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
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