Interpretation: "The Things They Carried"

This paper is dedicated to Thomas Winkler. I never had the blessing of knowing you Grandpa, but I am truly blessed for all that you have carried for our family and country. I love you.
December 7, 1941 is a day that will live in infamy. It was the first attack against our country where Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor. Thousands of soldiers lost their lives and thousands more came from it when the US declared war on Japan. Soldiers were drafted and put in a place with memories that will always weigh them down. Today is the 68th anniversary of that disastrous day, a day that will forever be imbedded in the mind of every American who was alive on that day. My grandpa was one of the brave soldiers who went to battle at Iwo Jima. What he saw, he never talked about. It hurt too much. There was mention from my dad that he was there when his best friend was blown up; this was one of the many things that he carried on him for the rest of his life. To his dying day he refused to eat or buy anything Japanese. The war memories that he carried on himself had a lasting impact on his family and the duration of his life. His sons followed in his footsteps 25 years later when they served in the Vietnam War. “The Things They Carried” gave me somewhat of an idea of what my Grandpa and Uncles had experienced during Vietnam.
This story revolves around Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his soldiers. It goes on to talk about the things they carried. For example, Jimmy Cross was head over heels in love with Martha from back home. He carried her letters as if they were a part of him. He lived and breathed those letters. “He would sometimes taste the envelope flaps, knowing her tongue had been there, more than anything he wanted Martha to love him as he loved her. “ These letters represented his dream world; his “would have been” if he wasn’t in the trenches fighting for her freedom. Clutching those letters to his chest was like holding on to something that wasn’t in reach of his fingertips. He needed something to hold onto while his whole world around him was crumbling. Jimmy was not the only one who carried something so close to his heart. Henry Dobbins carried extra rations. Dave Jensen carried his toothbrush, dental floss, soap, three pairs of socks and foot powder. Mitchell Sanders carried condoms. Norman Baker carried his diary. Rat Kiley carried comic books. Kiowa a devout Baptist carried an illustrated New Testament Bible and before Ted Lavender died he carried tranquilizers and dope.
These were the very first things mentioned in what the soldiers carried. It didn’t go into the infantry they carried at first, no it talked about the personal things close to them. When I read the different kinds of the things that the soldiers carried with them it had really pulled at my heart because I didn’t just see them as another statistic on the battlefield. Instead they represented the quarterback of the football team, or the rambunctious neighbor down the road. These were everyday people who had loved comic books and carried condoms in their wallet. They had families and friends who loved and were waiting behind for them.
What kinds of memories did these soldiers carry when they were on the battlefield? In the beginning of the story the soldiers were spoken of like the neighborhood boys. Ted Lavender was talked about as if he was still a part of them. It casually mentioned how he happened to get shot in the head. As if this was just a normal thing of war which it is, but at the same time they pull the reader into the emotion on the battlefield because they talked of Ted like a brother. However the story of Ted represents the horror and death faced in Vietnam. “Kiowa, who saw it happen, said it was like watching a rock fall, or a big sandbag or something--- just boom, then down—not like the movies where the dead guy rolls around and does fancy spins and goes ass over tea kettle—not like that Kiowa said, the poor bastard just flat fell. Boom. Down. Nothing else.” This is the climax where everything else goes downhill. Death tends to do that to people. You have to stop and rethink what could have been or how it could have been prevented. As the man in charge, it was Jimmy Cross’s responsibility to make sure everything was in order. Not only did he carry letters and pictures from Martha but he carried the responsibility for the lives of his men. Yet all he could look at was the pebble. For this pebble was his good luck charm from Martha. “It was a simple pebble, an ounce at most. Smooth to the touch, it was a milky-white color with flecks of orange and violet, oval shaped, like a miniature egg…she had found the pebble on the Jersey shore-line, precisely where things came together but also separated. It was this separate but together quantity; she wrote that inspired her to pick up the pebble.” This pebble interprets the common denominator between both worlds. It doesn’t fit in her world, but at the same time it doesn’t fit in his either. This is the relationship between Martha and Jimmy. She cannot take the idea of being with someone who is thousands miles away in a whole other world instead she is safe in her own world made up of college and bike rides. It cannot fit into his world either because the things that he faces everyday could never be properly conjoined to her world. They were the pebble balancing on the shoreline, the blurry line that isn’t clear if it’s on the beach or in the water.
The death of Lavender represented the death of the dreams and desires Jimmy had for Martha. It was from this daydreaming that had killed Lavender. It was from him wishing to be in another world, another reality that took the bullet to Lavender’s head. Jimmy dug himself a hole deep enough to burn every ounce of longing and love for Martha. Still he knew, “Lavender was dead, you couldn’t burn the blame.” Yet this was something that he needed to prove to himself that he was burying it once and for all, that his dream world consisting of love was dead to him. It was nonexistent. His reality was Vietnam and carrying the responsibility for the lives of his men.
“They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die, grief, terror, love, longing—these were intangibles but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight. They carried shameful memories. They carried the common secret of cowardice barely restrained, the instinct to run or freeze or hide, and in many respects this was the heaviest burden of all, for it could never be put down, it required perfect balance and perfect posture.” The Things they Carried” was one of the most influential and heartbreaking stories I have ever read. It gave me such a broader insight on what the soldiers really do carry. These soldiers represent any kind of soldier that has fought for our freedom. They long for a Martha who will write them letters and send them pictures with the glance of a life that is out of reach to them. For Jimmy, “he was just a kid at war, in love.” Interpreting this story to find the hidden meaning behind didn’t just give me an appreciation of what these soldiers went through. It also took me into the life of every soldier that has served for our freedom. It brings me to tears imagining the sort of things these soldiers had to carry on them even for the duration of their life. I will never know the extent of the painful memories they had to endure. What I do know is that on this 68th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, I will thank my fellow veterans for all they have carried for me, for my freedom. I will look into their faces and see the face of my grandpa who endured so much at Iwo Jima and yet he never let the burden of what he carried fall on anyone else. “They shared the weight of memory. They took up what others could no longer bear.” I am truly in awe of these soldiers because just from what I read has already put me on my knees, thanking God for giving us these soldiers who carried the burdens of war so that we will have our freedom.

