The Things They Carried | Teen Ink

The Things They Carried MAG

By Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
1044 articles 0 photos 1 comment

     Men In Action
A Review of TheThings They Carried by Tim O‘Brien

All around, thetrees bustle with laughter; teasing the American soldiers.
By and by,they try to get through the pain.
Curt Lemon sailed high to theheavens.
Did you hear them fight for you?
Emotional burdens hangin the air,
Forever they hold onto the hurt.
“Garden ofevil,” where they fought for us.
Halo of gold shines and wingsof silver dance with the wind over and on the dancinggirl.
In the midst of the fog,
Jimmy Cross still had the power tolove.
KIA; what they reported the most.
Letters gounanswered.
M-60, M-16, and M-79; all the standard killingmachines.
No rules to follow, just to do your job: kill.
Oh, TheThings They Carried! Weighing them down: emotional, physical,and mental.
Pow! Pow! Pow! Down the enemies fall.
Quirky teenagersturned into men in mere minutes.
Rat Kiley sang his jingle“Step out of line, hit a mine; follow the dink, you‘re inthe pink.”
Strunk died on a helicopter; left a good friendbehind: Jensen.
“Timmy, stop crying! It doesn‘t matterany more.” I am dead!
Until the war is over, their boots willbe forever muddy.
Vietnam is in the past, but the men who fought forus will be remembered always.
Weeping can be heard from thesoldiers, sorry for killing the innocent.
eXhausted soldiersare finally flown home,
Yearning for the comfort of the long, lostlove of family.
Zany stories are lost in the past; all that is leftis catching up!


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This article has 2 comments.


i love this !

on Dec. 14 2012 at 1:08 pm
creativewritingismything SILVER, Brookshire, Texas
6 articles 0 photos 12 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Creativity is a masterpiece in itself. The ability to manifest that masterpiece, and to recognize its worth, can be found in each of us, if only we would take the time to find our inspiration."
~Samantha Stewart (ME! :D)~

When I read this book in my English class last year, I felt alone in a pool of rejection. I have never been into memiores, or anything military related (and I am still not) but this book got to me. I loved it! You most definately captured the various themes ( lost love, horrific death as a part of Vietnam, friends lost tragically and suddenly, ect.) and I feel that you give the novel a new light. Well Done!!