Catalogue the items that your
carry in your backpack or purse. Pick two items and explain why you have chosen
to “hump” these items wherever you go. Compare and contrast these items to
those that the soldiers carry in the story “The Things They Carried.”
Within my backpack, I take with me an average of six items wherever
I go. These items include one iPhone 3G, in which I use to contact other people
and to call home and family if the need, arises. One iPod 4th Gen, I
“hump” this item for its contents of music and games, which keep me entertained
while I am away from home. I also carry with me my wallet in which my money is
stored and my assorted cards, and in addition, in case my iPod fails and goes
flat, or if I feel the need, I bring my drawing book and a few pieces of
drawing equipment to also keep me entertained if I were to get bored. In
contrast with the tangible items that the soldiers from the book “humped”
around, these items are very light, and very light-hearted, but there are visible
comparisons that can be drawn. One such comparison may be that the soldiers
carried with them personal items such as Cross’s letters from Martha and the
pebble he got from her. That being said the art book might compare to this, as
it is a very personal artefact that is very precious to me, and makes me remember
who I am and where I came from. This is much like the memory of Martha, and how
it makes Jimmy Cross remember home. My phone can also be compared to an item in
which the soldiers were made to carry through the jungle and that is the heavy
radio that the PTO officer carried. Both of these objects are used to
communicate with people that can help you out of danger, come and collect you,
either by car of helicopter as the context implies.
This whole idea of carrying is shown throughout history and
it much depends on the time and place in which you exist. As such, the soldiers
from the Vietnam War carried military equipment to survive in the jungle, in
there context; as such, I carry the “things” that I need to survive in modern
society, in my context.
