Pg. 218
"The thing about a story is that you dream it as you tell it, hoping that others might then dream along with you, and in this way memory and imagination and language combine go make spirits in the head. There is the illusion of aliveness. In Vietnam, for instance, Ted Lavendar had a habit of popping four or five tranquilizers every morning. It was his way of coping, just dealing with the realities, and the drugs helped to ease him through the days. I remember how peaceful his eyes were. Even in bad situations he had a soft, dreamy expression on his face, which was what he wanted, a kind of escape."
I thought that this quote did a great job of explaining how these soldiers felt towards one another. No one made judgments about Ted Lavendar, because they accepted the tranquilizers as his way to escape. Every soldier had their own way of coping. I think that Tim O'Brien's way of coping or escaping is writing! The quote begins with him explaining his hope for an audience to dream along with him. I think that any person who publishes material (music included) would want their listeners to form a connection. What is found within those connections is very strong, which he describes as "the illusion of aliveness." I'm sure many people could relate to this because when you find a series of books or a musical artist in common with someone there is a sudden friendship. Which then turns into memories and imagination just as Tim O'Brien explained.
Pg. 223
"It's now 1990. I'm forty-three years old, which would've seemed impossible to a fourth grader, and yet when I look at photographs of myself as I was in 1956, I realize that in the important ways I haven't changed at all. I was Timmy then; now I'm Tim. But the essence remains the same."
I hope that when I am 43 years old that I think the same way as Tim O'Brien does in this quote. We all see changes in ourselves over a few years, but sometimes they may slip past us and we don't notice them. I hope that my "essence remains the same" as well and that I will be proud of who I was and who I have become.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Pages 180-207
Pg. 183
"When you're afraid, really afraid, you see things you never saw before, you pay attention to the world. You make close friends. You become part of a tribe and you share the same blood-you give it together, you take it together."
Friendship. What a wonderful thing. I liked this quote because it reminded me of my youth group and the mission trips we go on every summer. I have met so many wonderful people because of it and have had the best experiences with them. We form deep friendships in just one week! "You give it together, you take it together."
Pg.195
"Psychology-that was one thing I knew. You don't try to scare people in broad daylight. You wait. Because the darkness squeezes you inside yourself, you get cut off from the outside world, the imagination takes over. That's basic psychology. I'd pulled enough night guard to know how the fear factor gets multiplied as you sit there hour after hour, nobody to talk to, nothing to do but stare into the big black hole at the center of your own sorry soul. The hours go by and you lose your gyroscope; your mind starts to roam."
I wanted to share this quote because I thought that many people could relate to this. Why does the darkness scare people? Maybe because we can't see what's in front or behind us, but what we can see is "inside ourselves." (And that's pretty scary for some) The author explains the darkness as a time of self reflection, which I could relate to. When you're with people, you're less scared of the dark just like when you were a little kid. But when we find ourselves alone we start to wonder about every little thing that could be possible, or maybe the impossible. We may dream of the perfect future, or we may cry over the recent difficulties we have faced. Darkness can be a wonderful and terrible thing.
"When you're afraid, really afraid, you see things you never saw before, you pay attention to the world. You make close friends. You become part of a tribe and you share the same blood-you give it together, you take it together."
Friendship. What a wonderful thing. I liked this quote because it reminded me of my youth group and the mission trips we go on every summer. I have met so many wonderful people because of it and have had the best experiences with them. We form deep friendships in just one week! "You give it together, you take it together."
Pg.195
"Psychology-that was one thing I knew. You don't try to scare people in broad daylight. You wait. Because the darkness squeezes you inside yourself, you get cut off from the outside world, the imagination takes over. That's basic psychology. I'd pulled enough night guard to know how the fear factor gets multiplied as you sit there hour after hour, nobody to talk to, nothing to do but stare into the big black hole at the center of your own sorry soul. The hours go by and you lose your gyroscope; your mind starts to roam."
I wanted to share this quote because I thought that many people could relate to this. Why does the darkness scare people? Maybe because we can't see what's in front or behind us, but what we can see is "inside ourselves." (And that's pretty scary for some) The author explains the darkness as a time of self reflection, which I could relate to. When you're with people, you're less scared of the dark just like when you were a little kid. But when we find ourselves alone we start to wonder about every little thing that could be possible, or maybe the impossible. We may dream of the perfect future, or we may cry over the recent difficulties we have faced. Darkness can be a wonderful and terrible thing.
