The Things They Carried

This was one of the best articles that I have read so far in the class. I love the fact that it is so bold and personal all at the same time. I tried to figure out who the narrator was but couldn't get a name, I just presume that it was a soldier in the group. This passage of writing reminds me of the Dirty Dozen, all of them had their baggage, physically and mentally. It showed how our baggage can get in the way of our goals and missions, like when Lavender was shot in the head because Cross was more focused on the woman of his dreams rather than on the mission. So many times in this life we focus on the false reality rather than on reality itself. This is where many of us fall. For example many musicians dream of a talent scout finding them and revealing them to the world someday, but in all actuality that does not happen. You must get out there and make your self popular. Many talented musicians are never discovered and many nobody's becomes somebody's. you must realize that our dreams are not always reality. If you don't get out there and work hard as a musician than all your dreams of making it big will never happen.

I also respect cross for doing the right thing at the end of the passage. He gets rid of his false thoughts of that girl and he puts his mind back into reality, because in all reality she will not love him and they will not be together. He realizes this and puts her behind him and moves on to what will really count.

Like the men in this passage we all carry baggage lets just make sure it is worth carrying.