English Essays House of Mirth

English Essays House of Mirth Analysis Extracted from the text of Chapter 6, House of Mirth. Lily mused. Dont you think, she rejoined after a moment, that the people who find fault with society are too apt to regard it as an end and not a means, just as the people who despise money speak as if its only use were to be kept in bags and gloated over? Isnt it fairer to look at them both as opportunities, which may be used either stupidly or intelligently, according to the capacity of the user? That is certainly the sane view; but the queer thing about society is that the people who regard it as an end are those who are in it, and not the critics on the fence. Its just the other way with most shows the audience may be under the illusion, but the actors know that real life is on the other side of the footlights. (Wharton 69-70)† Edith Wharton’s House of Mirth is unique among its British counterparts. Wharton’s American â€Å"novel of manners† presents a distorted protagonist when compared to contemporaries such as Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility; unlike British novels of the age, House of Mirth unfolds in an American setting, where issues such as class have a substantially weaker hold over society than in Europe. Wharton’s protagonist falls victim to a grim, realist destiny so common to American literature. Unlike Sense and Sensibility where the bourgeois lifestyle is overcome, House of Mirth concludes with Lily Bart taking her own life, her dream of marrying into wealth unfulfilled. Lily is a tragic character, one whose condescendence and adoration of the bourgeois lifestyle overpower her sense of happiness as she turns away from her true love, a man named Lawrence Selden whose meager holdings cannot satisfy Lily’s need to marry into New York’s elite circ les. Lily and Selden discuss status and the impetus of wealth during time spent on their own, away from Bertha Dorset. Wharton presents the conversation in the aforementioned context so that it the true intentions, feelings, and opinions of Lily and Selden can emerge. Through her conversation with Selden, Lily indirectly defends her drive to ascend through the ranks of New York’s social coteries. She is not completely forthright, and never states in clear language that she uses society as a means and not an end. Rather, she criticizes those who â€Å"find fault with society,† and in doing refrains from condemning the New York caste system in which she partakes. That Lily is understated in her social contentions serves to illustrate her high regard for Selden, despite his relatively low standing and meager lifestyle. Just as Lily figuratively tiptoes around Bertha due to her high social rank, she also gingerly approaches issues with Selden, a man for whom she has great affection. Lily’s reverence for Selden, however, cannot be for his ability to climb social ranks; he is an enlightened figure, representing a new social age, an irrevocably American stance on egalitarianism. The conversation between Lily and Selden marks the only point in the novel that empowers Lily to communicate her true feelings for Selden and her wishes to be completely aloof of her situation. Richard Chase, author of The American Novel and Its Tradition, writes that American novelists are â€Å"not [interested] in social manners but in ‘personalities of transcendent value’, as† communicated through Wharton’s portrayal of the enlightened Selden (Chase 159). The prevailing theme in Lily’s stance is the reflection of Lily’s situation. She is perennially one of the â€Å"critics on the fence†, never able to achieve the life of social class that she so desires (Wharton 70). Ironically, she never has a chance to live the detached life Selden leads, and she is forced to wistfully long for an alternative to the situation in which she finds herself. Selden remains opposite Lily as a representative of the common American people; he is detached from the hustle of high society. The actors he describes in his metaphor for people who understand life is poignant in reflecting the general malaise of certain members of the upper class. The actors represent the bourgeois, the audience the proletariat. Selden’s metaphor aptly describes the class struggle in which Lily finds herself firmly entrenched.   