January 23 & 24, 2013

Grade Sheets & Q3 Late Passes

Journal/SSR

Annotated Bib/Poster Project Due 2/1 (A) or 2/4 (B)

The Things They Carried – Anticipation Guide

Intro – The Things They Carried Forrest Gump

Vietnam – An overview…

Homework: Have a great evening!

Don’t forget…we’re in the library next class!

If you had to go off to war, what would be the hardest things for you to leave behind? Why?

Vietnam War

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVA2cMSgj_U&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

Where is Vietnam?

Why Did the United States

Fight a War in Vietnam?

• To hold the line against the

spread of world Communism.

America paid for the war the

French fought against

Communist Vietnam as a part of

the Truman Doctrine (1947) “to

help free peoples to maintain

their free institutions and their

national integrity against …

totalitarian regimes.” In the

1950’s, America became involved

again.

Why Did the United States

Lose the Vietnam War?

1. They underestimated the tenacity and

organization of the North Vietnamese and the

National Liberation Front.

2. Despite dropping

more tonnage of high

explosive on Vietnam

than the whole of

World War II, the

Americans could not

stop the movement

of troops or supplies

to the south along

the Ho Chi Minh

Trail.

3. The North Vietnamese

conducted a “Peoples

war” in which everyone

played a part.

4. At first, most Americans supported the war.

But by 1970, the Peace Movement had

support from all parts of society and no

government could ignore it.

5. After 1969, there were deep questions about the efficiency of US troops. There was a serious drug problem; desertion rates were high and morale low. Many troops were “time-servers,” i.e., counted the days until the tour was over.

6. The US never really

understood the culture of

the Vietnamese people.

Coca Cola, chewing gum,

ball point pens, and ice

cream cones could not

dislodge their ancient

beliefs.

7. America was not prepared to keep losing high

numbers of casualties for such limited progress

in a difficult jungle war, for which they were

not suited.

8. The strength and resourcefulness of the NLF.

For example, the highly complex Cu Chi

tunnel system the U.S. never shut down.

Longest and Most Unpopular War

• The Vietnam War was the longest and most unpopular war in American history. During the war:

– 58,000 Americans lost their lives.

• The oldest man killed was 62 years old; the youngest, 16.

• 61% of the men killed were 21 or younger.

– 304,000 were wounded.

– 75,000 were severely disabled.

– The United States spent over $200 billion dollars on the war.

Author

Author: Tim O’ Brien • Born 1946

• Inspired by his own father’s written accounts of battles like Iwo Jima and Okinawa during WWII.

• O’Brien also became a soldier when he was drafted to fight in the Vietnam

Author

• O’Brien strongly opposed

the war in Vietnam, but

fought bravely

• We was wounded in battle

and returned home with

numerous honors. These

include:

– Bronze Star of valor

– Combat Infantry Badge

– Purple Heart

General Information

General Information • The Things They Carried is a sequence of interrelated stories about different soldiers fighting in Vietnam

• It is viewed as one of the foremost works of literature concerning the Vietnam war.

General Information

General Information• The narrative is a mix of

O’Brien’s personal experiences and fiction

• The main character in the story is named Tim O’Brien

• The protagonist Tim O’Brien is a fictional character.

• There are elements linked to the real O’Brien, but other aspects are unique to the character

– The most clear example of the difference between the real and fictional O’Brien is that the author never killed a man in battle

Literary Focus

• Type of Work - Collection of interconnected short stories

• Genre - War stories; coming-of-age stories; memory stories

• Setting (time) - Shifts between the Vietnam War in the late 1960s and the narrator’s immediate past, twenty years after the war

• Setting (place) - Vietnam and Massachusetts

Literary Focus

• Narrator

• Point of View

• Tim O’Brien (the character)

• Uses a mix of 1st person and 3rd

person

• The effect is one of being able to take the reader into emotional situations through 1st person narrative and distance the reader from situations through the 3rd

person perspective

Literary Focus

• Tone

• Foreshadowing

• An introspective tone that relies on a self-conscious examination of human nature and human interactions

• The deaths of several characters are mentioned prior to the description of their deaths.

• This foreshadowing adds a sense of dread and suspense to the novel

Literary Focus

• Conflict

• Symbolism

• Tim O’Brien and the other soldiers struggle with the effects—both immediate and long-term—of the Vietnam War.

• The seemingly insignificant items the men carry with them are symbolic of the important small details, the overlooked instances of both joy and regret, that dominate human existence

Themes and Focus

• Emotional Baggage: – the grief, guilt, fear, love,

and memories each man carries with him into war and from war dominates the narrative

• Perception: – the pressures society places

on people weigh heavily on the backs of the soldiers

– O’Brien’s character specifically reports to war because of the fear of disapproval more than any feelings of patriotism

Themes and Focus

• Courage and Manhood:

– The doubts, baggage

and fears of perception

all play into the ideas of

what is true courage

and what determines

manhood

– With perspective and

experience these

definitions change and

alter throughout the

novel

Summary and

Plot Overview• The main character O’Brien

catalogs the different things the other soldiers in his fighting company brought to war

• These “things” can be intangible (figurative) items such as guilt or fear

• They can also be tangible(literal) items such as matches, morphine, M-16 rifles, and even M&M candy!

Summary and

Plot Overview

• In the section “Lost”

Lieutenant Jimmy Cross

deals with his feelings over

a college crush and guilt

over his perceived

shortcomings in battle

• “On the Rainy River”

details the events that led

to O’Brien coming to

Vietnam

Summary and

Plot Overview

• “The Dentist” details a visit from Alpha Company member Curt Lemon to the dentist

• “Friends” detail a pact made between friends regarding injury in battle

Summary and

Plot Overview

• Within each of these stories is often a common thread: men dealing with loss and guilt

• These emotions are “things they carry” well after they are done fighting in battle

Character Analysis• Tim O’Brien • The protagonist and

narrator

• Enters the war a scared young man afraid of the shame that dodging the war would bring him

• As a middle-aged man he struggles to cope with his painful memories and emotional baggage

• He is conflicted over his own personal beliefs and those of his country and family

Character Analysis

• Other Characters

• Jimmy Cross:

– An immature college student who signs up for the reserves because of his friends

• Mitchell Sanders:

– Loyal and pragmatic individual who doesn’t believe war teaches lessons or truths

• Kiowa

– A Baptist and a Native American, who brings a perspective different from that of his fellow soldiers