"They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing--these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight," (page 20).
I adore this quote and the meaning it has behind it. Even though many people cannot fathom the feeling one has knowing there is a great chance of death in the soon future, everyone can relate to the feeling of carrying weight around. Whether the weight be through regret, stress, loss, or the anticipation of losing someone close to them, there is a point in one's life where they seem to be slowed down and heavy. Although menial and insignificant compared to war and death, I know that during the school year, I often feel like I am carrying a boulder on my shoulders. In a tornado of homework, tests, practices, work, and very little sleep, I never feel like I get the chance to breathe and relax a little. I think this is the main reason that students dread starting school after a summer of free time and less responsibility. Going to school every day is not the rough part, but it is all of the baggage that comes along with it that triggers the negativity.
"Imagination was a killer," (page 10).
I could not imagine being in a war where you spend your free time concocting all of these wild ideas and situations that end in your own death and despair. I have always thought that if I were in a room alone for too long, I would drive myself crazy from pure thought. War is like a huge game of hide and go seek with weapons, right? Think about it. Every time you hide, you feel like you are going to wet yourself from anticipation. You try and think of a hundred different ways you can make it to base without getting caught, and you psyche yourself out to believe that something bad is going to happen if they actually DO find you. Because if they find you, you lose. However, in war, instead of switching roles, you die.
"They carried...Psy Ops leaflets...Black Flag insecticide...PRC-77 scrambler radio...insignia of rank," (page 13-14).
The dialect that O'Brien uses here, specific to the military, made me take the time to read slower than normal and pick out the words and phrases I was not quite sure about. I tried to infer what each of them meant, and many times they were associated with things similar to them when they were listed, which made it easier on me. I think O'Brien decided to list the things they carried because the common people are unaware of how much education is required to become a part of the armed forces. One must learn an entire new vocabulary to understand situations and what situations require what weapons and means for protection. It is impressive, actually, how much they have to remember and learn.
P.S. What is a paddie exactly? I'm pretty sure it is just a large area of land. I'll look it up and let you know on my next blog!
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