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Argumentative Essay On The Things They Carried

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Originally published in 1990, The Things They Carried is a collection of war stories that took place during the Vietnam War. Due to its accurate and honest depiction of war, it has been banned for crude language, violence, drug use, and sexual innuendo. The author, Tim O’Brien, was born in Austin, Minnesota in 1946. Due to his service in the United States military during the Vietnam War, O’Brien is able to depict the war in a more graphic, and realistic manner. "I carry the memories of the ghosts of a place called Vietnam — the people of Vietnam, my fellow soldiers," quotes O’Brien. "More importantly," he continues, "I carry the weight of responsibility, and a sense of abiding guilt." (npr.org). His intended audience for the book was adults, …show more content…

Like the reporters and camera men at the time, this book provides in great detail what atrocities occurred during the war. “Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried is a montage of graphic scenes.”(pen.org). Because of its graphic violence and abundant use of profanity, The Things They Carried has been banned and challenged throughout the United States. In Troup, Texas 2016, a mother of an AP English student claimed that the book was “complete garbage, trash” and that it contains “nothing…that will benefit [students] physically, emotionally — mentally, morally, spiritually to be used as an educational tool.” (cbldf.org). Because of this challenge to the book, the principal decided that all questionable content regarding student curriculum will be disclosed to parents beforehand. In 2003, the book was challenged and then completely banned in George County, Mississippi. The copious amounts of profanity and sexual content lead to this unfortunate conclusion. “Using profanity was against school policy and having the book in the library made newly elected school board member, Larry McDonald, feel uncomfortable.”

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