     The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is a collection of short stories based on a platoon and there experience in the Vietnam War. The book begins explaining some of the things the men carried. Some items were assigned by their title, and other iteams were for sentimental value. The short stories speak about lieutenant Cross and his reactions to the events of the war. Over the course of the book, the reader can see how the war begins to burden Cross. In the beginning of the story Cross is laidback and often day dreams of his girl from back home. His inner thoughts and emotions are not always present however his daydreams are often described in detail. Lueitenant Cross would day dream of his girl from back home, “he imagined bare feet… her feet would be brown, the toenails unpainted, eyes chily and somber like the ocean in march” (O’brien 332) the detail he uses shows the sincerity of his passion and dedication towards her. As the reader reads the book they can begin to paint a picture in their head as to what they believe each characters look like and how they function. The use of text is valuable as it conveys the ability for the reader to imagine his own world.

    Being in text form, the book “The Things They Carried” shows the truest feelings and emotions of the characters. After Ted Lavenders death, much of the platoon was in delusion and didn’t know how to react. Lieutenant Cross took out his aggression by ordering the men to “burn everything. they shot chickens and dogs… called in artillery and watched the wreckage” (Obrien 336) on a nearby village before they returned to their trenches that night where the effects of the day casualties heavily fell on the leuitenant and “he tried not to cry” (Obrien 336) while another soldier Kiowa “enjoyed not being dead” (Obrien 337). The affects of the men become painted in the readers mind as they imagine how each soldier reacted and persuades a cold emotion.   

  Forest Gump, directed by Robert Zemicks is a story of a male’s journey through life during the Vietnam war era. During the movie Forest is drafted and exposed to the horrors of war. This medium is in the format of a movie, giving the audience a greater sense for the war than a book could. The benefit of having the narrator be the main character is that the audience is exposed to all sides of the character. When Forest says “ I ran and ran, just like Jenny told me to” during an ambush attack, you can begin to see that even in the most horrific war situations Forest is focused on the one he loves. Having access to the to narrator’s inner thoughts as he recollects on the events prevents there from being a gap where viewers must guess how Forest is feeling. An example of this is when 

     The sounds are strong, when Forest and his platoon are ambushed the sounds make it feel realistic. You can hear bullets flying and men crying. The ability for the medium to capture this allows the audience to see the true emotion through the actions of the men going through the event. This movie is narrorated by Forest himself, looking back on his adventures and stories. This gives the audience the ability to understand Forest on a deeper level. Rather than just imagining what Forest might look like or how he would act, the actor allows you to see Forest. 