Selden’s metaphor effectively portrays the elite as staging a farcical system, one that serves only to distract the rest of the world that is trying desperately to take part in the reality given to them by a small group of people. The actors, or the elite, look wistfully beyond, knowing full well that a â€Å"transcendent value† lies outside the stage. Therefore, the actors put two faces forward: one they show to keep up the masquerade for the public (the audience), and another that reflects their true happiness. Chas e describes this eclipsing characteristic as a natural tendency of virtue, implicit in the personalities of those who are transcendent of â€Å"the amenities and discipline of social intercourse† (Chase 159). This duplicity of character is most embodied by Bertha and her love affair with Ned. Bertha, the archetypal social elitist, maintains the facade of a healthy relationship with her â€Å"upper crust† husband. Bertha realizes there is a deeper happiness, that her social relationship and marriage (presumably arranged according to her ascension up the social ladder) is secondary to her true happiness, an affair with Ned. If discovered, her affair would ruin her marriage, something Bertha must surely know. That she is willing to be discovered is a testament to her drive for happiness; in this instant, Bertha is among the enlightened, partially detached from her life in the social chain. Selden also presents the theme that social constraints are a product of the people; there is no obligation to follow it as he proves to Lily through his existence. His affection for Lily despite the knowledge that she will marry solely for means he cannot provide is a testament to his insistence that the world is bigger than the New York strata. Selden’s metaphor postulates the existence of the bourgeois in the hands of the proletariat; though the bourgeois are perceived to be â€Å"in control†, they would not exist were it not for the pandering of the lower classes. It is the lower classes (such as Lily) that promulgate the existence of the social hierarchy. The bourgeois (such as Bertha) do not restrain lower classes any more than they are given license to. Unlike Europe where ancestry dictated social class, American â€Å"manners† were â€Å"nearly uniform among all Americans,† exemplified by Bertha’s trite condescension, which in many ways mirro rs that of Lily’s toward the high life’s critics (Chase 158).  Ã‚   House of Mirth transcends the â€Å"novel of manners† label. Chase states that the novel, like its peers cannot â€Å"sustain the tone† and that there is â€Å"something else more arresting than the observation of manners† (Chase 158). The uniformity of humanity amongst the American publication and the realism behind life’s situations is best exemplified in Lily’s failure as a character. She is almost a tragic character as she takes her life following her inability to secure the life for which she had set out. The antagonist, Bertha, constantly set out to sabotage Lily’s emergence as one of the social elite. Lily never fully realizes her illogical approach to society; her flippant attitude toward those who â€Å"find fault with society† as an end is the greatest irony of the conversation. In treating society and class as an end, Lily enslaves herself under the whims of those in the elite. It is the elite, such as Bertha, that ultimatel y decide her fate. Therefore, the more Lily strove to become a part of the New York social elite, the more deviant Bertha’s subterfuge became. Her attempts to become assimilated backfired, further cementing her lower class status. Had Lily refuted the importance of class and rejected materialism’s wares, she may have recognized that society existed to serve as a means to her end and not vice versa. Lily becomes a victim â€Å"at the mercy of [her] environment,† her fate decided not by how she conducted herself but rather by the choices she made (Chase 160). Lily’s failure to enter the most elite New York social circle was not because she was ungainly, unfit. House of Mirth’s most poignant themes surround the similarities between the American bourgeois and the proletariat. Lily failed to achieve all that she set out because of Bertha. Bertha is a factor of the realist environment Wharton weaves throughout the plot; Lily is a victim of the consequenc es of her actions, not a flaw in her nature. American realism sets Wharton apart from writers like Austen. Contrary to conventional â€Å"manner novels†, Wharton focuses on literary foils such as Selden to accentuate the similarities between the classes and the futility of social strata. To an extent, Wharton shows that it is impossible to change one’s social status. It is more viable to deny the system altogether, as society and its organization ultimately exist to serve the populous. The conversation shared by Lily and Selden exemplifies such a stance; Lily, who spends her adult life trying to break her way into circles of the elite, dies a woman who never realizes her life’s aim. Selden insists that the only people who regard society as all encompassing and all-important are those who remain at the top of social chains, and that even they realize that life is not what society makes of it. The logical entity between the two, Selden proves through his language and use of metaphors the undeniable fact that if the bourgeois seek a transcendent life, then so should the common man. BIBLIOGRAPHY Chase, Richard. (1957) The American Novel and Its Tradition. London, G. Bell and  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sons, Ltd. Wharton, Edith. (1994) The House of Mirth. New York, Oxford U P.

