The Things They Carried What Were They Like

“The Things They Carried, ” “What Were They Like? ” and “Facing It” Literature of the Vietnam War

“The Things They Carried” p. 269 • Historical Context: • Vietnam War • 1960 s • The so-called “Cultural Revolution” was also happening at this time: Hippies, Black Power, Free Love, Socialism • Images and Music from the Vietnam War • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Qsl. V 5 asj_y. M&inde x=13&list=PLWEj. VJy. Rt. FAJi 5 le. Rprl. Oyqg. Sx 9 jwu 5 NO • Too long to show in class, but I thought you might like to hear some of the VERY influential music of the Vietnam Era • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Ihp. F 06 jow. M 0

“The Things They Carried” p. 269 • What is the significance of the long lists of “things” that each man carries? • What are “the things they carried”? What does it mean to “carry” something? • Find some places where the use of this word is especially significant. • This story uses repeated phrases and contrasting paragraph lengths as literary devices. • Find one phrase that is repeated and one “onesentence paragraph. ” • What is the purpose of the repetition or the shortness of the paragraph you chose?

“Dulce Et Decorum Est” (poem from Tues) vs “The Things They Carried” (short story) • “Dulce Et Decorum Est” seeks to shock its readers by portraying the horrors of war and eliciting an emotional reaction. • Compare this with the flat, sometimes unemotional tone of “The Things They Carried. ” • What does each author accomplish by using the particular tone he chose? • Why did Wilfred Owen want to shock his contemporary readers and make them upset? • Why would an unemotional tone reach contemporaries of Tim O’Brian better than an emotional one? • Is the time gap between the poems a significant factor in the choice of tone?

“What Were They Like? ” (handout in class) • Read two ways. • Comment on the structure of this poem. – What did you think of the “question and answer” format? – There are two speakers in this poem. • Who do you think they are? What tone does each speaker use? What do they remind you of? • What images in this poem are especially effective or interesting to you? – How do the images contribute to the poem’s theme?

Some Pictures of the Vietnam Memorial in D. C.

“Facing It” p. 646 • What is the significance of the title? What was your immediate reaction to reading just the title without knowing what the “it” is the poet is facing? • One of the central images of this poem is the reflective surface of the Vietnam Memorial. Why is theme of reflection, or mirroring, important in this poem? • What other contrasting images do you find in this poem? What purpose do those contrasts serve?

Respond: Comparisons and Contrasts • How do the three works we read for today intersect with each other? Consider especially: – The poems’ attitudes about the war – Soldiers’ experiences in “The Things They Carried” and “Facing It” – Anti-War Poetry: “What Were They Like” is an antiwar poem, but what about “Facing It”?

NEXT WEEK: • Tuesday, March 29 • Topics: Introduce Dystopian Literature and discuss The Hunger Games. • Due : • Finish reading The Hunger Games and be prepared to discuss it in class and take a reading quiz. • Thursday, March 31 • NO CLASS — Cesar Chavez Holiday • Essay 2 Due by midnight on Friday April 1 • Upload your digital copy to turnitin. com