The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien Essay

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien - Essay Example We just got lost somewhere within the school system between four and five. I would sit by the verandah next to the music room after every one was passed, I would take out my miniature guitar and imagine myself playing in a different auditorium each time, with different audience, but the end was always the same- a standing ovation. The things I carried were basically dictated by necessity as well as whichever day it was. Books, pen, handkerchief, lunch box, pocket change in my wallet that also had a photo of my mother and I and my phone were everyday requirements. It was illegal to carry a phone to school, but who knew when my great breakthrough to fame would come? I would need to call my friends, who by the way were non-existent. On Wednesdays, I carried my P.E kit, not because I was good in any game anyway, but then again, could not a young man dream? Dreaming should define every young man out there and am not an exception to those who dream, or am I? On Thursdays, I carried my camera so that I could sneak in to the girls’ bathroom and take a photo of my crush since when I was four, it has always been my dream to take a picture of my crush. At least that I did, before being caught and having it destroyed by the bully boyfriend of hers. It was a very painful thing seeing what it being destroyed without any help or being in a position to do anything to stop their actions. Along the way, my guitar got heavier, the weight in the realization that I would never become famous crawled in, and the reality started to sink in me. It culminated on the day I was found carrying out my fantasy routine by the schools head jock, the day that I will live to remember because of the shame I felt. The embarrassment of that day could not be captured by pen, but it’s fresh in my memory, and can narrate it as though it happened yesterday. I resolved to keep a diary instead, for easy recordings of any happening in my life, successful,