Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried"

Response to Tim O’Brien
“The Things They Carried”

Now that I have had the opportunity to read about war, my perspective is completely different. I have always stayed away from war stories because I don’t want to know what war is really about. I have a great deal of respect for all the men and women that go out there to defend our country. After reading the stories, I have a much better understand mentally and visually about what they have to go through each day and night. It’s like it is never ending for them when on the war front. In the story “They Things They Carried”, by Tim O’Brien, the emotions were so real to me that it gave me chills. The bond that these men seem to have grown together is unimaginable to us unless you are there with them. Even though Lieutenant Cross is so in love with this girl Martha, he still has to manage to stay strong and steady for his men. The description of all the items that they carried with them seemed to be never ending as well. To get through each day it seems like they have to put their emotions aside while in battle because that might cause them their life. When one of the men was describing how he cut off the boys dead finger, I couldn’t fathom why someone would do that and have no remorse, but after reading what they are all going through and seeing how tough it is for them when one of their men falls right in front of them, I could understand why. I do believe that it is a good thing that these men and women are willing to go out there and fight for us and their country, because I think if they wouldn’t then we wouldn’t have the freedom we have today. In this chapter, they didn’t only describe what they were carrying, but deeply expressed how their feelings were and how they carried them as well. This was a great way to get the book going and wanting you to read more.
http://articles.latimes.com/1990-03-11/news/vw-490_1_war-stories

Sean Huze's "The Sand Storm"

Sean Huze “The Sand Storm” Response
While reading “The Sand Storm”, I cannot believe the amount of emotion I felt. I cannot imagine, if I had such strong emotions come out, how strong these men’s emotions were during their time there. As I read along, I was able to vividly picture what was going on. I really felt like I lost myself in his descriptive scenes. I have multiple friends that have been overseas to fight in the war and the amount of worry and sadness I have is so deep, but I just try and remind myself they are doing it for their country and are proud to be there for their country. It was wonderful to hear of all the different thoughts and feelings of how the war was perceived to them.
Throughout the play there was a couple of different scenes where the men were describing their thoughts on killing and some more gruesome than others. In the play where CPL WATERS states, “I never took my eyes off of him the whole time I ate. The more he wept and pleaded, the more I enjoyed my meal” (pg. 9). He is showing how he has no regret or sadness to allow this man to suffer as he is dying. I truly believe everyone has a different mindset on when it comes to death and how they handle it. My thoughts about when you take that oath to join the military, you have to have the strength to be put through anything.
For these men that have been on the battle field the life that lay ahead of them will never be the same. This play has definitely given a better understanding of what is going on with the men that have had to go through the tragedy of death and their fallen soldiers to protect our country. In the play they talk about the men’s empty shells, well when the men come out the war zone and back into reality, they are not really ever leaving the zone. They are living the rest of their lives with the visuals and stories of the tragedies that they have just faced.
Works Cited
The Sandstorm: Stories From The Front. By Sean Huze. Directed by David Fofi. The Elephant Asylum Theater, Los Angeles. 29 April 2005.


http://www.alternet.org/world/20358/

Responding to a Poem

Responding to a Poem

I had a great time reading through all the poems and trying to understand each and every one of them, but I have to say that the two poems that stood out for me would have to be: “Photograph from September 11” by Winslawa Szymborska, and “The Woman Hanging from the Thirteenth Floor Window” by Joy Harjo.

               In the poem, “Photograph of September 11” by Winslawa Szymborska, in a whole I believe she is stating that this day will always be a day of remembrance and mourning for all those we lost in those tragic crashes. This is emphasized in her last three lines of the poem where she states, “I can only do two things for them-- describe this flight and not add a last line” (lines 17-19). I really feel that this statement shows how much we will never forget that day and how that day will forever live in our minds and hearts. The other part of the poem that caught my eye was “each is still complete, with a particular face and blood well hidden” (lines 7-9). Here I can remember that morning waking up to walk out in the living room to my mother crying so much and her in complete shock. I still remember the look on her face. At first not realizing what was happening, but then coming to notice that the television screen was showing all those people that were stuck and in the process of being murdered. I stood there watching as people were throwing themselves out windows anyway possible hoping that this might save them. I also remember watching all those other people on the streets just not knowing what to do because of the shock that they were experiencing. http://www.serendipity.li/wot/aa11.html Here is some evidence that hasn't been let out and been looked over.



