Friday Nov. 13 - War and Peace: "The Things They Carried" Primary and Secondary Blogs (3 total)

11/10/2015

Prompt: Think about the items that you carry in your bag (backpack, purse, fanny-pack, man-bag, etc.). Choose two items and explain why you have chosen to "hump" these items wherever you go. What is the tangible and intangible element of each item and why? Then think and write about what these items say about you. Finally, compare yourself to one of the characters in the short story. Who do you most resemble and why?

Primary Blog Post: 2 Full Paragraphs (200-250 words - use at least one MLA cited quote from the short story)

Secondary Blog Post: 1 Full Paragraph (100-150 words) X 2 (one each for two classmates)

*please note: You must use the "pen name" that I assigned to you for this assignment (both primary blog entry and secondary blog entry)!

-(DAY 1) Primary Blog Post: Only those posted by the end of the day (Friday 11-13-2015 at 11:59 pm) will be scored.

-(DAY 2) Secondary Blog Post: Only those posted by the end of the weekend (Sunday 11-15-2015 at 11:59 pm) will be scored.

George S. patton

11/13/2015 12:19:15 pm

The two things that I carry are my cellphone and my identity.

In my cellphone I carry secrets and personal conversations about my person life or possibly someone else’s. My cell phone is a part of me and without it I’d feel like something was missing. I’m sure a lot of people can relate to that. Have you ever lost your phone and got so nervous about it being in someone else’s possession?

I carry my identity in my wallet because it is who I am. If someone found me dead that is how they will know who I am. It is an important aspect. It’s a valuable item that everyone should carry on themselves. It makes me feel safe and trustworthy to carry something that has meaning to it. To the police an identity is valuable. As person identification should be carried with you at all times.
Jimmy Cross carried letters and pictures of a girl named Martha and to him that was like an escape from reality and it helped him get by. But he then carried guilt because of his men dying. He thought it was his fault because his mind wasn’t focused on his men it was focused on her. “this is something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war” this quote shows how he feels a burden for loving Martha more than he loved his men.

stonewall jackson

11/13/2015 12:25:34 pm

I completely understand how you are with you cellphone. I am the same! I don't know what I'd do without my phone, I like feeling connected. I lose my phone all the time. Sometimes I feel like I've lost my phone, but its really in my hand! Be careful carrying your identity, wouldn't want that to end up in the wrong hands!

Abner Doubleday

11/15/2015 07:30:38 pm

I like the way you think. Believe it or not, i know how you feel about the whole if i die thing, thats how i feel about my cell phone so if im in danger someday i feel that if i had my cellphone i could contact anyone.

Sybil Ludington

11/15/2015 11:13:54 pm

I can definitely relate to carrying your identity with you because if I didn't have my wallet with me then id feel kind of empty in a way because as you said, it is important item. it is important to both you and anyone who may find you.

Geronimo

11/15/2015 11:28:41 pm

My phone means a lot to me and I don't give anyone my password because it has my personal business in it. If I was to ever lose my phone I don't know what I would do.

Davy Crocket

11/16/2015 05:27:54 pm

i am also the same, i feel lost when i dont have my phone because my reminders is in it for have i have to do day to day, important password, text messages and photo of great memories are there of me, my friend and family..

Stonewall Jackon

11/13/2015 12:23:07 pm

Two things I carry with me all the time are my wallet and my necklace. I keep my wallet with me because it has everything I could ever need in it. I hold my money, my cards, business cards, hair ties, Chap Stick, insurance info, and ID’s in it. The tangible element of my wallet is anything in it. There doesn’t seem to be any intangible elements of my wallet. My necklace is something I wear every day because it was a gift from my grandmother who is no longer with us.
I resemble Lieutenant Jimmy Cross the most because he carried many useful items with him. He was prepared for almost any obstacle that he could’ve faced. This resembles me because I carry so much in wallet to try and eliminate the chances of dealing with a problem that can’t be solved in the moment.