hemingway Essay -- essays research papers

Ernest Hemingway was an American writer. He was born in 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois. He committed suicide in 1961 in Ketchum, Idaho (Burges 17). Even today Hemingway is one of the most recognized authors in the world. Hemingway’s experiences during World War I are directly shown in many of his works. His general outlook on life is reflected in the adventures of his characters. It is clear that Hemingway had a desire to be part of the war even though, due to bad vision he was unable to enlist in the army and fight in the war. Instead he lied about his age and went to Italy to become an ambulance driver. While in Italy he experienced many things that he would later go on to write about in works such as A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bells Toll. Ernest Miller Hemingway was born on July 21st, 1899 in Oak Park, IL. He was the second of six children born to Grace Hall Hemingway, an aspiring opera singer, who gave up a career for marriage and six children. His father, Clarence Edmunds Hemingway, was a family physician and avid outdoorsmen. Clarence shared his love for the outdoors with his young son, Ernest, who found a liking for the outdoors from a young age. His first trip to the great outdoors was when he was just six weeks old. The Hemingway family and Ernest’s nurse went to Lake Walloon in upper Michigan each summer. Perhaps it was this early exposure to nature that fostered Hemingway’s sense of adventure (Baker 45). During Hemingway’s sixty- two years he was married four times. First to Elizabeth Hadley Richardson on September 3,1921. During their six-year marriage they lived in Paris, where Ernest was a war correspondent for the Toronto Star. Elizabeth’s trust fund made their life much easier. Their marriage ended in 1927. Shortly after his divorce from Hadley, Hemingway married Pauline Pfeiffer. He and Pfeiffer lived in Key West for the majority of their marriage. In 1940 Hemingway would marry fellow war correspondent Martha Ellis Greenhorn. This would be his shortest marriage, lasting only five years. His final marriage was on March, 14, 1946 to Mary Welsh Monks They were married for fourteen years, during which they lived at Hemingway’s Lookout Farm in San Francisco de Paula, Cuba (Hemingway 34). When the call went out that ambulance drivers for the war were needed, Hemingway, a recent high school graduate volunteered immediately. He said â€Å" I wante... ...est I can write ever for all of my life. It will destroy the criticism that claims I can write about notheing except myself and my own experiences.†(Baker 67) The story he would write was eventually called The Old Man and The Sea. This was a story that he had been thinking about since he first heard it in 1935. It is the story of an old Cuban fisherman who fought a swordfish for four days and nights only to lose it to sharks. It was first published as a story called â€Å"On The Blue Water† in Esquire. Then it became the novella, The Old Man and The Sea. It was published in Life and was a Book-of-the Month selection (Baker 174). At this point his celebrity really took off but his personal life seemed to come apart. Hemingway achieved many great things in his life such as being honored with the Nobel prize for literature and being recognized in the media as the first American wounded in Italy. He was a lonely and unhappy man. His wife and mother had died and he was in ill health. In July of 1961 he took his own life with a shotgun blast to his head (Hemingway 165). Hemingway was one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century whose stories and legacy will always live on.

Work Satisfaction and Motivation

————————————————- THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN REWARDS, RECOGNITION AND MOTIVATION AT AN INSURANCE COMPANY ————————————————- IN THE WESTERN CAPE ABSTRACT Increasingly, organizations are realizing that they have to establish an equitable balance between the employee’s contribution to the organization and the organization’s contribution to the employee. Establishing this balance is one of the main reasons to reward and recognize employees. Organizations that follow a strategic approach to creating this balance focus on the three main components of a reward system, which includes, compensation, benefits and recognition (Deeprose, 1994). Studies that have been conducted on the topic indicates that the most common problem in organizations today is that they miss the important component of recognition, which is the low-cost, high-return ingredient to a well-balanced reward system. A key focus of recognition is to make employees feel appreciated and valued (Sarvadi, 2005). Research has proven that employees who get recognized tend to have higher self-esteem, more confidence, more willingness to take on new challenges and more eagerness to be innovative (Mason, 2001). The aim of this study is to investigate whether rewards and recognition has an impact on employee motivation. A biographical and Work Motivation Questionnaire was administered to