Fiction Vs Nonfiction Analysis
analytical Essay
1104 words
Aryana Smith
Mrs. Brown
12 Contemporary literature
28 March, 2014
Fiction vs. Nonfiction
Blood here and blood there! Shots are being fired from every direction and screams begin to emerge from deep within the forest. They become louder and louder and seem to come closer with every step taken. Then there is an eerie silence and as everything seems to calm down, a grenade goes off in the distance. Does this seem real? Could this be real? The way war is portrayed in movies is not always the honest truth. Most of the times the way war is depicted very action packed and heroic. Although this is true in some cases, there are sides of war that some do not see. There are days in war where nothing extremely dangerous happens. There are also sides of soldiers, emotionally, that one does not see. In the book The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, war and the soldiers are portrayed in way that is rarely seen. The same can be said for a poem by Wilfred Owen titled Dulce et Decorum Est. O'Brien and Owen both portray the reality of war, however O'Brien goes deeper into the truth behind the reality or war.
The reality of war is commonly misunderstood by most people. O'Brien and Owen try to shed some light on what they believe to be the reality of war. Both authors are very blunt when it comes to talking about war, as well as sarcastic in tone and nature. The imagery of the war scenes are gruesome, violent, graphic and very detailed. In Dulce et Decorum Est, Owen describes a scene where one of his fellow soldiers have been killed, "...watch the white eyes writhing in his face, His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin. If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs" (Owen). The diction that Owen ha...
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...ry a soldier tells is the truth. It also contradicts what is portrayed in movies. O'Brien makes the reader question the truth behind war in a way that Owen is not able to. In fact his entire book is dedicated to unraveling a true war stories.
The similarities and differences between O'Brien's book and Owen's poem help convey a single message. War is not what everyone believes it to be. War is gruesome, violent, and emotionally tiring. The stories soldiers tell are so elaborate and outrageous because they don't want to tell people what really happens. Also because the way war is portrayed in movies people expect amazing war stories. O'Brien and Owen both portray the reality of war, however O'Brien goes deeper into the truth behind the reality or war. Although they both are written in two different time periods, they both portray a sense of war that most do not see.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the way war is portrayed in movies is not always the honest truth. there are sides of war that some don't see. o'brien portrays war and the soldiers in a way that is rarely seen.
- Analyzes how o'brien and owen try to shed light on what they believe to be the reality of war. the imagery of the war scenes is gruesome, violent, graphic and very detailed.
- Analyzes how owen counteracts the topic of women in dulce et decorum est by alluded to the type of warfare used during the poem.
- Analyzes how wilfred owen describes the use of chemical warfare and the effects it had on the soldiers. tim o'brien fought during the vietnam war.
- Analyzes o'brien's sarcastic tone in dulce et decorum est and the things they carried.
- Compares the similarities and differences between o'brien's book and owen’s poem to convey a single message. war is gruesome, violent, and emotionally tiring.
Related
- analytical
- Commentary on The Things They Carried by Tim O´Brienanalytical essayO’Brien wrote The Things They Carried layering themes on top of themes, but what makes it amazing is the way he presents these themes. Every single one intertwined with another. Burdens. Truth. Death. The soldiers carried their burdens and the death of their friends and enemies, and they live on as storytellers telling their war stories, but can there really be a true war story?
In this essay, the author
- Explains that tim o'brien's the things they carried is a semi-autobiographical novel about soldiers trying to live through the vietnam war.
- Analyzes how the soldiers carried physical and internal burdens, such as guilt, and self-image.
- Analyzes o'brien's quote about the difference between a true and an untrue war story.
- Opines that the third theme is probably the most imperative of them all: death. in most of the deaths seen in the novel, guilt is the reaction felt by the soldiers.
- Analyzes how o'brien shows the impact of war on our minds with an extreme subject such as death.
936 wordsRead More - Tim O’Brien’s novel The Things They Carried challenges the reader to question what they are reading. In the chapter “How to Tell a True War Story”, O’Brien claims that the story is true, and then continues to tell the story of Curt’s death and Rat Kiley’s struggle to cope with the loss of his best friend. As O’Brien is telling the story, he breaks up the story and adds in fragments about how the reader should challenge the validity of every war story. For example, O’Brien writes “you can tell a true war story by its absolute and uncompromising allegiance to obscenity and evil” (69), “in many cases a true war story cannot be believed” (71), “almost everything is true. Almost nothing is true” (81), and “a thing may happen and be a total lie; another thing may not happen and be truer than the truth (83). All of those examples are ways in which O’Brien hinted that his novel is a work of fiction, and even though the events never actually happened – their effects are much more meaningful. When O’Brien says that true war stories are never about war, he means that true war stories are about all the factors that contribute to the life of the soldiers like “love and memory” (85) rather than the actual war. Happening truth is the current time in which the story was being told, when O’Brien’s daughter asked him if he ever killed anyone, he answered no in happening truth because it has been 22 years since he was in war and he is a different person when his daughter asked him. Story truth
In this essay, the author
- Asks what is the role of shame in the lives of these soldiers? does it drive them to acts of heroism or stupidity?