Chris Kyle

11/15/2015 08:34:03 pm

I can see why you carry the necklace with you because of how it resembles your grandmother. I can relate to this because I carry something in remembrance of my aunt who recently passed away.

Chief Red Cloud

11/15/2015 09:59:38 pm

I understand the need to carry the necklace. Although I never got the chance to meet my great-great grandmother before her cross was given to me, it still has a bunch of sentimental value to me. All throughout my freshmen year, administrators would tell me to take it off because they were scared it was gang affiliated and when I told them why I wear it, they still told me to take it off and put it away.

Marcus Luttrell

11/13/2015 12:24:39 pm

The things I carry with me all the time are my wallet, perfume, and headphones. I keep my wallet on me at all times because it holds my money, my blistex, and pictures. Everything in my wallet is tangible, there’s nothing in there that isn’t intangible. I keep just a small bottle of perfume with me because my appearance means a lot to me and others so I like to look and small good. It’s just for an on the go thing in case I forget to put some on before I leave my house. This is also something that is tangible not intangible. Lastly, my headphones are always on me because sometimes when I’m walking or working hard on something I like to block the world out. This item I hold in bag is also tangible.
The character in the story I resemble most is Lieutenant Jimmy cross. Although, he held many useful items in his possession at any times he was prepared for anything that he faced. He was able to use his items anytime he faced any problems.

stonewall jackson

11/13/2015 12:28:41 pm

Hey Marcus! We have a lot in common! I always carry my headphones, perfume and wallet too! As a woman, we have our necessities!!!! I carry many of the same items in my wallet too. I also resembled Lieutenant Jimmy Cross myself.. Gotta stay prepared and expect the unexpected!

jessebrown

11/13/2015 12:35:10 pm

I always carry my headphones with me as well. I like blocking out the world and I feel like when I have my headphones in I can do just that. there is never a moment when my headphones will never not be on me.

George.S Patton

11/13/2015 01:26:20 pm

I can relate to having headphones with me all the time. It does block out the world when things get bad. I think it helps me be in a better mood when I'm upset. There's a lot of songs that I'm sure all of us can relate to. The words behind songs carry meaning.

Molly Pitcher

11/13/2015 07:17:49 pm

Having a moment to yourself out of this world with the help of a headphone is a reason I carry a headphone with me at all times. We get conformed with all the things of this world that we just need a break to think things through mostly with a song that summarizes our situation at that times.

Sybil Ludington

11/15/2015 11:20:44 pm

I understand where you are coming from when youre talking about headphones because they can come in handy. for example if you want to be "alone" then all you have to do is put your headphones in and it is easier to focus because youre by yourself. they also come in handy if youre just having a bad day and want to relax instead of listening to people yell and scream in class or anywhere

Matt Axelson

11/16/2015 03:24:10 pm

I can relate when you say one of the things you always have on you is your headphones. Music can help alot if you don't want to be bothered and want to feel better and can also make time go by faster. If i ever needed them and didn't have them on me it would really suck.

Davy crocket

11/16/2015 05:21:18 pm

I completely agree with you have to have my wallet with me at all times, everything in there is important to me.

geronimo

11/13/2015 12:24:57 pm

in my book bag I carry my phone. my phone has all my important information in it.my photos of my little brother and family. my moms phone number in case anything happens to me.

george custer

11/13/2015 12:25:57 pm

two items I carry in my backpack are eye drops and emergency condoms. These two items are important to me because they prevent bad situations from happening. Sometimes in the morning my eyes are really irritated and it causes people to assume im under the influence. A little squirt of visine and my eyes clear up. My emergency condoms help in case of an emergency hence the name. Sometimes unexpected encounters between me and females can happen after school and safe sex is the best sex so I have to be prepared.

