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O'brien portrays the idea that whatever people believe tends to become the perceived reality to them in the story of Henry Dobbins. Henry Dobbins, one of the soldiers in the Alpha team, was remembered as that one soldier who "wrapped his girlfriend's pantyhose around his neck before heading out on ambush" (111). Although it is ridiculous to believe that wrapping around one's girlfriend's pantyhose would be a "good luck charm", O'brien and other soldiers "came to appreciate the mystery of it all", as "Dobbins was invulnerable.. never wounded, never a scratch" (112). The effect the pantyhose had on Dobbins can be seen as a placebo effect, which makes a person believe on certain things to be effective for them, whilst in reality it has no effect. From this placebo effect, it can be concluded that people often believe what they want to believe, obscuring the reality of those who are effected. This artwork is from a Korean folk story "Wonhyo monk's skull water". The folk story is about a monk who went on a journey and slept in a cave. When he wokeup in the middle of the night, there was a bowl of water prepared next to him, who's been thirsty since the beginning of the journey. After being pleased with the water, the monk went back to sleep. As he woke up the next day though, it turned out that the water he drank was rain water which has accumulated in a long time. This shows that just by believing something to be true, one can have obtain psychological comfort; the psychological effect of the placebo effect is present in both the story of Dobbin and the story of Wonhyo monk. Whatever people believe in tends to become the perceived reality, leading people to ignore the truth.

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As the war was over, soldiers went back to their ordinary lives. Norman Bowker, who had no place in particular to go to in his father's big chevy, "followed the tar road on its seven-mile loop around the lake, then started over again" (131). As he was looping around the lake, "Norman Bowker remembered how his friend Kiowa had disappeared under the waste and water", and how "[he] could've won the Silver Star" (143). Despite the lake itself wasn't the lake which Bowker lost Kiowa to, the existence of the body of water imposes Bowster of the recalling of Kiowa. Although it isn't as severe as Cross' traumatic memory left by Lavender's death, Bowster still has been experiencing a recalling of a shameful memory as he encountered a body of water. Traumatic memories, whether mild or severe, originates from one's regretful decision made in the past. Barbod Gif, the poet of the poem "Regret", states that "you don't feel regret for the things you've done, you feel regret for the things you haven't". The poem relates to Bowster's situation: Bowster's been regretting for not holding on to Kiowa's boots, rather than wishing he would've held on to it. The statement made in the poem is applied to every regrets we make in life, since we regret for what we haven't done, for example not doing the homework in time and getting a B, not for what we did, which in the respective situation would be playing video games instead of doing the homework.

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Truth, Enrtry 6, The Things They Carried

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Truth, Enrtry 6, The Things They Carried

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Jimmy Cross had always had his sweetheart in his mind, no matter what kind of situation he was positioned in and how serious the situation was, as he often "had difficulty keeping his attention on the war" and "would slip away into daydreams" (8). Cross eventually broke out of his fantasy of Martha as he went through the death of Lavender. "[Cross] tried not to cry.. he felt shame, he hated himself" (16). He realized that "he had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence Lavender was now dead" (16). As impactful the death of Lavender was, "jimmy Cross crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned Matha's letters", as well as "the two photographs", and thought to himself: "no more fantasies" (23). The death of Ted Lavender allowed Cross to breakout of his fantasies for Martha, and face the reality of being a lieutenant, who has to lead the fellow men throughout the war. In the poem by Reshika Ramprsad, it is states that "as one door closes, another opens". This poem relates to the Cross, who broke out of his fantasy of love at the cost of one of his fellow soldiers. Ramprsad also asserts of "the brightness and fulfillment that [a loss] brings, new hops, new dreams, new experiences, new souls", and ultimately, a "better you". With the loss of his soldier, Lavender could come back to reality and begin on actually leading his army, becoming a better leader.

As one door closes, another opens
by Reshika Ramprsad

As one door closes, another opens

To all those who have loved with an open heart and have never had it reciprocated
To all those who have tried their damnedest to achieve a goal set but have lost in trying to achieve it
To all those who have invested in their once hearts desires yet have failed to receive them
Remember, Yes, dear ones, remember that
As one door closes another opens

O’ my dearest ones, note and note with all body and soul that ones thoughts, feelings and emotions, our every inner being should not be reminiscing about the closed door,
Yet we should strive,
We should look ahead, yes look ahead to the door, the very one which has now open to us
The brightness and fulfillment that it brings
New hopes, new dreams, new experiences, new souls
Better beginnings, a better life
A Better You.