- Analyzes how o'brien's fear of being ashamed drove him to do acts of heroism and stupidity. jensen used a barrel to break his nose to feel less ashamed.
- Asks o'brien how he tells a true war story. explain the difference between "happening truth" and "story truth."
- Analyzes how tim o'brien's novel the things they carried challenges the reader to question what they are reading.
- Analyzes how maryanne in "sweetheart of the song tra bong" is a symbol. what transforms her into predatory killer?
- Analyzes how maryanne in "sweetheart of the song tra bong" is a symbol of what war does to all humans, regardless of sex.
- Analyzes how the copyright page of the novel states that all the incidents, names, and characters are imaginary.
- Opines that knowing that the novel is fiction has eased the agony experienced by some of the most intense stories. the copyright statement about the book's validity is essential because many stories can cause controversy.
- Explains that the things they carried has several different accounts of a single event, such as kiowa’s death, the man i killed, and kurt lemon’
- Analyzes how the soldiers carry different weapons, memories, and personal items, but are united and support each other. the numerous accounts of the deaths of lavender, kiowa, lemon and the vietnamese man are meant to symbolize the memory and give different perspectives on the events.
- Explains why the novel ends with "the lives of the dead" and tries to explain linda's statement "timmy, stop crying. it doesn't matter."
- Analyzes how the last chapter of "the lives of the dead" emphasizes that the novel is not about war and has a much broader meaning than just the fighting.
1455 wordsRead More - The Horrors of War Depicted in Owen's "Dulce Et Decorum Est" and Yeats' Poem "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death"analytical essayWar is not a pretty sight. On the battle field, what is seen, felt and heard isn’t fully comprehensible unless one experienced it first hand. Owen’s writing, “Dulce Et Decorum Est”, vividly describes the horrid war that he was in. Owen begins his poem by placing the reader in the environment that he was in. Lines such as, “men marched asleep”, “coughing like hags”, “haunting flares” and “limped on, blood-shod” were effective at conveying an emotional appeal. The conditions that the soldiers were in w...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that patriotism and support for one’s country is obvious when a country goes to war. banners, stickers, rallies were some ways people showed their gratitude to soldiers fighting in iraq.
- Analyzes how owen's poem, "dulce et decorum est", vividly describes the horrid war that he was in.
- Analyzes how owen and yeats were mentally suffering from the commotion of war. the use of diction helps to more clearly define what they are saying.
- Analyzes how owen and yeats were fighting for different causes, different countries, but had the same desire, and that was death. owen found it a great honor to fight and die for his country.
- Opines that war may not always seem ideal after the fact that we are in one. some found it a waste of time, money and lives.
720 wordsRead More - ...you read the story you are brought into the heads of the soldiers and are able to understand the toll that war takes on a person. Through Tim O’Brien’s realistic description you are able to almost feel as if you have been at war yourself.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how tim o'brien's the things they carried is a story based on the experiences of young american soldiers fighting during the vietnam war.
- Explains that the vietnam war was fought between communist north vietnam and non-communist south vietnam. the united states was forced out of their traditional way of fighting into vietnam where the fighting was mostly guerrilla warfare.
- Analyzes how the story focuses on the emotions of the soldiers and describes how they endured extreme emotional torture during the war.
- Analyzes how first lieutenant jimmy cross was the platoon leader who can easily be compared to any hardworking small town man.
- Analyzes how the story has accurate descriptive details about each soldier and the things they carried to complete their job. the m-16, m-60, and m-79 were all weapons that played a critical role in the survival of the u.s. soldiers.
- Analyzes how tim o'brien captures the mentality of many ground fighting soldiers. many soldiers face the same feelings as some of our soldiers today with the war in iraq.
- Analyzes how tim o'brien's "the things they carried" captures every detail down to the things in their pockets that keep them going day to day.
- Explains kamps, charles t. jr., the history of the vietnam war.
- Explains burt, daniel s., the chronology of american literature: america’s literary achievements from the colonial era to modern times.
- Explains tim o’brien's "the things they carried." literature: an introduction to reading and writing. ed. edgar v. roberts and henry e. jacobs.
