The Things They Carried Introduction & Reading Journal Assignment

American Literature

Mr. Murphy

The Things They Carried Introduction & Reading Journal Assignment

Overview: Tim O’Brien’s honest and perspective-changing novel, The Things They Carried, reads like a memoir about the Vietnam War, although it is in fact a work of fiction. On the copyright page of the novel appears the following: "This is a work of fiction. Except for a few details regarding the author's own life, all the incidents, names, and characters are imaginary." Although Tim O’Brien did serve as a foot soldier in the Vietnam War and a character named Tim O’Brien appears in the novel, the author invents soldiers, places, and events to get to the truth of the Vietnam War as he knows it. A stunningly realistic tribute to the soldiers’ experience of Vietnam, The Things They Carried was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Directions: As you read the novel, keep a reading journal of your thoughts, ideas, impressions, and questions about each reading assignment. Writing about what you've read has several benefits: it enables you to remember what you've read; it exposes weaknesses in your understanding; it raises questions you might not otherwise think about; it stimulates observations you might not otherwise have made; it helps you keep a record of characters, events, and themes and thereby helps in studying and reviewing material

Your reading journal will include:

1)At least nine total entries – one for each section (listed as “Reading Assignments” below)

2)A heading for each entry, which includes the reading assignment you’re responding to and the date of your journal-writing

3)Your own reading notes, ideas and questions about each reading assignment.

If you are at a loss for something to write about, refer to the reader’s guide questions to get you started

4)Responses to questions and/or writing prompts assigned in class and in the “Reading Assignments”

5)Optional: your own ideas arising from your reading, responses to class discussions, problems you are having with the literature we're reading, connections that you can make to the present day

6)Specific details from the text with page numbers

Format:

Create a Word document or a Google document for your journal. When you do your first entry, open up a document, put the date at the top, the assignment you are responding to, and begin writing. Save it as a document. When you read more of the book, go back and re-open the document and put a new heading where you left off and continue writing again. At the end, you’ll have a document with multiple entries tracing your journey through the book.
You will need to have your journal accessible in class, so save it as a Google document, or bring it with you on a flash drive
Length: each journal entry should be between 250 and 300 words (about a page typed, double spaced.)
If you wish, you can hand-write notes in a notebook and then type them to a Word document later, but it needs eventually to be typed since you will be submitting it online to Turnitin.com. While the journal does not need to be written in a formal style nor are you expected to revise and edit your journal, correcting all mechanical errors before you submit each entry

Final Assessment:

Each journal entry will be assessed based on the rubric on the following page

Reading Journal Rubric:

Category / 3 - Distinguished / 2 - Proficient / 1 - Emerging / 0 - Incomplete
Engagement with the Text / Entries show evidence of deep engagement with the text. Commentary is insightful and based closely on the text. / Entries show evidence of engagement with the text. Commentary is sound and based on the text. / Entries show evidence of basic understanding of the text, but fair to little engagement. Commentary is based somewhat on the text. At times, commentary may slip into summary or speculation. / Entries lack evidence of basic understanding or engagement with the text. Commentary is rarely based on the text. Commentary is mere summary, speculation, or off-topic.
Development / Ideas are fully developed with commentary and supported with concrete details from the text.
At least 250 words in length / Ideas are somewhat developed with commentary and supported with concrete details from the text.
150-250 words in length / Ideas are somewhat underdeveloped with commentary and concrete details from the text may be lacking.
100-150 words in length / Ideas are underdeveloped with commentary and concrete details from the text are lacking.
Less than 100 words long
Presentation / Entries are typed, double-spaced. Your journal is edited for conventions.
There are no errors
Someone else can read your entrieseasily. / Entries are typed, double-spaced. Your journal is edited for conventions.
There are some errors
Someone else can read your entrieseasily. / Entries are typed. Your journal is somewhat edited for conventions. Many errors
Someone else can read your entries, although some errors may cause the reader to stumble. / Entries do not conform to the required format and are not edited for conventions. It is difficult for someone else to read your entries.

