The Things They Carried - Final Project

Today in class we had a powerful discussion about the relationship between fiction and reality, and the ways in which we connect with stories.  This is one of the topics you can continue to explore in your final project.

Here is a link to the handout for the project.

You can work alone or with up to two other people.  We will have time in class on Thursday and Friday to work on the novel.  The project is due Monday, May 5th.

The Things They Carried - Writing #2

Greetings!  I am out of town teaching at a conference today.

Spend the first part of the period (take as long as you need) on this piece of writing. You may use your books or notebook, but not any online resources.

• Link to quiz #2

After that, use the rest of the period to be caught up with your reading. We will be writing an essay on the book next week (after we finish chapter 7 on Monday) and I expect you to be familiar with the entire novel by then.

Have a great weekend!

The Things They Carried - "In the Field"

We generated this list of words - voices heard / implied in this chapter:

Kiowa
Lt. Jimmy Cross
Norman Bowker
Azar
Mitchell Sanders
Boy
Kiowa's father
Billie
Tim O'Brien
Henry Dobbins
Rat Kiley
God
Jesus
Locals
Kiowa's New Testament
Boy's picture
Monk
S**t field
Boots
Song Tra Bong / River
Flashlight
Mud
Rain
Poncho
Kiowa's rucksack
Weapons
Gray mist
Bubbles
lower body
chopper
ammo
C-rations
letter to Kiowa's father
watch
shrapnel
fear
death
sense of humor
blame
guilt
truth
regret
simplicity
sorrow
faith
innocence
ignorance
expectations
friendship
war
irony
USA
Vietnam
bravery
courage
parents
golf
selfishness
anguish

The Things They Carried - Chapters 15 and 16

For class Thursday you will read chapters 15 ("Speaking of Courage") and 16 ("Notes").

There will be a quiz at the start of class.

Also, I will collect the worksheet you completed last week (writing about an object, character, and the war) and will check in two journal entries:

• Chapters 8&9
• Chapters 10-14

The Things They Carried - Chapters 10 - 14

For today, you read chapters 10-14. For homework I asked you to use the format from the worksheet we used the other day (click here for a copy of it) and provide a new set of answers for one of these chapters.

In class, we will try to connect the dots up to this point as we explore this question: What is O'Brien saying about the war and the people who fight it?  You discussed this with your group and wrote out a response in your notebook.

The Things They Carried - Chapters 8 and 9

For class today, Monday, April 14th, you read two chapters in The Things They Carried: "The Dentist" and "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong."

You wrote a journal response addressing these questions:

• What new ideas / issues do these chapters introduce?
• What variations on previous ideas / issues do they include?

In class you worked in groups for two tasks:

• To create a poster illustrating the transformation of the character Mary Anne in the chapter "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" using at least three images and three quotations.
• To share the work you did on chapters 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 based on this worksheet from Friday.