             My second choice “The Woman Hanging from the Thirteenth Floor Window”, by Joy Harjo stood out to me because in more way than one I can relate to this poem. I have unfortunately been in many of these situations where I have felt that maybe it would be better to end my life instead of letting myself go through the abuse I was going through. Each and every time thought my kids have always been a big part of my strength. The one sentence that stands alone in this poem, “she thinks she will be set free” (line 7), has a lot of meaning behind it because all of us woman that have been in abusive relationships should be able to relate to this poem and this sentence mainly. This sentence to me is stating that she is thinking in her mind that if she just decides to let go of the wall that she can be set free of all the abuse and the sad days of heartache, but in all reality is it really going to set her free of her problems. She has to think of her children and of her family, as she is doing throughout the poem. In another part of the poem the woman is describing that it is her choice, her decision in the end. “But she is the woman hanging from the 13th floor window, and she knows she is hanging by her own fingers, her own skin, her own thread of indecision” (lines 46-48). I believe woman that are put in these situations lose a part of themselves and don’t know how to gain it back, but I also believe you just got to stand strong as an abusive woman and know that everything will be alright in the long run.

Works Cited:
Wislawa Szymborska, “Photograph from September 11” from Monologue of a Dog. Copyright © 2005 by Wislawa Szymborska. Reprinted with permission of Harcourt, Inc
"The Woman Hanging From The Thirteenth Floor Window" from She Had Some Horses by Joy Harjo. Copyright © 2006 by Joy Harjo. Reprinted by permission of Thunder's Mouth Press.

http://media.cnsnews.com/resources/67561.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2078/2123529886_ca38825404.jpg

Sam Hammil Response

Sam Hammil Response
I was deeply saddened to read this writing by Sam Hammil, but realizing that all his words are sadly true in our society today is even more saddening to me. His first sentence grabbed me strong: “And yet we go on living closed lives, pretending we are not each personally responsible for the deaths we buy and sell. We go on living our sheltered lives among the potted plants and automobiles and advertising slogans. We don’t want to know what the world is like; we can’t bear very much reality.” (Hammil) Here Hammil is practically saying that we don’t care about our society and that we may be contributing to the deaths around us.
We as humans walk out into the world everyday not taking into consideration all the horrible things people go through daily. Many of society today doesn’t see that usually how we are raised and put in certain situations, is how we are going to be when we become older. Hammil states many real life situations to help us better understand that most rapist, killers, and violent people don’t just become this overnight and have usually had some past that can relate to what is going on. When children are being raised in an abusive household, many people don’t realize that those past situations have helped contribute to their violent behavior. Most women are raised to be hand and foot for their man and if they do not obey then their man feels it be right to abuse her till she gets things done right. Most of these incidents are brought back to the western days when the men thought it was alright to slap their women around a bit to teach them a thing or two. When men are beings raised they are taught to be tough and learn how to stand on their own two feet.
Many battered women in society today feel or think they cannot get out of the situation for many reasons. Reasons could be because they are too scared or they feel that they can’t survive without him or no matter what he will just keep coming back around and she will have no choice. With all the media and advertisements out today are no help when it comes to showing people the positive of our societies to becoming better. Society has also show how hard it is for them to change ways because that is what they are use to.

A couple of the poems from the poetry of witness that we are reading can relate well to Hammil’s writings. The poem “Rite of Passage” states how the older boy can beat up the younger boy because of their upbringing. The poem “The women hanging from the thirteenth floor window” is talking about a woman in a battered relationship and how jumping out the window could set her free. We as a society need to be more strong and knowledgeable of what is going on around us.

                                                               http://media.photobucket.com/group/image/battered%20women%20and%20children/J16OTAQIHO/ProtectOurChildren.jpg
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poet.html?id=2883