Abner Doubleday

11/13/2015 12:26:21 pm

One item that I carry on me all the time is my ring. My ring was a gift that has 16 diamonds. It was given to me when I had my Sweet 16. Which is a traditional event that I celebrate. It represents when us "girls" become a young lady for the first time. The way I see that the ring "says" about me is that a ring is delicate and I am a delicate young lady. But at the same time, the ring is valuable and I like to say that not only I but that everyone is worth something. (not money wise.) Another item that I carry on me is my phone. I know that everyone carries it but I carry it not because I like to stay in contact with people or because I don't want anyone to touch it, but because I always think, "if something happens I can call..."
The character that I think I can most resemble with is Martha. Why, because she tries to be compassionate but at the same time keeping the romance at a low level. Also, because she is always trying to be friends with everyone which is something I like to do. I don't like to leave anyone left out of a conversation. In the short story Jimmy Cross loved Martha, "He had loved Martha more than his men" (7). It shows that Martha was loved/ is loved and that's another reason why I think Martha resembles me the most. Because id consider me to be nice kind and open which I believe most people like in a person.

George.S Patton

11/13/2015 01:18:19 pm

I also believe in the sweet sixteen tradition but I never had the experience of having one myself. For my sixteenth birthday my grandma gave me something similar to the ring resembling sixteen diamonds. It was a bracelet but she believed wearing it would bring bad luck.

Nathan Hale

11/15/2015 05:39:08 pm

I think what your trying to say about your ring is that its an object in which you have alot of memories that make you who you are today. It so amazing that such an object can take such big role in someones life. Sometimes those kinds of objects are the ones that make us push our self to do the best in life.

Geronimo

11/15/2015 11:25:29 pm

I also carry my sweet 16 ring. My older sister gave it to me and I don't take it off at all. Every time I look at it, it reminds me off that wonderful day

Nathan Hale

11/13/2015 12:28:01 pm

There's many things that I think I should carry. One of the ones that stands out to me the most was the fact that I always carry a picture of the people who I care the most about with me all the time. The pictures. Another thing that I will always carry will be memories. That's ne thing that no one cant take away from me because it is a part of me and who I am.
I think a character that I can relate to is Henry Dobbins. He seems to be a bad ass since he carries so much ammo with him. Im seriously thinking that he either carries it because he is scared or he just going all out in killing enemies. Dobbins carried between ten and fifteen pounds of ammunition draped in belts across his chest and shoulders"(Obrien). That a lot of weight to be carrying around if you don't have a very strong reason to do so. I would probably carry more due to all the mental stress of possibly dying.

Molly Pitcher

11/13/2015 07:03:07 pm

You carrying memories is the greatest thing anyone can carry, but sometimes I believe if these memories come back to haunt us we should let them go and not allows us to weigh us down in our journey of life. Positive memories moves us to a different level and gives us a reason to do more.

Douglas MacAruthur

11/15/2015 02:06:42 pm

When you said that you carry pictures of people who you care about this got me thinking of Jimmy Cross carrying the picture of Martha a person he really cares about.

Matt Axelson

11/16/2015 03:37:57 pm

I find it very interesting how one of the things you always carry with you are memories. Not many people would think of something like that and it is nice that you did. I agree no one can take away memories from you and they are always good to look back on if they make you feel better. Even if they are bad memories you can look back on them and learn alot from them and move forward and possibly help you in future situations.

Chris Kyle

11/13/2015 12:28:10 pm

Just like in the story “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien. There are two things that I carry with me every day. One of them being my cross necklace that was given to me by my grandparents the day I got confirmed. The tangible element of it is that it’s always in my bag. Recently, the chain ended breaking and I was very upset about it because I never took it off. So I ended up coming up with the idea of putting the cross itself in a small Ziploc bag and keeping in my backpack so that I have it with me still wherever I go. The intangible element also ties into that idea as well. The cross is clearly a symbol of my faith. To me, it’s something that will overall protect me whenever I go somewhere. It’s a symbol of my faith being carried with me all the time. That also goes to show how sometimes I may be forgetful and forget to put it in the bag that I’m carrying around that day. It shows that some days I may not follow or forget my faith and that’s okay because it’s still going to be there when I get home.