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Twenty years after the war, O'brien manages to visit the site of Kiowa's death with his daughter. Despite the reason for his visiting, which was to "[look] for signs of forgiveness or personal grace or whatever else the land could offer", the land turned out to be "not as [O'brien] remembered it" (173). The devastating, chaotic field was now "just a flat, grassy field... at peace", with "yellow butterflies", "which made it "hard to picture what had happened on this ground some twenty years ago" (173). As time passed, the field of a tragic memory has been transformed into a field at peace. This visit signified the amount of time that has passed since the day of Kiowa's death. The beauty in this chapter is that O'brien manages to notice and embrace the beauty of which the field possesses despite the traumatic memory it gave to him. In the poem "Sonnet 30", written by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare states that "all losses are restored and sorrows end". This poem is similar to O'brien's dealing of memory of Kiowa's death at the field. Although the field reminds O'brien of Kiowa's death, he managed to embrace the fact that the field was at peace, burying teh memory of Kiowa's death in the past for good.

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Identity: Entry 4, Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong 

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Identity: Entry 4, Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong 

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In the midst of war, Mary Anne, a girlfriend of Mark Fossie, came to Vietnam to visit her boyfriend while attending highschool. Despite having to go to school, Anne decides to stay for longer time than expected, as she found her being in Vietnam exciting and fun. Despite the feminine characteristics she carried, such as "long white legs and blue eyes and a complexion like strawberry ice cream", she'd get curious around the compound and ask questions. Eventually after some time, "the war [intrigued] her", and Anne would "[begin] postering Mark Fossie to take her down to the village at the foot of the hill". Then she'd get into the works to the extent where she "wasn't afraid to get her hands bloody", and "'everything [she] wanted...[was] right here'" (94). Her transformation from a typical girl with dominant feminine traits to a daring, brave girl didn't take more than a month. It's at Vietnam where Anne finds her "true" identity, which has been hindered for its exposure by the societal norm in the United States which shaped her characteristics. This poster from the mid-20th century presents Rosie the Riveter, who stood as a symbol for women in the workforce and for women's independence. Women were often hindered from finding their real identity by the obligations of the society for them to remain feminine. This poster from the past relates strongly to the situation of Mary Anne, which highlights the capability of women beyond their traditional duties. Mary Anne finds her true identity of a brave, bold, and a manly girl after coming to Vietnam, which gave her opportunities to try out things that weren't available back in the United States.

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Beauty: Entry 3, How to tell a war story 

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Beauty: Entry 3, How to tell a war story 

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Attempting to elaborate on the reason of Kiley's brutality in his actions, O'brien presents the different characteristics of a war. He refutes the often made generalization made about war: "war is hell, but that's not the half of it" (pg 76). The term "war" has a violent, brutal connotation, therefore is generalized by the public as "hell". However, O'brien asserts how war is "also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love", and that "war is nasty; war is fun" (76). The widespread generalization of a war created a so-called "single story" within the public's mind, which could be changed when they experience war first-handed; O'brien could experience what war was really like, as he did participate in the war. The "single story" causes people to view war from one perspective, the perspective of a scared individual. O'brien states that "in truth is also beauty. For all its horror, you can't help but gape at the majesty of combat" (77). He'd "stare out at tracer rounds unwinding through the dark like brilliant red ribbons", or "admire the fluid symmetries of troops on the move, the harmonies of sound and shape and proportion, the great sheets of metal-fire streaming down from a purply orange flow of napalm"(77). The beauty which O'brien perceives from war originates not from the war itself, but from the little events which happen in the daily life of a war. O'brien, with his assertion of beauty in war, exemplifies of the idea that even in the most violent situation, one can still find beauty if looked in a different perspective: a perspective which we use to perceive our daily life, rather than the one to perceive the term "war". In her poem, Shakieb Orgunwall establishes to convey to the audience of how something can possess both the characteristic of chaos and that of beauty. This poem relates to the context of beauty in war, as the term "war" can be depicted as the "she" in Orgunwall's poem. Orgunwall also gives a visualiation of this situation, which is "a tornado of roses from divine". Tornadoes are dangerous natural happenings which can easily take lives of humans. Despite the terrifying notion it provides, a tornado made out of roses, if visualized, can be seen as beautiful. The beauty of roses in the "tornado of roses from divine" accurately depicts the beauty in war, which is perceivable in certain aspects but not in the whole term "war".