respondents (De Beer, 1987). The sample group (N= 184) consists of male and female employees on post-grade levels 5 to 12. The results of the research indicated that there is a positive relationship between rewards, recognition and motivation. The results also revealed that women and employees from non-white racial backgrounds experienced lower levels of rewards, recognition and motivation. Future research on the latter issues could yield interesting insights into the different factors that motivate employees. ————————————————- Notwithstanding the insights derived from the current research, results need to be interpreted with caution since a convenience sample was used, thereby restricting the generalizability to the wider population. ————————————————- ———————————————— ———————————————â€⠀- DATA GATHERING INSTRUMENT For the purpose of this study a quantitative methodology was followed and a questionnaire was used as the measuring instrument. According to Leary (2004), the major advantages of questionnaires are that they can be administered to groups of people simultaneously, and they are less costly and less time-consuming than other measuring instruments. The data gathering techniques used included a biographical questionnaire and the Work Satisfaction and Motivation Questionnaire as set out by De Beer (1987). ———————————————— BIOGRAPHICAL QUESTIONNAIRE The biographical questionnaire was a self-developed questionnaire that incorporated the following personal information of the respondents, gender, home language, marital status, age, race, job classification, education, qualifications, job grade and tenure. Refer to Appendix 2. ———â⠂¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- WORK SATISFACTION AND MOTIVATION QUESTIONNAIRE The questionnaire as set out by De Beer (1987) incorporates the sixteen factors of Herzberg’s two-factor theory. The questionnaire consisted of nine dimensions that impact employee satisfaction and motivation. Refer to Appendix 3. ————————————————- THE NINE DIMENSIONS OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE According to De Beer (1987) the nine dimensions are as follows: 1. Work content probed the respondents’ feelings about the type of work they do. 2. Payment probed respondents’ satisfaction with their salaries. 3. Promotion probed for the opportunity that the organization offers for promotion. 4. Recognition probed whether the respondent was receiving the recognition and feedback for the jobs they perform. . Working conditions were probed as the fifth factor and looked at opportunity to mix with colleagues and interpersonal relations. 6. Benefits looked at whether the benefits such as pension, medical schemes and leave were satisfactory. 7. Personal probed the respondents’ feeling s towards their job. 8. Leadership or supervision probed the level of satisfaction with the manager. 9. General probed if the respondents’ had considered alternative employment, and hence their level of satisfaction with the organization. Appendix 2 ————————————————- BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION . Gender Male Female 2. Home / Preferred language English Afrikaans Xhosa Other 3. Marital Status Single Married Divorced Widowed 4. Age Under 20 years 21 –30 years 31 – 40 years 41 – 50 years 51 – 60 years 61 years & older 5. Race African Asian Colored White 6. Job Classification Specialist Line Manager Clerical/ Administration If you are unsure which category, please state your occupation: 7. Educational Qualification < Std 8 Matric Diploma Degree Masters Other (Please specify) 8. Job Grade PG 9 PG 10 PG 11 PG 12 PG 13 PG 14 PG 15 9. How long have y ou been employed at this company? Less than 1 year 1 year – 5 years 6 years – 10 years 11 years – 15 years 16 years – 20 years 21 years or longer Appendix 3 ————————————————- Work Satisfaction and Motivation Questionnaire 1. INTRODUCTION It is fairly obvious that people differ from one another in what they need and expect to get from different areas of their lives. Please think about the work you do and because most jobs are not perfect, consider what would make it better from your point of view. 2. METHOD FOR ANSWERING QUESTIONS With each question, you have a choice of three answers. Choose one of the following: TRUE = T NOT SURE = NS UNTRUE = U Mark your answers with a cross (X). 3. WORK CONTENT | T| NS | UT| 3. 1 I am interested in my work | 1| 2| 3| 3. 2 My work consists of a variety of work | 1| 2| 3| 3. 3 I receive training daily which teaches me something new| 1| 2| 3| 3. 4 My work is easy | 1| 2| 3| 3. 5 The amount of work is easy to handle| 1| 2| 3| 3. 6 I control the amount of work I do myself| 1| 2| 3| 3. 7 I am completely independent of others | 1| 2| 3| 3. 8 I regard the content of my work as responsible | 1| 2| 3| 3. I know exactly what my mistakes are | 1| 2| 3| 3. 10 I am allowed to decide on the methods for doing the work | 1| 2| 3| 3. 11 I am proud to say what kind of work I do | 1| 2| 3| 3. 12 My work is the way to future success | 1| 2| 3| 3. 13 I will not be dismissed without good reason | 1| 2| 3| 3. 