The Raven 'And The Things They Carried, By Tim O' Brien

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Running Header: Two Stories One Conflict 1 Two Stories One Conflict: Literary Analysis There are many factors involved in the way we perceive pieces of literature. Figurative language, foreshadowing, tone and various other literary techniques are used to exemplify the main underlying conflicts found in written works. Often times throughout a story you will find many sub­conflicts strewn around the theme of the main conflict of the literary work. . “The Raven”, by Edgar Allan Poe, as well as “The Things They Carried”, by Tim O’Brien, both focus on the internal conflict of individual vs. self. Even though the poem and the short story share a…show more content…
He had loved Martha more than his men, and as consequence Lavender was now dead…” (O’Brien,1990). This epiphany drives Lieutenant Cross to think hard about his situation and make a key decision to focus more on the task at hand and less on his desires. His internal conflict is resolved with burning the pictures and letters of his former love interest. Even though he knows he cannot forget nor will it bring back his lost comrade, he presses forward to become the leader he was entrusted to be. While the conflict of individual vs. self is resolved in this story, the same conflict in “The Raven” is not so easily dismissed. In “The Raven”, the main character is stricken with grief and is beside himself with the loss of Lenore. Contrary to this poem, the short story “The Things They Carried” tells the story of Lieutenant Cross dealing with the guilt of being responsible for the loss of his comrade. Both these literary works share the common conflict of individual vs. self and use a variety of literary techniques to display the internal struggle. “The Raven” focuses more on symbolism and tone to provide the reader with a glimpse into the mindset of a man stricken with the memories of a lost love. On the contrary, “The Things They Carried” uses epiphanies and imagery to let the reader experience the guilt that Lieutenant Cross experiences after the loss of his comrade. The conflict in “The Things We Carried” is resolved when Lieutenant Cross decides to forego his feelings for Martha and atone for his mistakes by leading the rest of the platoon to the best of his ability. On the other hand, “The Raven” holds no clear resolution for the reader. The story ends with the main character sinking more deeply into his own despair. Each piece is focused around the same self destructive conflict yet its meaning is greatly different. When reading these

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