Exploration 7: Nina Stute

Part One: I will carry a lot of things away form this book. The biggest thing would have to be sympathy for my cousin Scott, who suffers a great deal from PTSD (earned Purple Heart in Afghanistan). The character that means the most to me would have to be Mary Ann, she was the most extreme out of all of them, but it pretty nutshells what war is capable of doing to a person. I think the best thing people could carry from this novel would be patience with veterans. I learned this from when Scott came home: he was so traumatized and the person that I grew up with was completely gone. The only thing we could do was help him and take everything day by day.

Part Two:
I would have to say the fictional character that means the most to me would have to be Eddie from "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom. Eddie is man whose story begins at the ending of his life because "all endings are also beginnings- we just don't know it at the time." This character gave me a lot of peace when my life was filled with chaos. His story taught me that you can always find the good out of anything.

(Eddie, The Five People You Meet In Heaven)

Exploration 7: Brandon

Part One: Looking back on The Things They Carried I learned many things from this book. However, the most important is that people change once they live in a war. They become solders, a part of the war. It is difficult for them to return home back to their normal lives before the war. Often times we cannot help them much to get back to normal, they have to find a way to cope on their own - just as Tim O'Brien did through his writing. 
Part Two: A fictional character that means a lot to me is Frodo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Frodo, a hobbit from the peaceful Shire acquires the One Ring from his uncle. Learning of the rings power, Frodo sets out on a journey with eight others to destroy the ring. Along the way Frodo resists using the ring's power for his own good, and proves to be the one most capable to carry the ring. Frodo means a lot to me because he stands for what is right, to protect the ones he loves and cares for. Frodo shows his courage and his compassion and tremendous amount of self-control throughout the journey to destroy the ring. I think Frodo's qualities are all ones we should strive to have, and sets a good example for all of us.

Frodo Baggins

Exploration 7 from Hayley

Part One: After reading The Things They Carried, I have a new understanding of the weight of war and the concept that you never truly understand something until you experience. Imagination isn't the same as being right there in that moment. That's the value that means the most to me from the novel. You never know what is really going on inside someone's head because you don't know where they've been and what they've seen, or sometimes, what they've done. You can't judge anyone for the things you don't understand.

Part Two: Charlie from Perks of Being A Wallflower is a fictional character that means a lot to me. I've never related to a character the way I related to him when I read the novel for the first time a couple years ago. It's one of my favorite books and Charlie is one of my all time favorite characters. Much of the way Charlie felt about the world and his own experiences were similar with my own views and feelings. A character has never spoken to me the way Charlie did.

Logan Lerman as Charlie in the film adaptation of Perks

Exploration 7: Anthony Applegate

Part One:

The book always brought me back to thinking about those that do make the ultimate sacrifice and risk their lives for ours at home. I want to take from the book, what our wars mean from a soldiers perspective today and how it could effect them back at home. My favorite character was Azar besides his extremism and harshness because, he seemed able to keep his mind out of the war by indulging himself. I don't Azar was to far gone but was just trying to cope with what was going on. One thing I'm taking with me from this novel is that no matter how bad something seems in class or job, I'm just going to think about the guys waist deep in that shit-field in Vietnam.

Part Two:

The character that means the most to me is the fictional character Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation. She's the greatest character to me because, she is the hardest working character in that show who is motivated to get what she wants in life and does anything to get there. In the show they reveal that Leslie had always wanted to be the governor of Indiana her home state since she was three years old. She accomplishes this dream by the end of the series finale when she was much older in life and it goes to show how long and hard she worked and waited for it to pay off. She showed how persistent and hardworking you have to be to achieve a life goal and how far ahead you must start preparing for a life goal. In the end of the shows she always shows how important friends are in life and how much to appreciate and enjoy them. I recommend anyone looking for a new T.V. show to watch Parks and Rec. 

Exploration 7 Abigail

Part One: What I will carry from The Things They Carried is that when soldiers go off to war, they will never come back the same. They undergo something we will never fully understand no matter how hard we try, unless we go off to battle ourselves. What meant the most to me in the story was the value of companionship that kept coming up throughout the book. That no matter what was going on, they at least had each other. That friendship, that binding factor, was what was able to get these soldiers through the war. We can use this and cherish the relationships that we do have and appreciate who we have in our lives.
Part Two: A fictional character that means the most to me is Claire Underwood from House of Cards. She is the wife of U.S. senator Frank Underwood. The show shows us what Frank Underwood does and goes through to become president. Along the way it shows how Claire Underwood is affected by all of this, including her husband lying, their home being vandalized, not seeing her husband for long lengths of time, etc. It shows how strong of a woman she is and how independent she is, and those are very good qualities in a woman.