Pages 155-179
Pg. 171-172
"I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth. Here is the happening-truth. I was once a soldier. There were many bodies, real bodies with real faces, but I was young then and I was afraid to look. And now, twenty years later, I'm left with faceless responsibility and faceless grief."
I enjoy simple quotes with a lot of meaning, like this one. He is honest with his writing and the analogy made was quite interesting. He mentions the time when he was a soldier and seeing bodies with real faces. Whereas now (20 years later) he is "left with faceless responsibility and faceless grief." He was young and afraid, and is haunted now by the sites he had seen. He describes his responsibility and grief as being "faceless." If he hadn't of been afraid during the war, he wouldn't have these feelings now. It almost seems like he wanted to remember a face of someone and now he feels empty because he didn't.
Pg. 172
"What stories can do, I guess, is make things present. I can look at things I never looked at. I can attach faces to grief and love and pity and God. I can be brave. I can make myself feel again."
This quote to me is the definition of creativity. Tim O'Brien is constantly explaining how he writes throughout the book in such an incredible way. I found this quote inviting because he makes it seem like it is easy to be a writer. Whereas for me, it is very hard to write creatively. When I read books every author has there own style and that comes with their own creativity.
"I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth. Here is the happening-truth. I was once a soldier. There were many bodies, real bodies with real faces, but I was young then and I was afraid to look. And now, twenty years later, I'm left with faceless responsibility and faceless grief."
I enjoy simple quotes with a lot of meaning, like this one. He is honest with his writing and the analogy made was quite interesting. He mentions the time when he was a soldier and seeing bodies with real faces. Whereas now (20 years later) he is "left with faceless responsibility and faceless grief." He was young and afraid, and is haunted now by the sites he had seen. He describes his responsibility and grief as being "faceless." If he hadn't of been afraid during the war, he wouldn't have these feelings now. It almost seems like he wanted to remember a face of someone and now he feels empty because he didn't.
Pg. 172
"What stories can do, I guess, is make things present. I can look at things I never looked at. I can attach faces to grief and love and pity and God. I can be brave. I can make myself feel again."
This quote to me is the definition of creativity. Tim O'Brien is constantly explaining how he writes throughout the book in such an incredible way. I found this quote inviting because he makes it seem like it is easy to be a writer. Whereas for me, it is very hard to write creatively. When I read books every author has there own style and that comes with their own creativity.
Pages 131-154
Pg. 137
"Through the windows, as if in a stop-motion photograph, the place looked as if it had been hit by nerve gas, everything still and lifeless, even the people. The town could not talk, and would not listen."
I really like this quote because as I was reading I could imagine myself in the same situation. It always amazes me how big our world is. Some places busier than others, and everyone likes something else. Personally, I cannot stay in the city for too long, because I enjoy small towns. However, others would prefer the big city and rush of people. This quote reminds me of a camping trip I went on with my family and friends of ours. One night us kids drove out onto an open path to look at the stars, and this quote explains exactly how I felt at that moment.
Pg. 141
"Through the windows, as if in a stop-motion photograph, the place looked as if it had been hit by nerve gas, everything still and lifeless, even the people. The town could not talk, and would not listen."
I really like this quote because as I was reading I could imagine myself in the same situation. It always amazes me how big our world is. Some places busier than others, and everyone likes something else. Personally, I cannot stay in the city for too long, because I enjoy small towns. However, others would prefer the big city and rush of people. This quote reminds me of a camping trip I went on with my family and friends of ours. One night us kids drove out onto an open path to look at the stars, and this quote explains exactly how I felt at that moment.
Pg. 141
"How the rain never stopped. How the cold worked into your bones. Sometimes the bravest thing on earth was to sit through the night and feel the cold in your bones. Courage was not always a matter of yes or no. Sometimes it came in degrees, like the cold; sometimes you were very brave up to a point and then beyond that point you were not so brave."