The Eagle

Symbolism is everywhere. It’s represented through literature, movies, TV, public places, relationship, scripture and so much more. Sometimes I forget just how often it is used because I’ve grown so accustomed to it. The eagle is a strong representation of symbolism in the Bible and in our country. The Bible talks about how we have to “rise up on wings like Eagles.” Why Eagles? Why not hawks or sparrows? It is the eagle who symbolizes freedom and strength. The eagle is the national bird for the United States of America. This bird is everywhere such as on our monetary currency and the symbol that stands tall on the very top of the flag. I think that symbolism is so accustomed to me that I don’t really even think about it anymore. When I look at the eagle as the national figure for our country, I don’t always think wow this is the representation for freedom, instead I just see a bird. This is unfortunate because it’s important to remember how blessed we are to live in this country and it is the eagle that helps us remember that. We can get so busy in what we call life and while it is important that we live it to its full potential, I still think it’s important to remember the reason we are here. That we have the freedom of speech, religion, the opportunity of any kind of work for both men and women, and we have the freedom to be who we want to be. This is a blessing that we often tend to forget in our everyday lifestyle. I know next time I take out a dollar and come across the beautiful eagle on the back of the dollar bill, I need to stop and appreciate what this bird represents. He is the representation of freedom and Christ’s blessings on this country.

Pass

I'm going to pass tonight.

Dr. Horrible and his nonsense movie

Dr. Horrible’s sing along blog is probably one of the weirdest movies I have ever seen. It was about a mad scientist and I mean he was a MAD scientist. He was a wannabe mad villain who broke out in random songs. For instance, when he reads a blog post about the girl he keeps hinting towards he ends up breaking out into another song about his girl Penny. It transforms into another scene of him at the Laundromat admiring Penny from afar. His change of heart makes you think he’s a good guy but yet he turns around and goes on his rampage about his hate for Captain Hammer. At times I couldn’t really keep up with this storyline especially the random songs with cowboys popping out of nowhere. While some of it was comical, I felt like I was watching Bill Nye the science guy except he happened to have an arch rival and love interest. I wouldn’t watch this again because I didn’t really connect with the scenes but I did see the connection with all the other stories I have read. The connection is this; every story is always based around love and death. This movie wasn’t any different. At the end because of Dr. Horrible’s mistake, Penny ended up getting murdered. The hate Dr. Horrible had for Captain
Hammer ended up coinciding with his love Penny which resulted in her death. This was very tragic but at the same time the way they portrayed it seemed kind of comical. A lot of people may like this kind of thing but for me I have a hard time watching this because I just see at as a jumble of music and emotions that don’t even fit each other. This movie may have been appreciated by others but I didn’t find it to be worthwhile.

