Final Presentation

This was my first time using one of these video programs, so I kind of messed up the camera angles, but here you go!

Annotated Bibliography

Hunter, Jeffrey. “Tim O’Brien (1946-).”  Contemporary Literary Criticism Vol. 211. (2006): 182-241.  Literature Criticism Online. Gale. Yavapai College. 15 July 2011.

http://galenet.galegroup.com.proxy.yc.edu/servlet/LitCrit/yava/FJ2683950004

This resource provides in-depth analysis on all of O’Brien’s works, including many of those found in “The Things They Carried.” It contains biographical information for O’Brien, compares his writing style and subject matter to Ernest Hemingway, and compares him with others who write about war and Vietnam in general. There was a lot in here that I used as background information to help me understand O’Brien’s writing, even though I only used it directly in a few places.

Krstovic, Jelena. “Tim O’Brien (1946-).”  Short Story Criticism. Vol. 123. (2009): 82-190. Literature Criticism Online. Gale. Yavapai College. 15 July 2011.

http://galenet.galegroup.com.proxy.yc.edu/servlet/LitCrit/yava/FJ1584150003

This resource also provided in-depth analysis on all of O’Brien’s work.  This resource also had a very in-depth analysis on “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong,” and compares it to “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad. I used this resource mainly as background information and to confirm some of my suspicions about the more far-fetched aspects of this story in particular.

Schmitt, Deborah.  “Tim O’Brien (1946-).”  Contemporary Literary Criticism Vol. 103. (1998): 130-177. Literature Criticism Online. Gale. Yavapai College. 15 July 2011. http://galenet.galegroup.com.proxy.yc.edu/servlet/LitCrit/yava/FJ3527750005

This resource provided biographical information about O’Brien, quotes from his interviews, and a large discussion about his treatment of his subject matter as far as how much is “true.” This text cites other critical examinations of O’Brien’s works, and therefore contained more far-reaching and eclectic interpretations than any of the other resources.  I used this resource for the quotes that it contains of O’Brien commenting on his own works.

Close Reading

He loved her so much.  On the march, through the hot days of early April, he carried the pebble in his mouth, turning it with his tongue, tasting sea salt and moisture.  His mind wandered.  He had difficulty keeping his attention on the war.  On occasion he would yell at his men to spread out the column, to keep their eyes open, but then he would slip away into daydreams, just pretending, walking barefoot along the Jersey Shore, with Martha, carrying nothing.  He would feel himself rising.  Sun and waves and gentle winds, all love and lightness.  (O’Brien 8)

This is an excerpt from Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried.”  I chose this quote because it’s from a story where O’Brien practices a fair amount of discipline in his writing.  Some of O’Brien’s writing is emotional and overstated, but this story in particular is very precise, understated, and almost clinical.  Yet this makes the emotion underneath the story have that much more impact.  It is interesting that when O’Brien talks matter-of-factly about the weight of a full magazine (5), I feel more of an emotional connection to his experience then when he talks about being in a boat off the shore of Canada crying, seemingly with the weight of the world on his shoulders (53-57).  The beauty of his writing in this story is that he shows restraint; He doesn’t talk overtly about his feelings and struggle so that it feels like you’re being smothered with it.  In fact, he seldom talks about feelings at all during this story.  The feelings are implied, however, and stronger felt for that.

            In the story, O’Brien describes the weight of every item that is carried by soldiers during their tours.  At first, this makes for some rather dry reading.  However, as the list of the items they are burdened with continues, the reader is forced to contemplate the weight of these items emotionally.  Almost each item that they carry is a reminder either of their own proximity to a gruesome death, or their role to carry out such a gruesome death to someone else.  They are in Vietnam to kill or be killed, and they are aware of it every second of every day because of all the things they carry with them.  A 60-pound backpack is not light, but how much more heavy for them when it carries that much emotional baggage?  This passage makes an impact because in it O’Brien expresses the desire that they all secretly share.  The desire is not for Martha, or the Jersey Shore, but simply to lay their burdens down and enjoy the feeling of “carrying nothing.”

Here is a link about the power of an understated writing style

Works Cited

O'Brien, Tim.  "The Things They Carried."  The Things They Carried.  New York:  Houghton Mifflin,  1990.

O'Brien, Tim.  "On the Rainy River."  The Things They Carried.  New York:  Houghton Mifflin,  1990.

Image:

Lawrie, Lee and Chambellan, Rene Paul.  Atlas.  Image found at:http://www.brorson.com/M4Bus/NYPL.html