Select ONE of the following quotes and write a long paragraph reflecting on how the quote connects with the events of the chapter.
“They all carried ghosts” (10).
“They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried” (7).
“Some things they carried in common. Taking turns, they carried the big PRC-77 scrambler radio, which weighed 30 pounds with its battery. They shared the weight of memory” (p14).
“He was realistic about it. There was that new hardness in his stomach. He loved her but he hated her.
No more fantasies, he told himself” (24).
“It was very sad, he thought. The things men carried inside. The things men did or felt they had to do” (25).
“You want my opinion, Mitchell Sanders said, there’s a definite moral here.
He put his hand on the dead boy’s wrist. He was quiet for a time, as if counting a pulse, then he patted the stomach, almost affectionately, and used Kiowa’s hunting hatchet to remove the thumb.
Henry Dobbins asked what the moral was.
Moral?
You know. Moral.” (13)
“They all carried ghosts” (10).
ReplyDeleteThis quote related to this chapter in many different ways. These men are in war, they are surrounded by death and fear. Saying they carry ghost can mean that they are thinking about all the men that have died there. Thinking how that could be them and being scared of what could happen. Carrying their own ghost could also mean that they are feeling guilty about something going on. They could be feeling guilty about someone in their own unit dying and not being able to save them. They could also be feeling guilty about possibly leaving their family to come and fight in the war.
“Some things they carried in common. Taking turns, they carried the big PRC-77 scrambler radio, which weighed 30 pounds with its battery. They shared the weight of memory” (p14).
ReplyDeleteAll of the men carried the same thing when they were out on duty and shared a memory together. They knew that it was a hard task to carry 30 pounds of baggage and knew the difficulties that came with it. They already had their own stuff to carry with it so whoever had to carry it was getting a burden for the day. They also have weights of memories they carried in their bags. For example, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried around photos of Martha, the girl that he was in love with. Dave Jensen carried around a tooth brush, dental floss, and several hotel-sized bars of soap since was practicing field hygiene. Everyone who went to do their duty had special memories of their own before they came out to Vietnam.
“They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried” (7).
ReplyDeleteThis quote connects with the other events in the chapter because throughout the chapter the things that everyone carried were explained. This quote seems like it is talking more about the feelings that the men were carrying from being in this war. The chapter explained that all of the men that were fighting had a sadness of leaving behind someone dear to them back in America. For example Jimmy Cross who left behind a girl that he loves and Henry Dobbins who carries his girlfriend’s panty hose. Also throughout the chapter the amount of ammunition and weapons that was carried was also explained. When Ted Lavender died most of the men were really depressed about it, especially Jimmy Cross. The weapons that they carried all have the power to kill and wound man people. The men who are fighting are not only burdened by the weight o the weapons but also the pain of what the weapons are capable of.
~Ashley Seki
The quote "It was very sad, he thought. The things men carried inside. The things men did or felt that they had to do." describes the situation well because what men carried such as pictures, guns, bibles, and letters were part of their memories or what they thought it was important. They didn't know when they would die nor when the war would end so during the war they had to carry all the precious things with them which is very sad. In addition, I think the reason he specifically described the weights of things soldiers carried is because, it tells readers how long they had been staying in the war. If the things were heavy, it probably meant he served in the war for a pretty long time.
ReplyDelete“They all carried ghosts” (10).
ReplyDeleteThis quote is talking about the soliders and what they carried. David carried floss, Kiowa carried a Bible, Norman carried a diary, and there were others that carried a variety of things. However the one thing they all had in common that they carried, were ghosts. When it is said that "they all carried ghosts" is that they have all killed men in combat or just men in general and they have carried their victims spirits with them. When you kill someone it is not something to take lightly. You have took the life of someone and that is a huge impact on yourself and because they have taken the life is a person, their spirit is forever with them
"They all carried ghosts" means that they've brought with them the memories that are still in their mind and hearts, but the realistic have been long gone. They've killed many due to their job in this War, and that's something that'll never disappear inside each of the person who is fighting. This is the one thing all the soldiers have in common. Each one of them have fought because this was their job, and because of this, "they all carried ghosts."
ReplyDelete"They all carried ghosts" is connected to this chapter because the chapter lists all the different things that each man carried with them. The personal items that they had told a story about that person. The chapter talks about the physical things they had but what told you about the person was the story behind those things. Every material thing represented a memory to its owner. The "ghosts" mentioned in the quote can be all the soldiers that lost their lives. Every soldier who has died lives on through the memories shared with his fellow men. These men will never forget those who have been lost.
ReplyDelete“They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried” on page seven is talking about how they carried equipment that they needed to survive. All of them had to carry some sort of artillery with them, a weapon that they needed to kill other people. Not only did they carry weapons but the people who they were fighting against were sometimes using the same sort of weapon to fight and were killing the american soldiers with these artilleries. They not only carried weapons but they also carried anything they wished to bring that they could carry for miles. I believe that the last part of the quote had a lot of relation to parts in the book where people were killed by weapons. Like Ted he was shot by a gun and a lot of people are mostly afraid of death and the weapons they carried were used for killing.
ReplyDelete“They all carried ghosts” (10).
ReplyDeleteI think this quote is saying how the men are "carrying" ghosts because they're at war so they're constantly seeing men being killed or walking through places where men are laying there dead. They carry a bunch of things with them because it obviously means a lot to them even though it may be a lot of weight on their shoulders, seeing men dying all around them, these things that they're carrying are something that's signifying things that are keeping them going. I'm sure being at war can really take a toll on you. Especially if you're being shot at & one of your friends gets shot and killed right next to you. It's something you could never forget, therefore they'll always carry that burden, or in other words, ghosts because it's something that'll always be in their mind. Same for them killing someone else that they're fighting against. It's never a good feeling.
“He was realistic about it. There was that new hardness in his stomach. He loved her but he hated her.
ReplyDeleteNo more fantasies, he told himself” (24).
Lieutenant Cross is serious about Martha and he is hurt by the fact that she wrote letters to Ted. While he was fantasizing about Martha and her virginity, he didn’t know about her secret affair. In this quote he still loves her but hates the fact that she cheated on him. Also, he is saying that he no longer loves her and will not fantasize about her any longer, he’s DONE. He now holds a grudge on Martha, making sure he will not think about her, since the love he had for her wasn’t true.