Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Blog 2 Question 7
Question 7. The Things They Carried. I chose this blog because it looked like the hardest to reply to. What does Smiley mean by “de-gender” war? I am not exactly sure. The only thing I can think of is by introducing men and the experience of woman-like feelings in the picture of war, he is able to strip the masculinity from war, and paint war with more sensitivity. He introduces feelings like pain, fear, and love, feelings commonly felt by women, but relates them with men, and shows that men can feel vulnerable even as women can. This may be useful because with all gendered stereotypes down, men can channel their emotions more effectively. In “The Things They Carried,” love and fear is always hidden, but never talked about. Jimmy Cross daydreams in secret, and this leads to Lavender's death. The story redefines American masculinity by allowing men to carry “emotional baggage,” (809). Women are typically related to being more emotional, but here in this story men must carry terror, love, and longing.
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I agree when you say that this question was difficult to answer; that's why I chose it as well. I think you and I took similar views on this story. O'Brien was successful in displaying a more vulnerable side to those involved directly with the war, even to the point of joking about how it was affecting them. Ironically, Martha was written to be almost indifferent and "she wasn't involved," (810). It was almost as if the stereotypical gender roles were reversed at times, making the reader question the intentions of the characters.
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