Okay, so I'm really enjoying The Things They Carried. I think that it is super interesting even though it's sad. But the truth is not always happy and easy to handle. Which brings me to the point of this blog, what I think the theme is. I believe that the theme so far is definitely about truth. And ultimately, is this book even reliable and true?
Umm...So I think that this book is true. Ha. What a quick response right? Well, here's my reasoning. I think that O'Brien might just have to label the book fiction as a means of almost, protection. Because if he were to say that his book were truth people might take it as the only truth and not give anything else a chance. Say, a different Vietnam book with different stories. Both could be true. So, by claiming that his book is a work of fiction it is probably easier for people to accept the stories and believe them because it doesn't claim to be the only truth.
O'Brien makes a fantastic point when he says, "In many cases a true war story cannot be believed. If you believe it, be skeptical. It's a question of credibility, Often the crazy stuff is true and the normal stuff isn't, because the normal stuff is necessary to make you believe the truly incredible craziness." This quote pretty much sums up what I have been trying to describe. People kind of refuse to regard something as truth because it is too terrible and they don't WANT to believe it. That is what really separates the truth from the fiction. When people can't seem to believe the "crazy stuff" in war stories that is how you know that they are true.This train of thought also goes along with the quote, "In any war story, but especially a true one, it's difficult to separate what happened from what seemed to happen."
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Finally! The end of Postmodernism
Postmodernism-an attempt to make sense of what is going on now, and we can see the present clearly only in retrospect. (Postmodernism For Beginners, 17) I don't even know where to begin. Maybe with something like, "I'm insanely tired so this is going to hurt, but I'll do my best anyway." Soooo, I guess I'll just dive into it...
Postmodernism is such a crazy subject. It isn't easy to grasp either. It definitely takes some processing and time to think about it. Although it is very complex the main thought can be narrowed down to the the idea that there is no longer just one grand narrative. People have so many different beliefs now a days that it is impossible for everyone to agree on one thing, or one central belief. But hasn't this always been the case? After all, different groups of people have always believed different things. The beliefs of an Indian tribe are different than those of a Protestant church. Although the belief was that there is a lack of a grand narrative, it seems as if it has always been that way. I think that people are just starting to accept the fact that there are many different belief systems out there. I just think that Postmodernism is the word that these Postmodernists are now using to describe it. In a way I think that the world has always been "Postmodern". At least to some degree.
So, if there isn't a grand narrative what are we supposed to believe? Well, I guess whatever you were believing in before because most likely it had legitimized itself for you and you had a reason to follow it. I don't think that putting a label on this Postmodern movement is changing anything. It's just attempting to describe and explain the difficult belief system in the world. But in the end I think that it just ends up making the topic of Postmodernism even more confusing. Just like my blog. Sorry.
PEACE.
Postmodernism is such a crazy subject. It isn't easy to grasp either. It definitely takes some processing and time to think about it. Although it is very complex the main thought can be narrowed down to the the idea that there is no longer just one grand narrative. People have so many different beliefs now a days that it is impossible for everyone to agree on one thing, or one central belief. But hasn't this always been the case? After all, different groups of people have always believed different things. The beliefs of an Indian tribe are different than those of a Protestant church. Although the belief was that there is a lack of a grand narrative, it seems as if it has always been that way. I think that people are just starting to accept the fact that there are many different belief systems out there. I just think that Postmodernism is the word that these Postmodernists are now using to describe it. In a way I think that the world has always been "Postmodern". At least to some degree.
So, if there isn't a grand narrative what are we supposed to believe? Well, I guess whatever you were believing in before because most likely it had legitimized itself for you and you had a reason to follow it. I don't think that putting a label on this Postmodern movement is changing anything. It's just attempting to describe and explain the difficult belief system in the world. But in the end I think that it just ends up making the topic of Postmodernism even more confusing. Just like my blog. Sorry.
PEACE.
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