Exploration 7 from Maverick

Looking back on The Things They Carried, the thing that I will carry from this book is how difficult it must be for veterans who spend months away from their home. The story that stood out to me was the one about Norman Bowker coming home. This story means the most to me because most people don't realize how difficult it is for veterans to return home after such a long time. Me being one of these people haven't even thought about how much our lives change in the time that the veterans are at war.

The fictional character that means the most to me is Natsu Dragneel from the comic book Fairy Tail. I believe that Natsu is important to me because of how his character looks and acts. He is a character who is very powerful and never backs down from a challenge. The trait that I like the most about him is the fact that he isn't very strong. He tends to lose fights a lot, but whenever he is trying to protect someone or fight for what he believes, he gains immense power and never loses. Natsu is the type of person who will sacrifice everything to protect him friends.

Natsu Dragneel

Exploration 7 by Amanda

Part One:
One thing that I will carry with me after reading The Things They Carried is that war can change a person and the aftermath can truly make or break a person.  I think some of society does not understand that war can really affect someone.  I do not have the experience that these main characters have/ go through, but through some of the stories, you can see the toll war has on some of them.  More specifically, my favorite chapter of this novel was "Speaking of Courage".  This chapter showed the effects war had on Norman and how messed up he became after dealing with war.  This chapter effected me in many ways, but one thing that upset me is if Norman would've just easily talked to someone about his feelings, he may still be alive.  This chapter showed the negative side, rather than positive side, of the aftermath on a soldier after he has served,

Part Two:
A fictional character in popular culture today that has meaning to me is one of the main characters in the TV show, One Tree Hill, Brooke Davis.  Brooke starts out as being known as stuck up, materialistic, self- centered and many other negative adjectives, but this is not the case.  No one knows the real Brooke Davis until she meets her former boyfriend, Lucas.  He is the one that changes her perspective on life and makes her realize she's more than the labels people apply to her.  He helps her realize she is a person full of worth, unlike what her parents tell her.  Although they do not last as a couple, Brooke's changed mindset follows her into her future.  She opens and runs her own clothing line, going against the doubts of everyone around her and is so successful with this business.  As a whole, Brooke Davis shows that you can overcome any of the nasty labels someone can tack on you as long as you believe in yourself.

Brooke Davis (Sophia Bush)

Exercise 7: Tia Lyons

     Looking back on The Things They Carried I think what I will carry with my from reading this book is how life changing and emotionally scaring being involved in a war can be. Some people can handle the stresses of war better than others and I believe that is being recognized more so these days than it was during the Vietnam war. A character that means the most to me from this novel is Mary Anne Bell. In the chapter "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" we got to witness Mary Anne transform into another person. Her story was a more dramatic way of showing how wars change people.

     The fictional character in literature that means the most to me is Billy Jo Kelby from the historical fiction novel Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. Billy Jo and her family of farmers live in Oklahoma and they deal with many life changing challenges including suffering through the Dust Bowl. Billy Jo endures a lot of tragedies and ends up trying to rum from them. She eventually comes to realize that suffering through the Dust Bowl with her family is where she belongs and that she can overcome anything life throws at her as long as she has the support of her family, where she belongs.

Exploration 7: Andrew Chaffin

Part One: There are many examples in O'Brien's book, The Things They Carried, in which individuals carried things. This could be emotional or physically. From reading this book I will carry the emotion of respect for our soldiers that have previously fought for our country. It is certainly worth the mention. These men and women risk their life's for us. The deserve our respect. A value that is most important in my opinion that was expressed through the novel is know body forgets. Emotion consumes us. What happens in life is what God has planned. What choices we make determine who we are. What results from this is memory. Our brain is like a sponge. It soaks up all the information it gives us. The significant stuff sticks. We should carry this insight with us when ever a decision comes in front of us.
Part Two: A fictional character that means most to me is Benjamin Martin. He is the lead character in the movie The Patriot. He is a symbol of Patriotic America. Throughout the movie he loses two sons to the British Army while fighting in the American Revolution. Due to this he faces many hardships he has to endure similar to the characters in O'Brien's book. He survives through them and reaches the ultimate goal. In the end of the movie he leads the charge in battle to take control of a British territory basically resolving and winning the war. Although the character is fictional Mel Gibson does a great job of presenting a man that gives hope to individuals, including myself, that you can succeed through anything.