This is the reading/journal writing schedule for The Things They Carried:

Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday/Thursday / Friday
5/18-19
Introduction & Reading Assignment 1 – Page 1-26 / 5/20
Reading Assignment 2 – Page 27-66
5/23
Reading Assignment 3 – Page 67-88 / 5/24
Reading Assignment 4 – Page 89-116 / 5/25-26
Reading Assignment 5 – Page 117-136 / 5/27
Reading Assignment 6 – Page 137-161
5/30
No School – Memorial Day / 6/1
Reading Assignment 7 – Page 162-188 / 6/2-3
Reading Assignment 8 – Page 188-end / 6/4
Overall Reflection
6/6 / 6/7 / 6/8-9 / 6/10
6/13 / 6/14
Finals Week / 6/15-16
Finals Week / 6/17
Week

The Things They Carried Reader’s Guide (you may use these questions as a starting point for your journal entries; you don’t have to answer every single question in your journal entry):

Reading Assignment 1 – Page 1-26

“The Things They Carried”

In the list of all the things the soldiers carried, what item was most surprising? Which item did you find most evocative of the war? Which items stay with you? Explain the meaning of the title, “The Things They Carried.” What is the first item listed as a carried thing? Why? Think about the metaphors of “weight.”

Reading Assignment 2 – Page 27-66

“Love”

What is the purpose of this chapter? What kind of love is O’Brien talking about? Jimmy and Martha? Jimmy and the platoon? Jimmy and Tim? Tim and his work? Love for his country?

“Spin”

“On occasions the war was like a Ping-Pong ball. You could put fancy spin on it, you could make it dance” (32). What does this mean? What is the “spin” O’Brien is talking about?
Identify where in this chapter O’Brien spins the story, events, etc. What is he trying to show to the reader?
What does O’Brien say about stories in the chapter “Spin” (bottom of 34-top of 35, 38)? What does it suggest about story-telling and the stories we will read ahead?

“On the Rainy River”

In "On The Rainy River," we learn the 21-year-old O'Brien's theory of courage: "Courage, I seemed to think, comes to us in finite quantities, like an inheritance, and by being frugal and stashing it away and letting it earn interest, we steadily increase our moral capital in preparation for that day when the account must be drawn down. It was a comforting theory." What might the 43-year-old O'Brien's theory of courage be? Were you surprised when he described his entry into the Vietnam War as an act of cowardice? Do you agree that a person could enter a war as an act of cowardice?
"On the Rainy River" is perhaps the moral center of the book. In this section we meet Elroy Berdahl. Do you think he existed in O'Brien's life? What does he represent? What does Elroy Berdahl do that leads O’Brien to call him “the hero of my life”? Why doesn’t Berdahl ask O’Brien why he’s there?
What is the role of shame in the lives of these soldiers? Does it drive them to acts of heroism, or stupidity? Or both? What is the relationship between shame and courage, according to O'Brien?

“Enemies”

What can be learned from this story about soldiers during a war?
How do guns impact the storyline?
What does this story suggest about human beings being in situations where they are armed and in foreign lands?

“Friends”

Poor Strunk can’t catch a break (though he did steal Jensen’s knife). What is “a wheelchair wound”? (65). How does Strunk react to his injury?
Why are “Enemies” and “Friends” back-to-back in this book?
What are we supposed to learn about humanity from them?

Reading Assignment 3 – Page 67-88

“How to Tell a True War Story"

Often, in the course of his stories, O'Brien tells us beforehand whether or not the story will have a happy or tragic ending. Why might he do so? How does it affect your attitude towards the narrator?
According to O'Brien, how do you tell a true war story? What does he mean when he says that true war stories are never about war? What does he mean when he writes of one story, "That's a true story that never happened"?

“The Dentist”

Characterize Curt Lemon and why he behaves the way he does. How does this affect your reading of the previous chapter?

What is the purpose of placing this chapter directly after “How to Tell a True War Story”?

Reading Assignment 4 – Page 89-116

“Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”

In "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," what transforms Mary Anne into a predatory killer? Does it matter that Mary Anne is a woman? How so? What does the story tell us about the nature of the Vietnam War?
The story Rat tells in "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" is highly fantastical. Does its lack of believability make it any less compelling? Do you believe it? Does it fit O'Brien's criteria for a true war story?

Reading Assignment 5 – Page 117-136

“Stockings”

Why did Henry Dobbins continue to carry his girlfriend’s stocking even after she broke up with him?
Consider the comparison O’Brien makes between Dobbins and America. Does O’Brien like America? Does he respect it?

“Church”

What was Kiowa’s reaction to setting up camp in a pagoda? Why? How does this differ with Dobbin’s conception of faith/religion/spirituality?
What is the meaning of the washing motion of the younger monk? Is it the same when Dobbins does it?
The image of the monk cleaning an M-60 is incongruous and jarring. What purpose does it serve in the story?