14 I have the opportunity to take part when decisions are made | 1| 2| 3| 3. 15 I feel that my work is of value in my department | 1| 2| 3| 3. 1 6 There is not time for idleness | 1| 2| 3| 3. 17 I have a certain degree of authority in my work | 1| 2| 3|   | 4. PAYMENT | T| NS | UT| . 1 My salary is satisfactory in relation to what I do | 1| 2| 3| 4. 2 I earn the same as or more that other people in a similar job| 1| 2| 3| 4. 3 The basis of payment, for example overtime payment, is reasonable | 1| 2| 3| 4. 4 Salary increases are decided on a fair manner | 1| 2| 3| 5. PROMOTION | T| NS | UT| 5. 1 I will be promoted within the next two years| 1| 2| 3| 5. 2 Everyone has an equal chance to be promoted | 1| 2| 3| 5. 3 Staff are promoted in a fair and honest way | 1| 2| 3|   | 6. RECOGNITION | T| NS | UT| 6. 1 I am praised regularly for my work | 1| 2| 3| 6. I receive constructive criticism about my work | 1| 2| 3| 6. 3 I get credit for what I do | 1| 2| 3| 6. 4 I am told that I am making progress | 1| 2| 3| | 7. WORKING CONDITIONS | T| NS | UT| 7. 1 My working hours are reasonable| 1| 2| 3| 7. 2 I am never overworked | 1| 2| 3 | 7. 3 I get the opportunity to mix with my colleagues and to communicate on aspects of our work| 1| 2| 3| | 8. BENEFITS | T| NS | UT| 8. 1 My pensions benefits are good | 1| 2| 3| 8. 2 My medical scheme is satisfactory| 1| 2| 3| 8. 3 I never have problems with my arrangements for leave | 1| 2| 3|   | 9. PERSONAL | T| NS | UT| 9. I am given work in accordance with my qualifications a skills| 1| 2| 3| 9. 2 I work in the department of my choice| 1| 2| 3| | 10. MY LEADER/ SUPERVISOR | T| NS | UT| 10. 1 Is satisfied easily | 1| 2| 3| 10. 2 Will support me if there are problems | 1| 2| 3| 10. 3 Can be convinced and persuaded | 1| 2| 3| 10. 4 Is a warm-hearted person | 1| 2| 3| | 11. GENERAL | T| NS | UT| 11. 1 I have considered changing jobs | 1| 2| 3| 1. 2 I have been looking out for another job | 1| 2| 3| 11. 3 I am thinking of resigning| 1| 2| 3| | | | | THANK YOU | | | | Please check to make sure that you have not missed any questions. |

The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien - 1351 Words

In â€Å"The Things They Carried† by Tim O’Brien one is subjected to the in workings of a soldiers mind during the Vietnam War. Although on the surface it may seem just a story of what soldiers carried with them throughout the war, tangible or not, a deeper understanding of what these men faced shines through. As a veteran of the Vietnam war O’Brien has insight that many will never know except through his many writings. His experience throughout the war was seen to shape his stories and â€Å"The Things They Carried† is no different. In this story one finds a comparison between the material and immaterial baggage accompanying the soldiers, the soldiers motivation due to their fellow soldier, the uncaring attitude that the war has imparted on the†¦show more content†¦It begs the question of whether Cross is truly living in Vietnam or in his own mind to escape the horrors of war and return to his years as a young boy falling in love back home. The r emembrance of times less filled with the worry of death around every corner and instead filled with the pleasures of every day life so often looked over by those in a position less terrible than his own. Although this is without a doubt the easiest and most prevalent theme hinted at throughout the story it is also one of the most important. â€Å"Several of O Brien s novels deal much less directly with Vietnam, yet the war experience continues to arise in various ways, and with one persistent theme: how the human imagination, capable of manifold transformations, deals with it, spins it, or provides emotional release from it. (Jack Smith)† This quote describes how this immaterial baggage provides the â€Å"release† from the dark captivity the mind is kept in during war to a simpler and more enjoyable time in ones life. For every ounce each man carried they carried that same weight in their minds. In war teamwork is paramount, and without it one may not find the motivati on to carry on. â€Å"They were afraid of dying but they were even more afraid to show it. (O’Brien 109† Each man carried the weight of the man next to him. NeverShow MoreRelatedThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien892 Words   |  4 PagesThe Vietnam War was a long, exhausting, and traumatic experience for all of the soldiers and those who came with them. The Things They Carried, by Tim O Brien illustrates the different affects the war had on a variety of people: Jacqueline Navarra Rhoads, a former nurse during the Vietnam war, demonstrates these effects within her own memoir in the book, The Forgotten Veterans. Both sources exemplify many tribulations, while sharing a common thread of suffering from mental unpredictability. DesensitizationRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1377 Words   |  6 Pageslove to have it as good as we do. Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried discusses many veterans who experience the burden of shame and guilt daily due to their heroic actions taken during the Vietnam War. The book shows you how such a war can change a man before, during, and after it’s over.