Through my eyes

This weekend I was able to experience the scenery and wonder of the lake in a whole different perspective. I arrived there Saturday morning around 11, the temperature was not too hot and there was still a hint of a morning breeze as I walked toward the lake. It’s different seeing the lake on a Saturday morning rather than a weekday. I think it’s different because I’m not worn down with the thought of classes lurking ahead or thinking about the five page paper that’s due the next day. No, my Saturday morning was my relaxation time, a time where I can just take in the sights around me and really find a true appreciation for the landscape I’ve been placed in. I saw kids running around with huge smiles on their faces, couples hand in hand as they walked around, a group of friends sharing their adventures of the week over a picnic, these different kinds of scenes in front of me really made me rethink of the way people take to nature. A seven year old boy maybe doesn’t see it as a park, but rather he looks at it like an adventure. The trees hold his home and the water represents the barrier between him and the “lost land.” Maybe a new college graduate sees this place as something that will change his life forever. For this will be the place that he goes down on one knee and asks the question to his love that will forever change his life. A grandmother can look at this and go back 50 years and reminisce of the time she fell in love. Nature can be transformed in all kinds of ways through different kinds of people. When I looked at the lake I didn’t just see trees and plants around me, instead I saw blessings that were given to me by God in the form of nature.

God's Wonder

Throughout the past couple of class periods we have read all kinds of poems regarding nature. To be honest I was not really looking forward to wasting an hour of my time talking about the trees. I guess this kind of mindest has come from our worlds"go green" campaign. Lately, I've been feeling as if people are treating nature as if it's the most important thing happening in our world right now. It's frustrating to watch people throw down their bodies right in front of a tree and risk their own life in order to save the dear tree's life. What I really would like to say is why our people putting all of this energy into saving nature while there are thousands of babies being murdered from abortion everyday or what about the homeless on the street who have no food or clothing? This is what we need to concentrate on... REAL people. Trees do not have a soul but people do and yet so many people are getting too wrapped up on saving the planet from global warming. This is the mindset I have had for a long time and I still somewhat do but from reading these poems and looking at photos of nature I feel as if some of my mindset has shifted a little bit. I have not taken the time to appreciate God's beautiful and majestic creation. From the mountains to the oceans, there is such a beautiful work of art that is entailed in this world. In every state and country there seems to be a different scene that is beautiful in its own way. I have seen pictures of nature that has absolutely taken my breath away and I can't help but thank God for placing me in His beautiful masterpiece. I believe He wants me to see His creation of nature and see that no one else can create this but God. How can people not believe in a God after seeing all that He has created? While I still stand firm to the matter that we need to concentrate more on the people that are hurting rather than our planet, I feel that it's time I stop and take in my surroundings. God gave me an amazing gift of His creation and it's up to me to choose how I want to appreciate it.

Six Recognitions of the Lord

When I read” Six Recognitions of the Lord,” I kept on trying to see how it could relate to my life. While the poem was very beautiful and deep, I still couldn’t relate it to myself. That all changed when I read a section that took me back to the beach on Saturday. “Of course I have always known you are present in the clouds, and the black oak I especially adore, and the wings of birds.” This immediately jumped out to me because I encountered this on Saturday. Lately I have been having a hard time trusting God and knowing that he has my best interest at heart. I remember lying and basking in the hot Florida sun just thinking how blessed I was to be here for nine months out of the year. It was then that I looked up to the sky and saw something that was marvelous. I saw three birds flying in the air that looked to be a face in the sky. However, it wasn’t the birds in the sky that I was looking at but I felt as if I was looking at the face of God. He was in the sky looking down on His marvelous wonder and creation. He saw every individual and wave that crashed onto the shores of the ocean. It was then that I closed my eyes and just whispered a prayer thanking Him for His majestic creation and for picking me to love. After that prayer I felt a still small voice that whispered back, “Christine, I see everything. While you see just a clip, I see the whole picture.” Looking up at the sky and seeing the face really gave me a better depiction that it’s true. We need to trust God and know that He sees everything in our life. While we question why a certain situation is happening to us or why God would let this happen, we need to know that he sees the final result. It’s beautiful and amazing and all we need to do is put our full trust in Him.