BLOG #3

This says that people change during wars. Their identity has changed due to the terrible things happening around them. That is why he didn't know their names. The alter personality created by the war is one without fear. The soldiers are afraid of the war, but even more afraid of what people would think of them if they showed their fear.
O'brian was trying to show that women can be in combat and be just as effective as men. At first Mary Anne Bell was just this sweet and innocent girl who was barely out of school. A thing like her and "Nam" didn't match up... Or so we thought. Vietnam changed her just as much or in fact way more so than any of the characters we have been introduced to. He could have also been trying to say that even the most innocent person will turn crazy once they are put into the war.
I don't think that most of his stories are true. They are just too absurd and unreal to have truth in them. Most of his stories are just huge exaggerations. I don't see the advantage of telling it this way, but a disadvantage is that you'll never get the full story or truth by telling it this way. It doesn't really matter or distract from the book because it is all up to the author to write what he wants to.

Questions: Would you remember the real names of the people in your squad or use nicknames why or why not?
Would you write down your experiences or just try to forget them?

"The Things They Carried" Response #1

My thoughts and belief about war are that it should only occur in extreme situations. Such as WW1 and WW2. If someone invades you or is trying to take over the world just for the power, they should be stopped. Thus we go to war. War for beliefs such as religion or politics is just plain stupid. Let other countries govern the way they want to. If they are killing their people then yes we need to intervene. But only until the killing stops. Then we can mind our own business, and they can mind theirs. Yes the USA should go to war only in the situations I mentioned above. Some things I know about the Vietnam war is that it was a cause of the Cold War. We were trying to stop the spread of communism, but I don't know why. I guess the USA likes to make sure that the world knows that we are top dog. I also know that we lost the war and a bunch of soldiers lives for no reason. After we pulled out of the war, the north and south united.

The Things They Carried Prompt #2

The other "things" that the soldiers are carrying are intangible feelings and emotions that burden them during the war. Such as Jimmy Cross's feelings and love for Martha. It got Ted Lavender killed.
One character that we have read and I have learned about is Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. He is creepishly in love with a girl named Martha. He is the platoon leader of the bunch of soldiers we have been reading about. He has been rejected by Martha in the past but he still is hoping that she will fall for him. I predict that controversy over his love for Martha and his men will cause problems in the platoon.
All of these pieces are the same because they all talk about the Vietnam War and each share information on the war and things that happened during it. Each of the pieces have their own special connection to the war and together there is a bunch of helpful facts and information.

Meaning of Great Gatsby

One thing I have found in the book, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald that meaningful to my life is how Daisy stayed with Tom at the end of the book.
Divorces and adultery happens all the time in our society. None of which have happened in my life, thankfully, but I know people who have had this happen in their lives and it sucks. Most of the people I know are kids. Daisy and Tom have a little kid and what would happen to her life if Daisy left Tom for Jay? I have seen lives torn apart because of bad marriages. The two parents should fix their problems because they are the ones who got married in the first place and it is affecting more people than just themselves.
Also Daisy made the right choice by exercising forgiveness and loyalty to her husband.

Symbolism in chapter 1-4

The billboard with Dr. TJ Eckleburg has sparked my interest in the first four chapters of the book. He is mysterious. The book keeps referring to his watchful eyes. One example was when Tom and Nick were walking past the billboard. It said that Tom looked at the sign in a negative manner. Possibly because he felt guilty for cheating on his wife and that he was being watched. And no-one likes being watched when committing a sin or something that is frowned upon. It ruins reputation. We discussed in class that Dr. Eckleburg is meant to represent God in the book who is ever watchful on the characters. Also the billboard "sees all" in the area it is at. This appeals to me because I am a christian and believe in God and because I want to see how this billboard will affect the characters actions.

The Great Gatsby

Nick is the narrator of the book. So far, he seems like a quiet person. When he does talk, he uses sarcasm. He seems like the sort of guy that is content with his life and does not need to have the most money and popularity. Daisy seems like the girl that has always gotten what she wants because of her looks; and defiantly not because of her brains. I have imagined her as the typical dumb beauty. Tom is the scary strong guy who wants to be smart, but is actually just the typical dumb brute. Not much is known about Jordan so far. She plays tennis and was going to get set up with Nick on a date.
After reading chapter one, I do not enjoy this book. Everyone says that they like this book so I'll give it a chance. I do not like the author's style of writing though. He seems to ramble on about useless details. It reminds me of the Power of One with such details. I do not know what this book will be about so I guess I cannot judge it just yet. The author probably has a lot more symbolism in the book that I have not found yet.

Great Gatsby

I actually have no clue on what this book will be like. The only thing I have heard about it is the name. My research was about the roaring twenties, the author, and the alcohol prohibition. The book could be about an alcoholic that is trying to quit drinking but is addicted and spends all of his money on illegal drinks. I am not really sure what it is about. I am actually excited to read it because I like to read and have not read a novel in a long time. But my book type is fantasy and sci-fi. So I could end up hating this book and stopping at the 2nd chapter. The most interesting thing that I found in my research was about the banning of alcohol. The facts I found made it seem like everyone was still drinking it. Politicians and civilians both were drinking it. And some wine and hard cider was allowed to be made at home. This ban was doomed to fail. Alcohol was just too much a part of everyday life to be taking away.