Alright so since my past two blogs have been...well...pointless, I think I'm going to begin blogging about relevant topics.
I started The Things They Carried today, and while I'm not too far into it yet, I absolutely love it! I'm really happy to be able to say that because I haven't been able to say that about much of my required reading over the years.
Before work today I got through about half of the first chapter, and here is a quote that really stuck out to me,
`"They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried" [page 7].
That quote got to me. I read it over and over trying to imagine how it felt to carry so many destructive, life-altering weapons. What is it like to be able to control a person, a city, or even a country's outcome with just the pull of a trigger? Honestly, it scares the heck out of me, and it just increases my respect for the soldiers fighting for us.
The first chapter is titled "The Things They Carried," and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the majority of the first chapter is a series of lists (I love lists!!! :] ). The description O'Brien provides as the author speaking of Lieutenant Jimmy Cross' past is so thorough that the reader feels that he/she is more directly involved in the war effort. Not only were these soldiers carrying the weight of their weapons, but they were carrying the weight of their country, the safety of their families and loved ones, their pride and honor, and one anothers' lives. Talk about some heavy burdens to bear...
Well that's all for now!
I might even write more tonight! :]
I started The Things They Carried today, and while I'm not too far into it yet, I absolutely love it! I'm really happy to be able to say that because I haven't been able to say that about much of my required reading over the years.
Before work today I got through about half of the first chapter, and here is a quote that really stuck out to me,
`"They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried" [page 7].
That quote got to me. I read it over and over trying to imagine how it felt to carry so many destructive, life-altering weapons. What is it like to be able to control a person, a city, or even a country's outcome with just the pull of a trigger? Honestly, it scares the heck out of me, and it just increases my respect for the soldiers fighting for us.
The first chapter is titled "The Things They Carried," and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the majority of the first chapter is a series of lists (I love lists!!! :] ). The description O'Brien provides as the author speaking of Lieutenant Jimmy Cross' past is so thorough that the reader feels that he/she is more directly involved in the war effort. Not only were these soldiers carrying the weight of their weapons, but they were carrying the weight of their country, the safety of their families and loved ones, their pride and honor, and one anothers' lives. Talk about some heavy burdens to bear...
Well that's all for now!
I might even write more tonight! :]
Post a Comment