stunk, and the place they were in the war’s stunk. This is the irony that O’Brian was referring to. The deep meaning is that this was a shifty war to have to be in.

Job 2.

1. “It wasn’t a question of deceit. Just the opposite: he wanted to heat up the truth, to make it burn so hot that you would feel exactly what he felt. For Rat Kiley, I think, facts were formed by sensation… multiplying by maybe.” (O’Brian 89-90)

This text creates a mood for understanding Rat Kiley’s version of the truth through the sense of humor of Tim O’Brian. Tim makes Rat’s stories sound like exaggeration but not the lying type but the type that is blown our of proportion because that is how he experiences it.
O’Brian uses words like heat up the truth and make it burn so hot. I noticed these words because you never associate heat with the truth, but the author wants you to feel that truth is full of hot air and is unbelievable. I also thought it was very funny that he comes up with a math formula subtracting superlatives, finding a square root of an absolute and multiplying by maybe. O’Brian creates a mood of amusement at Rat Kiley’s stories.

2. “Near the end of the third week… but then weren’t they all?” (O’Brian 104-105)

The author’s choice of phrases like: seemed to accept, restless gloom, at the edge of, shoulders hunched, blue eyes opaques, and seemed to disappear, create the mood that someone is present physically, but emotionally they’re somewhere else. You feel that something is wrong. He also says a haunted look, partly terror, partly rapture, caught in that no man’s land- these words all create a mood that there is something trouble Mary-
Anne.
By using these words and expressions, O’Brian paints a sad picture of Mary Anne’s mood. The reader can understand how Mary-Anne is feeling and that helps the reader to have pathos for her sadness. He says, “ Just a child, blond and innocent,”(O’Brian 105) This sentence sounds like a description of a sweet little girl so the reader feels that she has been hurt by someone stronger than her.

3. “Across the room a dozen candles… but the high voice was Mary Anne’s.” (O’Brian 109-110)

With this text the author creates a mysterious, spooky mood. He has candles burning, echo sounds, and music that is described as tribal. He describes a smell from some exotic smokehouse to make it smell foreign and not belonging there. He also says a powerful stench to make it sound like it stinks. The smell is described as paralyzing your lungs- strong words to indicate a shocking smell. It is thick and numbing. The stink of the kill. He uses words like decayed, skin dangled, stacks of bones -all description that give you the creeps.
The author goes on to use capital letters, “ ASSEMBLE YOUR OWN GOOK!! FREE SALMPLE KIT!!.”(O’Brian 110) He uses capital letters and exclamation marks in twos and threes to grab the readers attention. He also says, “ The images came in a swirl Rat said, and there was no way you could process it all.” (O’Brian 110) This lets the reader feel that the situation was overwhelming.

4.“ It was his one eccentricity, The panty hose,… and let the magic do its work.” (O’Brian 117-118)
This text creates a mood of disbelief that the pantyhose of Henry Dobbins’s girlfriend was considered by him to have powers to protect him from danger. The author describes this as properties of a good luck charm, and the way an infant sleeps with a flannel blanket which creates a mood that the pantyhose makes Henry feel safe. He uses words like secure and peaceful. It is a talisman. It is like body armor.
This description of a soldier creating a ritual of wrapping a girl’s pantyhose which is a feminine object is unexpected but the truth of what happens makes the reader question this doubt. Maybe it was able to keep him from being hurt. “Dobbins was invulnerable. Never wounded, never a scratch.” (O’Brian 118) The author creates a mood of believing in the power of the pantyhose.

5.“ Oh man, you fuckin’ trashed that fucker… this particular individual gets A-plus.” (O’Brian 125-126)

This text creates a mood of having to describe something in which you cant even find the right words to describe them. Azar is trying to describe the man that Kiowa had killed. The body is so badly destroyed, but the author describes it in words that just don’t belong with describing a person who has been killed.
The author uses words liked Shredded fucking Wheat, oatmeal, and Rice Krispies. These are names of breakfast cereals that have no similarities at all with a person that has been destroyed. Breakfast cereals are words of a fresh start at the beginning of the day and not the end of a life. The author also says, “ On the dead test, this particular individual gets A- plus.” (O’Brian 126)The reader is left wondering who says something like that to describe a man who is killed. The mood is that the death of this man doesn’t even matter.

Assignment #2, Love(27-30); Spin(31-38)

I learned that being in love isn’t easy and that you could love someone who wouldn’t love you back. I felt sorry when Jimmy Cross confessed his feelings to Martha. Her reaction was that she was rather cold and didn’t seem to care about him at all. I’m sure that was very hurtful.
I pictured in my head Martha at that college reunion in 1979. She trained as a nurse but didn’t care too much about it. She hadn’t gotten married, so I pictured her as kind of lost and detached from people. When Jimmy told her he loved her, she didn’t seem to care. I picture Martha as a person who has deadened her emotions.

I couldn’t believe that Azar could be so indifferent in his attitude about seeing a kid with only one leg to the point that he could make a cruel joke about it. He cracked a joke that the reason the boy had lost his leg was because the person who shot him had run out of the ammo otherwise they would have blown both legs off a little kid. I couldn’t believe that Azar could think like that. It made me realize that the war had stripped him of his humanity.
I like the way the writer is honest about his feelings and doesn’t try to make everyone look like war heroes. I think the way the writer describes instances of memory as he remembers them, and not as long stories. The way he writes makes the reader aware of the pain of his memories and how much he needs to hold on to these memories to make it all feel real.

Assignment #1, The Things They Carried (1-26).

1.)

The tangible item that I would bring would be a large, plastic tarp. I would prefer that it be of camouflage colors and not be the typical bright neon blue color which would be sure to attract attention. An olive green color would be most ideal.
The reason for this would be that having a tarp would be a very effective way of protecting myself and others from the elements. It would provide safe shelter from the weather, rain and heat. It would also protect us from evil blood- sucking mosquitoes. The tarp would be useful in allowing us to sleep in a dry spot. The tarp could also be useful in carrying or dragging along other items.
Bringing a tarp would be important to me because I would be prepared and protected from mother nature that could demoralize and defeat me if I had to sleep in a cold or soaking wet environment . Vietnam is known for its tropical weather, which means there would be a lot of rainfall to deal with. Having this tarp would make me feel warm and safe which would be vital for my well being in such a hostile environment.


2.)
The intangible item that I would bring would be the slogan Carpe diem, which translated from Latin means seize the day. I consider it to be a slogan because I would use the force of its meaning to make the most out of every day. I am there for a mission and I better do my job to the best of my ability.

This slogan of seizing the day would energize me to do my absolute best. By thinking this way, I wouldn’t be thinking. oh god how many days am I going to be stuck here. Instead I would be thinking, I’ve got to kill or capture as many enemies as possible. Thinking positively makes all the difference. It would force me to act instead of reacting to the war situation. This should ensure the best results.