As I was reading this quote I thought it was very powerful. I liked how he mentioned that bravery and courage come "in degrees." He explains the degrees literally as the cold rain and but he also explains it as situations that are on specific levels. This is how I interpreted this quote; a person may be very brave and courageous but when they are faced with a troublesome situation they loose that confidence in themselves. And it's not entirely based on whether someone is brave/courageous or not, their feelings are dependent on the experience. Sometimes we need other people's bravery and courage to increase our confidence before we can take the next step.
Pages 111-130
Pg. 119
"He would have been taught that to defend the land was a man's highest privilege. He had accepted this . It was never open to question. Secretly, though, it also frightened him. He was not a fighter. His health was poor, his body small and frail. He liked books. He wanted someday to be a teacher of mathematics. At night, lying on his mat, he could not picture himself doing the brave things his father had done, or his uncles, or the heroes of the stories. He hoped in his heart that he would never be tested. He hoped the Americans would go away. Soon, he hoped. He kept hoping and hoping, always, even when he was asleep."
I think that this quote is significantly important because oftentimes we don't hear this side of a soldiers story. What really stood out to me was the line "he could not picture himself doing the brave things his father had done, or his uncles, or the heroes of the stories." This soldier was afraid and had low expectations of himself, now that's not something you hear about everyday. A soldier usually is brave and has confidence, it's interesting to read about the situation in a different way. He didn't deny the truth, instead with honesty he admitted that he was weak.
Pg.127
"The grenade was to make him go away-just evaporate-and I leaned back and felt my head go empty and then felt it fill up again. I had already thrown the grenade before telling myself to throw it. The brush was thick and I had to lob it high, not aiming, and I remember the grenade seeming to freeze above me for an instant, as if a camera had clicked, and I remember ducking down and holding my breath and seeing little wisps of fog rise from the earth."
I chose to share this quote because it's the reality of war. I haven't read many books like The Things They Carried, so I found this passage especially engaging. My favorite part is when he describes the feeling "as if a camera had clicked." It is amazing to read (hear,see,etc.) about those "snapshot" experiences.
"He would have been taught that to defend the land was a man's highest privilege. He had accepted this . It was never open to question. Secretly, though, it also frightened him. He was not a fighter. His health was poor, his body small and frail. He liked books. He wanted someday to be a teacher of mathematics. At night, lying on his mat, he could not picture himself doing the brave things his father had done, or his uncles, or the heroes of the stories. He hoped in his heart that he would never be tested. He hoped the Americans would go away. Soon, he hoped. He kept hoping and hoping, always, even when he was asleep."
I think that this quote is significantly important because oftentimes we don't hear this side of a soldiers story. What really stood out to me was the line "he could not picture himself doing the brave things his father had done, or his uncles, or the heroes of the stories." This soldier was afraid and had low expectations of himself, now that's not something you hear about everyday. A soldier usually is brave and has confidence, it's interesting to read about the situation in a different way. He didn't deny the truth, instead with honesty he admitted that he was weak.
Pg.127
"The grenade was to make him go away-just evaporate-and I leaned back and felt my head go empty and then felt it fill up again. I had already thrown the grenade before telling myself to throw it. The brush was thick and I had to lob it high, not aiming, and I remember the grenade seeming to freeze above me for an instant, as if a camera had clicked, and I remember ducking down and holding my breath and seeing little wisps of fog rise from the earth."
I chose to share this quote because it's the reality of war. I haven't read many books like The Things They Carried, so I found this passage especially engaging. My favorite part is when he describes the feeling "as if a camera had clicked." It is amazing to read (hear,see,etc.) about those "snapshot" experiences.
Pages 82-110
Pg. 84
"There was some pain, no doubt, but in the morning Curt Lemon was all smiles."
This was the last sentence in the short chapter called "The Dentist." I liked this quote because it's simple but uplifting. Curt Lemon overcame his fear of the dentist by telling them to yank out a tooth that was perfectly fine! Now how many people would actually have the courage to do that? Even though he didn't necessarily have to go through pain, as long as he was happy and smiling is all that matters.
Pg. 106
"I feel close to myself. When I'm out there at night, I feel close to my own body, I can feel my blood moving, my skin and my fingernails, everything, it's like I'm full of electricity and I'm glowing in the dark--I'm on fire almost--I'm burning away into nothing--but it doesn't matter because I know exactly who I am. You can't feel like that anywhere else."
