Rhetorical Strategies For The Things They Carried

O’Brian uses many rhetorical strategies throughout his book in order to describe the many different events that occur throughout the story. These rhetorical strategies each have their own unique effect on the text and the author’s style. For example, O’Brian incorporates a rhetorical question when introducing Jimmy Cross’s obsessive love for Martha. Jimmy thinks about his college lover constantly and asks himself questions about her such as, “Why poetry? Why so sad? Why that grayness in her eyes?” (11).  By showing each of the characters individual thoughts, it adds to the author’s unique style of writing and allows for the reader to better understand each of the characters. These rhetorical questions make the reader stop and think about what Jimmy is experiencing, and makes it easier for the reader to be able to relate to his situation. An anaphora is then used when O’Brian is speaking of the time he fled to Canada in order to avoid from being drafted into the war—a war in which he did not support. He starts off the beginning of this tale by claiming that he had spoken of this event “not to [his] parents, not to [his] brother or sister, [and] not even to [his wife]”(O’Brian 37).  By repeating the phrase “not to”, it adds to the effect of how important and exclusive this one story is to him, and it shows how ashamed he was to have done such a thing. He also incorporates metaphors throughout his book such as when speaking of what happened to Marry Anne Bell. He describes how the war took over her and “had the effect of a powerful drug”. Then, —through an extended metaphor—he continues to say that it “makes you become intimate with danger”(109). This metaphor helps the reader understand how powerful war can be and see the impact that it can have on a person.  By O’Brian comparing war to something that is so serious and impactful as drugs are, it shows his style and exemplifies the importance of war to him. He makes it clear to the reader how powerful he believes war can be. Finally, through the use of repetition, O’Brian expresses the importance of the things that each of the soldiers carry. Throughout the novel he continuously refers to these “things they carried” and each symbolize something significant to each of the characters. It helps develop each of the characters personalities and allows for the reader to get a much deeper understanding of their values.