1553 wordsRead More - The Things They Carried Character Analysis Essayanalytical essayO Brien 's point of view is an accurate one as he himself because he is a Vietnam veteran. The title of the short story is meaningful because it describes each soldier’s personality and how he handles conflict within the mind and outside of the body during times of strife. The title fits the life as a soldier perfectly because it shows the reality that war is more than just strategy and attacking of forces. O’Brien narrates the story from two points of view: as the author and the view of the characters. His style keeps the reader informed on both the background of things and the story itself at the same
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how tim o'brien's "the things they carried" depicts what each soldier carries mentally, physically, and emotionally during the vietnam war. first lieutenant jimmy cross is a troubled man who shoulders the burden of guilt when he loses one of his men to an ambush
- Analyzes how lieutenant jimmy cross and ted lavender were best friends and leaders during combat. cross's disloyalty and abandonment to martha thrust him into a state of carelessness and recklessness.
- Analyzes how tim o'brien's short story, "the things they carried," creates a flashback of the american soldiers experience during the vietnam war.
- Analyzes how tim o'brien's "the things they carried" depicts a soldier’s life using several of the soldiers in the war as prototypes.
1067 wordsRead More - All Quiet on the Western Frontanalytical essay... horrors of war such as, his parents who still view war as glamorous and idealistic. War takes a heavy toll on soldiers who fight in it and in these dangerous moments anybody would have gone insane. It takes a very special type of soldier to be able to handle both the psychological and physical challenges that a soldier has to face in everyday battle. A soldier such as this must be capable of handling the sight of a mutilated comrade and not immediately chatter to pieces. The author conveys this message in his extreme use of words with negative connotation such as shells, typhus, dysentery, and trenches. In this portion of the novel a great deal of emphasis is placed on the word death which is repeated several times and standing on its own it holds a great deal of negative connotations. Therefore, due to the severity of the situation and the extensive use of words with negative connotations the overall tone of the novel appeared to be very depressing or serious. This selection also demonstrates just how mythical the character of war that many individuals who have not experienced the tragedy of battle believe to be true by illustrating just how appalling and grim war is in reality.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how erich remarque's novel, all quiet on the western front, describes the psychological and physical battles of young soldiers who were pressured into joining the german army during world war i.
- Analyzes how erich remarque uses the characterization of paul baumer, a youthful soldier, to demonstrate how war is gory, inhumane, and inescapable.
- Analyzes how erich remarque portrays the somber and frightful priorities of young innocent boys when they are placed in the path of war through ornate use of tone and irony.
- Analyzes how the piles of coffins on the otherwise flat terrain may have saved the lives of many soldiers. the ironic situation portrays the idea that once a man is forced to behave as an inhumane animal during battle, he can't be transformed back into the civilized individual that
- Analyzes how baumer's tone depicts the hopelessness of war in all quiet on the western front. after losing his closest comrades, he no longer imagines life without war and death.
- Describes the dangers of shells, gas clouds, flotillas. dysentery, influenza, typhus — scalding and choking. trenches, hospitals, the common grave.
- Analyzes how conveys this message in his extreme use of negative connotations such as shells, typhus, dysentery, and trenches.
1386 wordsRead More - The Things They Carried by Tim O'Bryananalytical essayThe difficult association between the occurrence of war and storytelling is told through the eyes of Tim O’Brien; he explains that a true war story has a supreme adherence to offensiveness that provides a sense of pride and courage commonly found in storytelling. “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 im...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that truths are concepts that are to be discovered or created. one person's truth may be seen by another as a lie.
- Analyzes how tim o'brien explains that a true war story has an absolute and uncompromising allegiance to obscenity and evil.
- Analyzes how o'brien reveals to the readers that almost everything written in the book has been invented. he puts himself in rat's shoes knowing that he will be forgiven.
- Compares o'brien's "definition" of truth to "dulce et decorum est" and "the war prayer." both poems are war related.
- Concludes that o'brien's use of metafiction in the things they carried creates flux for the reader comparable to the flux that soldiers experienced in the war.
613 wordsRead More - A True War Story Analysisanalytical essayWhen O'Brien says that a true war story is not about war he means that a war story is not about death, fighting or war, it is about the soldiers grim experiences. O’Brien writes “A true war story in never about war… It's about love and memory. It's about sorrow” (62). The quote demonstrates that O'Brien's definition of a war story does not describe what happens but it describes the feelings and emotions that were felt because of what happened. A true war story does not focus on what happened but it should focus on the pain that the soldiers felt.
In this essay, the author
- Describes o'brien's criteria for telling a true war story and gives an example of each criteria in outline form.