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As he received the draft letters from the United States government, O'brien immediately gave himself two options to choose from: fleeing to Canada to avoid going to war, or to man-up and join his fellow patriots on fighting for his country. As O'brien decided and took apart a journey with no set destination, he encounters the Tip Top Lodge, located on the Canadian-American border line. During his last day of stay, Elroy, the owner of the Tip Top Lodge, takes O'brien to the river to fish. As O'brien noticed what implicit meaning "going to fish" had, he stares at the "delicate latticework of the leaves, the texture of the soil, the browed needles beneath the pines," which were just "twenty yards" away (54). The desperateness of O'brien caused himself to feel a "terrible squeezing pressure", as his inner desire of fleeing to Canada collided what he really had to do. "All [O'brien] could do was cry", due to the embarrassment he feeled about the "paralysis that took [his heart]", as "[he] couldn't decide" nor "comport [himself] with even a pretense of modest human dignity" (54). This recalling of O'brien's gives exposure to the identity of O'brien. Apart from being an adolescent, O'brien was also a son, a friend, and most importantly, an American. These identities other than himself prevented O'brien's fulfilling of his own will, which was fleeing to Canada. Instead, he decided to stay by and "go to the war - [he] would kill and maybe die - because [he] was embarrassed not to (57). Most people live their lives in several identities, and often make choices based on their identity. People often make decisions based on what's best for their identities, not just themselves, therefore, on some occasions, have to make decisions unparrellel to their personal desires. O'brien, who was a son, a friend, and many more, decides to participate in the war and give up on his desire to flee to Canada, as he didn't want the embarrassment of not going to war. In this photograph taken by Denise Denise, there is a man with multiple sides of a face. This having of multiple faces depicts multiple identities, which has been prevalent in people throughout history, such as a teacher being a wife, a friend, or a mom to other people other than her students. This picture adquately portrays O'brien in his stance, as he has to pick the most adequate choice for all the identities that he lives by.

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Tim O'brien recalls of the time when Jimmy Cross visited his home in Massachusetts, and caught up or brought shared memoirs they had of the war. When they came across the snapshot of Ted Lavender, Cross told O'brien that "he'd never forgiven himself for Lavender's death". As it was many years after war when they met up, Cross shows that the traumatic memory of Lavender's death still remained within himself, suffering from it day to day. The trauma "was something that would never go away, he said quietly, and [O'brien] nodded and told [Cross] [he] felt the same about certain things" (26). It can be seen from this statement that those who participated in the war suffers from PTSD, from the violent memories of the war. As they discuss of other subjects, Cross started to "[stare] down at the photograph", which he burnt "after Lavender died" (27). The traumatic memory of Lavender forced Cross to even rip the picture which his love Martha had provided him with, as he supposed that the death of Lavender was primarily due to his love for Martha. The trauma was so impactful to Cross to the extent where he ripped the photo of his love, Martha, despite his immeasurable love for her. In the song "Safe & Sound", Taylor Swift attempts to consolidate the audience by stating how "you'll be alright, no one can hurt you now". At last, traumas are all memories, and memories are forgotten as time goes by. Through her song, Swift conveys to the audience that whether how dark or how harsh the memory was, one would be alrigt when the "morning" comes. The "morning" depicted in the song is the sufficient amount of time one will need in order to get over his or her traumatic memory. Traumas are always created by memories, which are forgettable with the matter of time. This song relates to the situation of Cross by displaying the solution for a problem that's been troubling Cross for many years after the war. The song "Safe & Sound" ultimately conveys to the audience that to forget about a traumatic memory, one must wait for time to obscure the memory from him.