“The Man I Killed”

How did the narrator react to the fact that he killed another human being? What evidence in the story leads you to this conclusion?
This story describes fairly intimate aspects of the dead man’s life. Where do these details come from? How can Tim O’Brien know them? What is going on here?

“Ambush”

Tim O’Brien’s daughter, Kathleen, asks if he ever killed a man: “ ‘You keep writing these war stories,’ she said,‘so I guess you must’ve killed somebody.’” Following this, O’Brien relates two possible scenarios of the death described in “The Man I Killed” to explain “This is why I keep writing war stories.” In your opinion, why does O’Brien keep writing war stories?
Where does truth reside in this book? What is the connection between O’Brien’s actual experiences and the events in this book? Why is O’Brien using lies to get at “the truth”?

“Style”

What symbolism lies in the woman’s dance?
What does Dobbins means when he says “Dance right!”?

Reading Assignment 6 – Page 137-161

“Speaking of Courage”

Aside from "The Things They Carried," "Speaking of Courage" is the only other story written in third person. Why are these stories set apart in this manner? What does the author achieve by doing so?
Why is this story called “Speaking of Courage”? Assume the title does NOT hold any irony. In what sense does this story speak of courage?
Like other male characters in this novel, Norman Bowker develops an active fantasy life. Why do these men develop these fantasy roles? What do they get from telling these fantasy stories to themselves? What does this tell you about O’Brien’s understanding of the way fiction relates to real life?

“Notes”

What is the effect of "Notes," in which O'Brien explains the story behind "Speaking Of Courage"? Does your appreciation of the story change when you learn which parts are "true" and which are the author's invention?

Reading Assignment 7 – Page 162-188

“In the Field”

In "In The Field," O'Brien writes, "When a man died, there had to be blame." What does this mandate do to the men of O'Brien's company? Are they justified in thinking themselves at fault? How do they cope with their own feelings of culpability?
Three stories in succession, “Speaking of Courage,” “Notes,” and “In the Field,” deal with one event: Kiowa’s death. O’Brien similarly shows us incidents from different perspectives throughout the book. Where else does this device occur? How do these different perspectives change your understanding of an incident? Why do you think the author chose to do this?

“Good Form”

In "Good Form," O'Brien casts doubt on the veracity of the entire novel. Why does he do so? Does it make you more or less interested in the novel? Does it increase or decrease your understanding? What is the difference between "happening-truth" and "story-truth?"

“Field Trip”

Why does O’Brien return to the shit field? What is the point of putting Kiowa’s moccasins in the ground (burying them)?
Explain the significance of the final sentence. Who or what is “all finished”?

Reading Assignment 8 – Page 188-end

“The Ghost Soldiers”

"The Ghost Soldiers" is one of the only stories of The Things They Carried in which we don't know the ending in advance. Why might O'Brien want this story to be particularly suspenseful?
Does your opinion of O'Brien change throughout the course of the novel? How so? How do you feel about his actions in "The Ghost Soldiers"?

“Night Life”

How did Rat Kiley get out of active duty in the Vietnam? Consider the placement of this story in the novel. What is O’Brien’s purpose in including this story so late in the novel and immediately following “The Ghost Soldiers”?

“The Lives of the Dead”

Why is O'Brien unable to joke around with the other soldiers? Why does the old man remind him of Linda?
What is the function of the Linda plot in “The Lives of the Dead”? Consider in particular what it teaches him about death, memory, storytelling.
What is the “moral” of the dead KIAs? Consider Mitchell Sanders' view.
In many ways, this book is as much about stories, or the necessity of stories, as it is about the Vietnam War. According to O’Brien, what do stories accomplish? Why does he continue to tell stories about the Vietnam War, about Linda?

Overall Reflection

Assume for a moment, that the writer, Tim O’Brien, created a fictional main character, also called Tim O’Brien, to inhabit this novel. Why would the real Tim O’Brien do that? What would that accomplish in this novel? How would that strengthen a book about “truth”?
Finally, if O’Brien is trying to relate some essential details about emotional life – again as opposed to historic life – is he successful in doing this?
On the copyright page of the novel appears the following: "This is a work of fiction. Except for a few details regarding the author's own life, all the incidents, names, and characters are imaginary." How does this statement affect your reading of the novel?