THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
NOTE: We scrapped the homework on Friday because we ran out of time.
Homework: Please read from page 97 to page 104 in the short story Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong. Please respond using the comment feature or e-mail to the following question:
Mary Anne Bell represents an idea of home to these soldiers. While there were in Vietnam, their homes changed. Their families and friends changed. The country changed. At the same time, the soldiers themselves were changed by the war. Mary Anne’s story could be seen as a discussion on how these soldiers had a hard time gaining a point of reference in all of this change. What does Mary Anne’s story say about the relationship between changes at the soldier’s home and changes in themselves?
well..she left that guy that she wanted to marry to be a chick that goes on missions and does backflips during the night. i guess that it shows that war changes peoples ideas on pretty much everything and it explains why you dont bring your girlfriend to a camp full of guys
Comment by Elliott — May 24, 2010 @ 11:22 pm
Mary Anne started consciously taking change to the war as well as the men. Mary Anne was subject to bodies and learned medic techniques, while staying in love, but everything changed everybody at the camp.
Comment by Steve-O — May 25, 2010 @ 12:11 am
I believe that although both the soldiers and their homes are changing due to the war they are changing in completely different directions. The blond girl symbolizes the idea of home and Americas naive civilian point of view. For instance she has no fear of VC. She is completely oblivious to the enemy. On the other hand the soldiers live their entire lives in fear.
Comment by Lee — May 25, 2010 @ 2:14 pm
I agree with Lee, that war changes both the soldiers and there homes. The soldiers are changed because they have seen the horror of war and seen they’re friends die, where the home only sees what comes on the news or from stories they have heard. You could also put it in this way, the soldiers have lost their incense, where the home still has its.
Comment by Joey — May 25, 2010 @ 5:53 pm
It really doesn’t. She just went Rambo crossed with Xena, and became unfeminine. As such, this represented the fact that the world is not pink with frou-frou lace dangling around you. Your worth is measured in how many fingers, toes, eyes, tongues, teeth, or ears (with many more!) you have hanging from your dog tags.
Comment by Tim O. Brian — May 28, 2010 @ 3:18 pm