I noticed that O'Brien lists the things they carry first and then the weight. The fact that he lists the weight of each items make it seem heavier to me. I think about all the items and weight doesn't enter my mind until he mentions it.
Some terminology: Legs/grunts = men
Humping = to carry something/ walk/ march
Some of the things they carried was related to different categories. Rank, Specialty of the soldier, the mission, superstition, and self-preferences.
O'Brien continues to mention Ted Lavender's death, seems to me like he feels partly guilty for it.
Some of the emotional things they carried were: Silent awe for the things they carried, ghosts, memory, infection/disease, the land, the sky, and gravity. Also Lt. jimmy Cross carried the lives of his soldiers.
My question is what are they doing there? I understand they are fighting a war against communism but what exactly are they doing? What steps are they taking?
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I think you noticed a few key points here. I think he mentions the weight of each item on purpose, exactly as you said to make the reader realize it. Defining some of the words from the section should have paid off on your quiz... because I did ask about "hump". I think you will start to notice a pattern with O'Brien's story telling... he seems to repeat stories and tells them differently each time -almost as if he is trying to cope with the deaths or rid himself of the guilt possibly. I like how you listed some of the emotional items the soldiers carried. I think the chapter "On the Rainy River" will explore some of the reasons why we were fighting the war in Vietnam. Keep up the blogging!
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