Noah's Exploration 7

     Looking back on The Things They Carried makes me think of the troubles of war. My favorite chapter in the book was Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong. I found it fascinating to read about the complete transformation of an innocent girl like Mary Anne. The story makes you wonder how often transformations like this occur in a wartime setting.

     In order to complete this assignment, I have to break both the first and the second rules of the club headed by the character I have chosen. The character who I have chosen to write about is Tyler Durden from Fight Club. Tyler Durden is my favorite movie character because he has the ability to let slide all things that truly do not matter. Fight Club was made in the 90s, but 20 years later, the messages that Tyler shares with the members of Fight Club applies now more than ever. Tyler created Fight Club to provide a sense of pain, a sense of feeling to a society numbed by product placement, advertisements, social networking, and other things that separate us from the lives that we should be living.

Exploration Seven: Salma

Part One: 
        After reading The Things They Carried, I will carry with me the conflicts many young solders faced when they had been drafted into a war most of them didn't want to fight in. I also will carry with me how a story doesn't always have to be completely true for it to matter. I think that this is an important theme in the book. I found that the story of Norman Bowker meant a lot to me, it makes me feel horrible that Bowker fought diligently for his country but upon his return to the United States was neglected and had no one to talk too. It's important to carry the experiences these men faced so we can better understand how to help returning soldiers suffering with PTSD.

Part Two: 
        A fictional character in literature that I would say means a lot to me is Hermione Granger, who is played by Emma Watson. I would say she means the most to me because of her desire to learn, as well as that she doesn't allow the fact that she's different keep her from being the best. Also, she is always getting Harry and Ron out of whatever disaster they get themselves into and no matter what is always there when they need her. She also uses her brains instead of looks to achieve her many goals.

Hermione Granger

Exploration 7: Lauren

From reading The Things They Carried, I will carry with me new knowledge I know obtain about the Vietnam War and war stories. I now know much more than I did before about the Vietnam War and what it was like as a soldier. I got to experience all of the sensory details a soldier would experience while serving. Tim O'Brien meant the most to me after reading the book. He was the author and a hero in the story. He took me through all of his thoughts and feeling and regrets and wishes during his time in battle. He also revealed what he thinks about now as he is a veteran and been out of the war for over 20 years. He is very inspiring and someone to look up to.

I would probably have to choose the character Monica Geller from the famous TV show "Friends" as a fictional character in pop culture that means the most to me. She means the most to me because I can relate to her in so many ways. She is a neat freak, loves to cook, and has a deep passion for whatever she is doing. She is focused and clean, which are all qualities I hold. She can be a little up-tight at times, and I will admit I am the same way. However, I would say it is a good quality to have at certain times. Monica is a great friend and loved one by the other characters in the show as well. I have seen the entire series of "Friends" and she is by far my favorite character because I can relate to her so well.

Monica Geller

Exploration 7 by nick fox

     I feel like i will always remember the lesson that we learned about soldiers coming home and their life afterward. The book really taught me that people need to be more considerate when talking to veterans because we don't know what they went through across seas. The value of compassion and understanding meant a lot to me. We need to be more understanding of other peoples lives because we don't know what they are going through after getting back from the war. So overall i think the best thing we can take from this book is to learn to put yourself in other peoples shoes and to try and help people who might be in a hard part of their life. A really important character in fiction to me was Jonas in the movie the giver. He understands the value of good and evil and how the balance makes us human. He also brings to light that without emotions, good or bad we lose a large part of our humanity.

Invention Homework: from Mike Lohre

Students,

You may immediately have a good idea for Essay Two after reading the prompt, but it's important to carefully think through our choices, as you have literally dozens of stories that COULD work for this assignment. Which is the best?  That's why we brainstorm and use invention.

Think about the nature of the assignment and the prompt's requirements.  Remember, you are writing an essay, and not your life story or full memoir, so you have to be selective.

Brainstorming Assignment: 

In the Comments section of this post, brainstorm three separate and suitable ideas for this essay, and then tell us which one you are thinking about doing at this point, and why you choose it.

This is due here on the blog by Friday, March 6 at midnight.