Another item that I always carry with me in my bag is a card from my Aunt’s funeral with her picture on it and a lyric from her favorite song in Italian. I carry this with me because it is basically like a security blanket I guess you could say. My aunt basically raised me since I was young and due to family problems, we lost touch. So the card is something that I have of her for whenever I begin to feel upset with myself for not going to see her when she was here, I can look at the card and remember all the times I spent with her. The card also represents the intangible element of her always being with me. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that she’s with me. Mainly because I felt and still do feel sometimes that she’s mad at me for not going to see her before she passed away. So the card basically symbolizes, for me, that she will always be with me and still love me just as much as she did when she was still here.

jessebrown

11/13/2015 12:30:24 pm

One of the things I carry would be my wallet. The tangible element of my item would be my money. I say my money because I can physically feel my money in my hands as compared to the intangible feeling of security. I can’t physically touch the feeling of security like I can my money. Me carrying my wallet everywhere I go says that I am precautions about my money and personal identification, and that I like the feeling of being safe and secured. The second thing that I carry with me would be a comb. The tangible element about my comb would be my hair. I can comb straight through my hair. I do not know what the intangible element of my comb would be. Me carrying my comb says that I care about my appearance or how I look on most days, but most importantly I care about how my hair looks.
The character I resemble the most would be lt. cross because I believe everything that he carried he couldn’t necessarily go a day without, he needed those things to help me keep pushing forward. For example in the short story it says
“lieutenant cross carried two photographs of Martha” (O’ Brien 2). Lt. Cross carrying those two photographs of Martha reminds me of myself carrying my wallet.

Molly Pitcher

11/13/2015 06:54:12 pm

There are many things a person carries that means the world to them. As a young woman, I carry my cell phone and as a Christian with a strong belief I also carry a Rosary . Growing up, there are many things out there that I can't open up to but with my phone it holds secret and personal conversations about myself and others. Keeping my faith and belief it hold s me together at my breaking point. I pray with my Rosary in my times of need. These item proves my faith and connection with people. With my phone, some things I do will not be considered right but my faith always makes me whole.
In the Novel The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, the characters carried something significant to them that shows who they are. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross's thngs he carried all put him in a place he wants to be or someone he wants to be with like the good-luck charm. "Lieutenant Jimmy Crossed received a good-luck charm from Martha. It was a simple pebble(...) as a token of her truest feelings for him"(O'Brien P 14). The things I carry resemble most of the things Jimmy Cross carries because it connects the love we have for the purest of people. Martha who represented the Holiness in a person connected to the Rosary because I use it as a connection to get in touch with God.

Douglas MacAruthr

11/13/2015 06:59:15 pm

Douglas MacArthur
Period F
11/13/2015

A: Two things that I carry in my backpack are my headphones and my rings. I keep my headphones on me at all time , because in the morning I’m a completely different person i need to listen to my music in order to get into my happen mood. If i get on the bus and don’t have my headphones the silents of the bus really gets me angry. I keep my rings on me at all time , because i had a bracelet that i really loved but misplaced so now i keep the rings on me to remind myself of what I had.
I feel that I more like Jimmy Cross , because he daydreams a lot while he is missing out on everything around him and I do this all the time. I’m not saying that I’m crazy like him but he reminds me of myself.

Chief Red Cloud

11/15/2015 09:53:25 pm

I completely understand you on the earphone spectrum. The noisiness of my bus gets me upset all the time. My headphones and music are my life for this school year, and I didn't have them I would probably be suspended already.

Audie Murphy link

11/13/2015 10:37:28 pm

The first item that I have to carry in my backpack at all times is my phone the reason I need my phone is if I don't have it I won't be able to feel like I have all the necessity to get through the day. It's necesary because without it I wouldn't be able to communicate with my friends or family after school if I have to. The second item that I need it my backpack is the pencils that I use throughout the day. The reason having those pencils is necesary is if I don't have any I won't be able to do any work unless I ask someone else for a pencil. If I don't have a pencil I feel like I am going to school unprepared and if you are not prepared you aren't going to be successful.
The character from the story that I think I most resemble is Lt. Jimmy Cross. The reason I think I resemble him is because he knows what he want in life but he doesn't really know how to actually go after it. Also because he is always helping people but never expecting something I return no matter the situation.