This book does not feature many women so I thought that this quote was very powerful especially because it came from Mary Anne. (She comes to visit her boyfriend Mark Fossie) When she arrived she was curious and interested to learn about the war. Towards the end of the chapter she becomes involved with the Greenies and claims that she has found herself through the war. I found it intriguing when she explained how she knows exactly who she is. Everyone dreams to know themselves and I felt happy for her because she achieved that goal. Also, many people are affected by the war, but for her she was affected in a reinforcing positive way.
"There was some pain, no doubt, but in the morning Curt Lemon was all smiles."
This was the last sentence in the short chapter called "The Dentist." I liked this quote because it's simple but uplifting. Curt Lemon overcame his fear of the dentist by telling them to yank out a tooth that was perfectly fine! Now how many people would actually have the courage to do that? Even though he didn't necessarily have to go through pain, as long as he was happy and smiling is all that matters.
Pg. 106
"I feel close to myself. When I'm out there at night, I feel close to my own body, I can feel my blood moving, my skin and my fingernails, everything, it's like I'm full of electricity and I'm glowing in the dark--I'm on fire almost--I'm burning away into nothing--but it doesn't matter because I know exactly who I am. You can't feel like that anywhere else."
This book does not feature many women so I thought that this quote was very powerful especially because it came from Mary Anne. (She comes to visit her boyfriend Mark Fossie) When she arrived she was curious and interested to learn about the war. Towards the end of the chapter she becomes involved with the Greenies and claims that she has found herself through the war. I found it intriguing when she explained how she knows exactly who she is. Everyone dreams to know themselves and I felt happy for her because she achieved that goal. Also, many people are affected by the war, but for her she was affected in a reinforcing positive way.
Pages 59-81
Pg. 78
"Though it's odd, you're never more alive than when you're almost dead. You recognize what's valuable. Freshly, as if for the first time, you live what's best in yourself and in the world, all that might be lost. At the hour of dusk you sit at your foxhole and look out on a wide river turning pinkish red, and at the mountains beyond, and although in the morning you must cross the river and go into the mountains and do terrible things and maybe die, even so, you find yourself studying the fine colors on the river, you feel wonder and awe at the setting of the sun, and you are filled with a hard, aching love for how the world could be and always should be, but now is not."
I thought that this quote was significantly important to the book because of the emotion it gives off. These true words from a soldier had a great impact on me as I was reading. This paragraph talks positively about the war and it's daily routine. He's accepting the fact that he may have to do "terrible things" or even die but in the mean time he admires the beauty of nature. Even though war may be seen as a part of human nature, there is a difference between how humans behave and how the rest of the environment behaves. In this quote he explains how the beauty of nature is much more important than human nature.
Pg. 81
"It wasn't a war story. It was a love story. But you can't say that. All you can do is tell it one more time, patiently, adding and subtracting, making up a few things to get at the real truth."
I wanted to share this quote because of the truth behind it. I think a lot of people can relate to this, because I'm not sure that I've ever met a completely honest person! This quote truly explains the reality of passing on a story.
"Though it's odd, you're never more alive than when you're almost dead. You recognize what's valuable. Freshly, as if for the first time, you live what's best in yourself and in the world, all that might be lost. At the hour of dusk you sit at your foxhole and look out on a wide river turning pinkish red, and at the mountains beyond, and although in the morning you must cross the river and go into the mountains and do terrible things and maybe die, even so, you find yourself studying the fine colors on the river, you feel wonder and awe at the setting of the sun, and you are filled with a hard, aching love for how the world could be and always should be, but now is not."
I thought that this quote was significantly important to the book because of the emotion it gives off. These true words from a soldier had a great impact on me as I was reading. This paragraph talks positively about the war and it's daily routine. He's accepting the fact that he may have to do "terrible things" or even die but in the mean time he admires the beauty of nature. Even though war may be seen as a part of human nature, there is a difference between how humans behave and how the rest of the environment behaves. In this quote he explains how the beauty of nature is much more important than human nature.
Pg. 81
"It wasn't a war story. It was a love story. But you can't say that. All you can do is tell it one more time, patiently, adding and subtracting, making up a few things to get at the real truth."
