Milestone 2 Outline Worksheet

5-2 Milestone Two: Interpretive Essay Outline 1. Introduction The story I connected to the most was “The Things They Carried,” written by Tim O’Brien. The intent of the author was to give the reader an inside look at the reality of war. He does this through the story of each soldier. War can be humiliating and depressing however, O’Brien allows us to see a softer and personal side of each soldier. The reason I chose this text is because as a veteran, it discusses the emotional and physical burdens many of our veterans have to carry and the effect it has on their lives. Both are major issues that plague our current veteran community leading to mental health issues and even worse, suicide. This text reveals this experience through fear and guilt which are commonplace in modern times as expressed by Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” through the use of characterization, metaphors and symbolism. 2. Body Paragraph/Supporting Argument #1 My first paragraph will cover characterization based on the fact that the story itself focuses on each soldier (character) as well as what each one has been burden with to carry.   First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, unreciprocated love, guilt, and responsibility. The individual roles and tales about a bunch of guys who sit around telling stories of horror, beauty and everything they experience while on the front line. 3. Transition Sentence I will end the paragraph by showing how the soldiers became lost in reality as their humanity gave way. O’Brien uses metaphors to show the connection as to how each soldier becomes caught in a fantasy world to escape the reality of who they are. 4. Body Paragraph/Supporting Argument #2 O’Brien uses metaphors to show the physical, mental and emotional things each soldier carried.     “Kiowa also carried his grandmother’s distrust of the white man, his grandfather’s old hunting hatchet” (O’Brien 1071). “Lieutenant Jimmy Cross humped his love for Martha up the hills and through the swamps” (O’Brien 1071) “As a big man, therefore a machine gunner, Henry Dobbins carried the M-60, which weighed twenty-three pounds unloaded, but which was almost always loaded.” (O’Brien 1072) “They all carried ghosts.” (O’Brien 1074)  “They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing—these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight.” (O’Brien 1080) 5. Transition Sentence I will end this paragraph with the metaphors depicting their physical, mental and emotional burdens along with the symbolism as it steers the reader through the emerging characters humanity as they deal with the guilt of war emotionally and mentally. 6. Body Paragraph/Supporting Argument #3 O’Brien skillfully uses symbolism in a way that describes each soldier so that we gain a better understanding of each. By doing so, we are able to see a personal side and the significance of their evolving personalities.   The following states how symbolism is used to describe one of the soldiers. “Kiowa, a devout Baptist, carried an illustrated New Testament that had been presented to him by his father, who taught Sunday school in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.” (O’Brien 1070) Dave Jensen carried a rabbit’s foot. (O’Brien 1076) 7. Conclusion O’Brien’s story “The Things They Carried” describes the burdens that soldiers carried during the Vietnam War. Even though the majority of people never experience the feeling of fighting in a war, it still affects them. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Soldier or Marine, you will do as you’re told regardless. War takes a toll on everyone involved with lasting effects. It changes you in ways that you may not be able to cope with. The argument I make is relevant to the ongoing issue that’s plague our veteran society. Servicemen and women oftentimes face unique challenges when leaving active duty and readjusting to civilian life. Oftentimes, these same individuals return home with challenges related to their mental wellbeing. Leading the way as the most common is post-traumatic stress disorder (commonly known as PTSD). No matter what time period it is, war has been and will continue be an issue.