Douglas MacAruthr

11/15/2015 01:51:45 pm

Audie Murphy I understand what your saying about your phone I wouldn't know what to do without my phone. I also agree with what you think of Jimmy cross he does help people and doesn't ask for anything in return. For a leader to be like this is very good and i feel that his troop is in very good hands when Jimmy Cross is paying attention and not thinking about Martha.

Chief Red Cloud

11/15/2015 01:20:17 pm

Two things I carry are my great-great grandmother's rosary and loose change. I carry the rosary because my great-great grandmother oassed away vefore she got the chance to meet me so I feel as if she's with me at all times and she's still looking over us all and protecting us from the complications and dangers we face. A lot of people find it stupid to carry loose change but it reminds me of all the struggles my nom has to go through as a single mom. Sometimes loose change is all a person has.
I would compare myself to Lt. Jimmy Cross because he loves hard and falls even when he knows he's not going to be caught at the end of the drop, "... he wanted Martha to love him as he loves her, but the letter were mistly chatty..." (O'Brien 1). We both have struggles of the past and haven't had the time to work them out due to the busy schedule we have (war and school- because its basically the same 😂) so we're stuck min all the problems we face.

Abner Doubleday

11/15/2015 07:32:13 pm

Thats pretty cool how you see the whole loose change. And i feel that we all have rough moments. But thanks to the hard times most of us are who we are today.

Chris Kyle

11/15/2015 08:37:13 pm

I understand why you may carry loose change with you. Although from an outside perspective it does seem ridiculous in a way but, the reasons behind it understandable and honestly, very interesting.

Matt Axelson

11/16/2015 03:34:16 pm

Two things that I always carry around on me are my phone and money. I always have my phone so i can keep in contact with people that I need to and also search anything up that I need to which is very helpful. Without it if i ever needed a ride for example and no way to contact anyone I could be in a bad situation. Also if i needed to contact someone about something or look something up it would be much more difficult without a phone. I would feel lost if I didn't have it all day. For money i always carry it around because you never know when you will need it. There is usually always something that you might want or need when you go out and everything cost money. Without having money on me I wouldn't even have the option to make a purchase.
The person that I would compare myself to the most would have to be Lt. Jimmy Cross. I would say so because he is very sure of himself just like I am. I know what I want in life usually and the kind of person that I am and what I am capable of. Also that he is very helpful and I like to help people. Helping someone for nothing in return always gives you a good feeling and is a great thing to do.

Davy Crocket

11/16/2015 05:15:03 pm

The two thing that i carry is wallet and a snack. I carry my wallet because i alway have to buy something or if i see someone in need on the roadside asking for money i alway have it to give few buck to them. I carry a snack always i get hungry, i have the last lunch of the day, so a nice snack can keep me untill it lunch time.

In the story "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien the character in the story that is mostly related to me is Dave Jensen who carried for example "who practiced field hygiene, carried a toothbrush, dental floss, and several hotel-sized bars of soap he'd stolen on R&R in Sydney, Australia...three pairs of socks and a can of Dr. Scholl's foot powder as a precaution against trench foot." This character relates to me more because this person was very concerned about there personal hygiene and i am that kind of person i have little bag in my locker that has all my person stuff in it.

Patrick Henry

11/16/2015 11:36:05 pm

One item I carry around with me every where I go is my make up bag. I take my pink little bag with me every where I go even on day when I didn't ware make up. I don't know why I do it maybe it's by habit. Carring around my make up bag to me means I am always prepared, prepared to look presentable at any moment. In that sense this makes me very similar to the character who was killed in the short story he was always well /over prepared.

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