I wanted to share this quote because of the truth behind it. I think a lot of people can relate to this, because I'm not sure that I've ever met a completely honest person! This quote truly explains the reality of passing on a story.
Pages 26-58
Pg. 33
"But the thing about remembering is that you don't forget. You take your material where you find it, which is in your life, at the intersection of past and present. The memory-traffic feeds into a rotary up on your head, where it goes in circles for a while, then pretty soon imagination flows in and the traffic merges and shoots off down a thousand different streets. As a writer, all you can do is pick a street and go for the ride, putting things down as they come at you. That's the real obsession. All those stories."
I believe that this quote is very important and stands out from the book. It explains Tim O' Brien's thought process and encourages the reader to try thinking the same way. The relationships he uses between words and imagery creates a dramatic effect and draws the reader in.
Pg. 36
"Stories are for joining the past to the future. Stories are for those late hours in the night when you can't remember how you got from where you were to where you are. Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except for the story."
When I hear the word "story" I feel that it applies to all ages and most of the time has a positive intention. A stereotypical example (although it is very true) would be as a child you may have enjoyed "bedtime stories." (and what's a better way to share a story then to write a book?) Memories may fade but stories are easier to remember. It's very common that the elderly have a lot of stories to tell and people love listening to them! There is something so intriguing about hearing someone speak of all of the things that they have encountered.
"But the thing about remembering is that you don't forget. You take your material where you find it, which is in your life, at the intersection of past and present. The memory-traffic feeds into a rotary up on your head, where it goes in circles for a while, then pretty soon imagination flows in and the traffic merges and shoots off down a thousand different streets. As a writer, all you can do is pick a street and go for the ride, putting things down as they come at you. That's the real obsession. All those stories."
I believe that this quote is very important and stands out from the book. It explains Tim O' Brien's thought process and encourages the reader to try thinking the same way. The relationships he uses between words and imagery creates a dramatic effect and draws the reader in.
Pg. 36
"Stories are for joining the past to the future. Stories are for those late hours in the night when you can't remember how you got from where you were to where you are. Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except for the story."
When I hear the word "story" I feel that it applies to all ages and most of the time has a positive intention. A stereotypical example (although it is very true) would be as a child you may have enjoyed "bedtime stories." (and what's a better way to share a story then to write a book?) Memories may fade but stories are easier to remember. It's very common that the elderly have a lot of stories to tell and people love listening to them! There is something so intriguing about hearing someone speak of all of the things that they have encountered.
Pages 1-25
Pg. 17
"He wished he could find some great sadness, or even anger, but the emotion wasn't there and he couldn't make it happen. Mostly he felt pleased to me alive. He liked the smell of the New Testament under his cheek, the leather and ink and paper and glue, whatever the chemicals were. He liked hearing the sounds of the night. Even his fatigue, it felt fine, the stiff muscles and the prickly awareness of his own body, a floating feeling. He enjoyed not being dead."
I chose to mention this quote because as I was reading it, I understood who Kiowa is. Oftentimes it is hard to "read" a person in real life, so it should be easier reading about someone in a book, but that isn't always the case. Although as I read this quote, I did understand Kiowa as a person, or at least part of him. I could imagine a man laying and admiring the little things he has right at that moment. He had his life, and he explained it in such a wonderful way that many people would not take for granted.
Pg. 20
"They carried shameful memories. They carried the common secret of cowardice barley 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. They carried their reputations."
I really like this quote because it speaks to the fact that these men are normal people, heroes in the eyes of many, but not always in the eyes of themselves. Although they are in the war, and living it day by day, they still reminisce on memories from their past. I think that oftentimes people forget about who they used to be because they are so focused on the present, and one should sometimes think about the future. What is my purpose in life, how can I get there, and who will support me?
Pg. 20
"They carried shameful memories. They carried the common secret of cowardice barley 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. They carried their reputations."
I really like this quote because it speaks to the fact that these men are normal people, heroes in the eyes of many, but not always in the eyes of themselves. Although they are in the war, and living it day by day, they still reminisce on memories from their past. I think that oftentimes people forget about who they used to be because they are so focused on the present, and one should sometimes think about the future. What is my purpose in life, how can I get there, and who will support me?
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