- Analyzes how rat's friend, curt lemon, dies and rat writes to lemon’s sister honoring him but the sister ignores rat because she perceives the story as disturbing and horrible.
- Narrates how rat shoots at a baby buffalo to ease his emotional pain from losing his best friend.
- Illustrates how the soldiers had to go through harsh gruesome experiences. curt steps on a trap which blows him up.
- Analyzes how mary begins spending time with the greenies, which are a specialized unit that are more involved with physical confrontation.
- Analyzes how mary ann is a woman because like men, women also have feelings and emotions. o'brien mentions that the alpha company is composed of all men and when one of their men got shot the burned the whole village afterwards.
- Analyzes how o'brien's definition of a war story does not describe what happens but it is about the soldiers' grim experiences.
- Analyzes how the story fits o'brien's criteria of true war story because it has all the elements that make it gruesome.
1276 wordsRead More - Fiction or Nonfiction, War Has the Same Effectanalytical essayContained within The Things They Carried, is a story by a man named Mitchell Sanders. “Sanders tells a story about a group of soldiers that camped on a listening mission, and all they did was listen. They heard many different noises, and paranoia hit them. They ordered airstrikes on the motionless, noisy ground, and when the commander asked why they did that, the soldiers had no answer” (O’Brien 74). The moral of the story is that the quietness of war can drive someone crazy. In war, according to Sanders, when there is no noise, the soldier never knows what to expect to break that silence. The moral is believable, even though the book is fiction, and Sanders states that the story was false. Also, even though the story is fiction, Sanders is good at lying because the story is quite believable.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that a true war story is not always true. some would say it's an experience from war, while others make up stories to make war seem crazier than it really is. tracy kidder had written war stories based on his time in vietnam.
- Analyzes how mitchell sanders tells a story about soldiers listening to noises and paranoia. the moral of the story is that the quietness of war can drive someone crazy.
- Analyzes how bill's story in inside of my detachment is true because of the horrible death that his friend probably faced, and the terrible decision by the captain.
- Compares sanders' story of soldiers hallucinating strange noises after doing nothing for about a week, and bill's story, which is true because people do not know what to expect from war, except for dreadful moments.
- Opines that a true war story isn't always true, but the point the writer/speaker is trying to get across could be the greatest advice.
- Explains that almost every war story has a little bit of fiction added in it to juice it up and grab the reader’s attention. o’brien had done that in the things they carried, and even kidder admits to doing it in my detachment.
- Opines that kidder's story is true because anything can happen in war, no matter how dreadful or embarrassing it may be.
- Analyzes how o'brien stepped into sanders' shoes to find the moral under all the lies. kidder met bill and found out his time in vietnam, even though he made some parts up to make himself sound cooler.
865 wordsRead More - Literary Analysis Of All Quiet On The Western Frontanalytical essayThe imagery and figurative language in “Dulce et Decorum Est” highlights the suffering of the soldiers, contradicting any notion of romanticized war. Owen uses the simile “like old beggars” (1) to describe the soldiers, which is ironic in that most of the soldiers in World War I were young men. This irony emphasizes how war has changed the soldiers for the worse; they seem “old” and bedraggled, unrecognizable in comparison to their old selves. In addition, the soldiers are “deaf even to the...Five-Nines that dropped behind” (7-8). Owen conveys the soldiers’ exhaustion to be extreme enough that they take no notice of the bombs falling around them, as if they are a
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how erich maria remarque's all quiet on the western front follows the 19-year-old german soldier as he is thrown into the chaos of world war i.
- Analyzes how the imagery and figurative language in "dulce et decorum est" highlights the suffering of the soldiers, contradicting any notion of romanticized war.
- Analyzes how the corrupted lungs and innocent tongues highlight the physical damage inflicted upon the soldiers, the corruption of their bodies, and accentuate the freedoms they lose.
- Analyzes how owen's rhyme scheme and irony contribute to the idea that there is no glory in suffering or dying in war.
- Analyzes how owen juxtaposes "glory" with the idea of dying, implying that the war propaganda is targeting the younger generation. the title "dulce et decorum est" is a reference to roman poet horace.
- Analyzes how remarque portrays authority figures as having a negative impact in paul's community, thereby discrediting their romanticised ideas of war.
- Analyzes how remarque portrays authority figures in paul's world as uninformed people who disregard the consequences of their actions.
- Analyzes how remarque conveys the wide gap between the soldiers who know the suffering that accompanies war, and the civilians who blindly promote it.
- Analyzes how remarque and owen convey the suffering caused by war, challenging a romanticized perspective.
2059 wordsRead More