The Things They Carried Tim OBrien Activity 1
The Things They Carried Tim O’Brien
Activity #1 – Write a paragraph about an object you carry now or one from your childhood. Using “show don’t tell” writing, use imagery to describe the object in detail, the mood it evokes, and reasons for its importance.
O’Brien background • 1946 – Minnesota • 1968 – Graduated Macalester College, political science, antiwar protests • Feb. 1969 - Mar 1970 – drafted, served as Army infantryman in Vietnam
Vietnam • Quang Ngai province • My Lai one year after massacre – evil place “wickedness that soaks into your blood and starts to sizzle”
Back from war • Purple Heart (shrapnel from hand grenade) • If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home (1973) • National affairs reporter for The Washington Post from 1973 to 1974.
Awards • 1978 – National Book • 1990 The Things They Award Going After Carried – finalist for Cacciato National Book Critics Award and Pulitzer • 1987 – National Prize Magazine Award for the short story, “The Things They Carried” • 1999 The Best American Short Stories of the Century
Other works
Craft as a writer • Writes every day, all day • One year, 9 pages – The Nuclear Age • Begins with an image “a picture of a human being doing something” • http: //www. pbs. org/newshour/bb/politics -jan-june 10 -obrien_04 -28/ •
Current • University Endowed Chair in Creative Writing at Texas State University. He lives with his wife and children in Austin, Texas.
Background Knowledge • K-W-L on Vietnam War • What do you KNOW? • What do you WANT TO KNOW? • After reading, what have you LEARNED?
Historical Context – Vietnam War (1955 -1975) • North Vietnam, and its Communist allies vs. South Vietnamese, supported by the United States and other anti. Communist nations • U. S. involvement “domino theory”: belief that North Vietnamese would spread Communism throughout Southeast Asia and shift the balance of power
Historical Context – Vietnam War (1955 -1975) • Intensive U. S. involvement began in 1965 when President Lyndon Johnson sent U. S. Marines to defend Danang airfield • By the start of 1968, nearly half a million American troops were in Vietnam • Important Milestones: Tet offensive (1968); “Vietnamization” (1969); Mylai Massacre • The war ended in 1975 with the capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese
The War at Home • Selective service registration – draft • Some escaped the draft by receiving deferments • Conscientious objectors fled to Canada or openly defied the draft and faced criminal charges
The War at Home • The anti-war movement intensified at home from 1968 -1970. Protests became more frequent on college campuses, and police presence increased in response to the threat of violence. • Important Milestones: Assassinations of MLK and RFK (1968); Riots at DNC in Chicago; Uproar over My Lai Disaster; Kent State (1970)
TTTC Guiding Questions • How do feelings of love and shame propel the soldiers’ actions? • How do the soldiers appear as individuals? How do they sacrifice their individual identities to become part of a group? • In what ways is truth subjective? What is the difference between “story truth” and “happening truth”? • How can morality exist within the context of war? • How can solitude and isolation intensify feelings of despair?
TTTC Literary Elements • Point-of-view • Epigraph and dedication • Postmoderism: http: //www. pbs. org/faithandreason/gengloss/postmbody. html • Realism: Accurately describing details, general attitude, and philosophy of ordinary life that favors confronting the realities of life instead of escaping or idealizing them. – Hyper-realism: Lingering over details smaller than an ordinary observer could perceive (Example: the buzz of a mosquito) – Magical realism: Weaving fantastic or imaginary elements into a narrative that otherwise has all the features of an objective realistic account. (Example: the sun sucks a soldier up into a tree)
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