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As I reflect on the many conflicts America has been a part of, none can compare to the tragedies that occurred in The Vietnam war. As told in The Things They Carried (O’Brien), characters such as NormanRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1457 Words   |  6 Pagesthe theme pertains to everyone regardless of their background. It conveys the same ideas to people from all across our society. Lastly, a classic is timeless, which means it has transcended the time in which it was written. In Tim O’Brien’s novel, The Things They Carried, he offers a new, intriguing way to view war or just life in general and also meets all of the crucial requirements mentioned above to qualify it as a book of literary canon. Though this book is technically a war novel, many peopleRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1242 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Tim O’Brien is obsessed with telling a true war story. O Brien s fiction about the Vietnam experience suggest, lies not in realistic depictions or definitive accounts. As O’Brien argues, absolute occurrence is irrelevant because a true war story does not depend upon that kind of truth. Mary Ann’s induction into genuine experience is clearly destructive as well as empowering† (p.12) Tim O’s text, The Things they Carried, details his uses of word choice to portray his tone and bias. Tim O’BrienRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1169 Words   |  5 Pagesbut are set in the past and borrows things from that time period. A story that fits this genre of literature is The Things They Carried. The story is about Tim O Brien, a Vietnam veteran from the Unite States, who tells stories about what had happ ened when he and his team were stationed in Vietnam. He also talks about what he felt about the war when he was drafted and what he tried to do to avoid going to fight in Vietnam. The Things They Carried by Tim O Brien was precise with its portrayal of settingRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1004 Words   |  5 Pages Tim O’Brien is a veteran from of the Vietnam War, and after coming home from his duty he decided to be a writer. His work â€Å"The Things They Carried† is about a group of soldiers that are fighting in the Vietnam War. The first part of the story talks mostly about physical items that each soldier carries, and also mentions the weight of the items as well. Though, there is one exception to the list of physical things. Lieutenant Cross is a character of the story, and Tim O’ Brien quickly states theRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien896 Words   |  4 PagesTrouble without a doubt is what First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross c arried around his shoulders because he was out in war, where mistakes happen. Lost and unknown of his surroundings he had to lead his men into safety, while destroying anything they found. First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross only holds onto one thing for hope and that is Martha, the woman who he hopes is a virgin to come back to. Tim O’ Brien introduces symbolism by adding a character that has a meaning of purity and a pebble, which symbolizesRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien Essay832 Words   |  4 PagesSummary: â€Å"By and large they carried these things inside, maintaining the masks of composure† (21). In Tim O’brien’s The Things They Carried, the American soldiers of the Vietnam War carry much more than the weight of their equipment, much more than souvenirs or good-luck charms or letters from home. They carried within themselves the intransitive burdens—of fear, of cowardice, of love, of loneliness, of anger, of confusion. Most of all, they carry the truth of what happened to them in the war—aRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1369 Words   |  6 PagesMany authors use storytelling as a vehicle to convey the immortality of past selves and those who have passed to not only in their piece of literature but in their life as an author. In Tim O’Brien’s work of fiction The Things They Carried, through his final chapter â€Å"The Lives of the Dead,† O Brien conveys that writing is a matter of survival since, the powers of s torytelling can ensure the immortality of all those who were significant in his life. Through their immortality, O’Brien has the abilityRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1407 Words   |  6 Pages       Our introduction stated that in â€Å"The Things They Carried,† author Tim O’Brien tells us not directly of the soldiers of Vietnam, or the situations they find themselves in, but about the things they carry on their shoulders and in their pockets. These â€Å"things† identify the characters and bring them to life.   I find that to be true as the author unfolds the stories about war and the uncommon things one carries in to war both inadvertently and on purpose.  Ã‚  Ã‚  As it was noted: Stories about war –