J The book we have started to read in class, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, have many similar themes, ideas and concept as the other stories we have read about in class or/ and we can all apply them to our daily lives. For example when I was reading the one of the short stories in the book, The Dentist, I found it interesting and how it easily could relate to our lives. To have pride or to feel very accomplished is not a bad thing but if that starts to affect ones character and how people see or approach them it can lead to a dramatic change in the outcome of how people approach that person. For example, Lemon a character in the story is a shallow and self-righteous person. He has so many expectations and thinks highly of himself that he doesn’t like to show any signs of weaknesses. His personality allows him to be stubborn and never show any signs of fear over time. In one part of the story, ““Anyone else would have laughed it off, but for Curt Lemon it was too much. The embarrassment must’ve turned a screw in his head” (pg. 88). We all aren’t perfect! Everyone has their own weaknesses and strengths; by embracing them we can get the motivation to improve our weaknesses and strengths. After struggle but accepting the fact that his tooth was really bugging him, Lemon decides to go back the dentist and ask for assistances regarding his tooth situation. Then he goes back to the dentist and makes him pull out a perfectly good tooth to overcome his fear. Lemon decides to pull out his tooth which is perfectly fine in order to get rid of his illusion. Even though some think Lemon did this on purpose, he is happy with the outcome. =)
Hopefully you guys had a good weekend and this made SENSE! LoL
I understand what you mean about pride and how stubborness can lead to a situation such as the incident in the story "Dentist". Some people are so thick headed that even if they are completely wrong about a subject, their pride will be too large to let down. I believe this part of your blog really summed up the central idea about having this pride, "To have pride or to feel very accomplished is not a bad thing but if that starts to affect ones character... it can lead to a dramatic change in the outcome of how people approach that person." It really is important to give off a good impression towards others or else it will change the way they will approach you until they learn otherwise. "On the Rainy River" is another story that can be related to readers. There will always be a time in our lives when we have to choose between the nature of society versus the nature within ourselves. Everyone all around us will have different views from our own and if we allow these opposing views to affect how we see the truth, then we will be guilty of individuality. I think this idea works pretty well, but I am not too sure if this is the central theme O'Brien is connecting throughout each story. Of course, I am probably completely wrong though.
ReplyDeletei LOved how you specifically talked about a simple theme. The fact that you brought out the story of the Dentist intrigued me a lot. I like how you mention that "We all aren’t perfect! Everyone has their own weaknesses and strengths; by embracing them we can get the motivation to improve our weaknesses and strengths." It just comes to show that we do need to express how we really feel sometimes so we can get help or relate to someone who feels the same way. Not only that, but the way how Lemon tries to act all tough in order to save his real image will in time make him feel miserable because he can not show his true emotions. But i do agree on the part when he pulled out his good tooth to give himself that illusion of sacrificing his weakness to become stronger and a more manly man. I am not sure if that made sense, but i love how in your blogs you tend to add a nice moral value in it to reveal what is actually important. Such as that quote I copied from your blog, it's very nice to feel great after reading your blog.. MUCH AWESOME BLOGS TO COME!!!
ReplyDeleteI LUV IT!
FIERCE
pambam in da house
peace <333
Well, I get what you are talking about when you say that stubbornness and pride can ultimately make a person do crazy things. This is so true because many people go out of their way to show other people that they are right. In the dentist, Curt Lemon does not like the dentist, but has a massive toothache; however it is just an illusion. Since, he wants to show his group that he is not afraid of the dentist he goes to get a tooth that is not even hurting pulled out. This might sound dumb to some people, but many people would do this because they do not want to ruin their reputation. Pride can be an issue in any circumstance and in this case, a man had to go to the extreme just to keep his image. I really like reading your blogs every week, so keep them interesting! =)
ReplyDelete