“The Things They Carried” Tim O’Brien

Quickwrite In your notebook or on a piece of loose leaf, write down what can be found in your backpack. Explain why you carry some of these items each day.

The Vietnam War (1955-75)

Soldier’s Rucksack Collect your soldier’s rucksack Each group will be assigned a soldier from the short story, “The Things They Carried.” Once the rucksacks are distributed, complete the tasks referenced in the next column. When your group is finished, be prepared to discuss with the class. Collect your soldier’s rucksack With your group, go through the items identified in the rucksack. Answer the discussion questions about the soldier. Soldier Rucksack

Discussion Questions What item is in the bag that the soldier carried? Literally, the soldier carried several items in his rucksack. Using your book find more of the items he carried. Based on the items the soldier carried, what can you infer about him as a man (not just as a soldier)? Figuratively, what did he carry? Why did the narrator (Tim O’Brien) describe all of the things that the soldiers physically carried?

Figurative Language Simile: comparison of two things using “like” or “as” The guy just dropped like so much concrete. …this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war. Metaphor: describes an object or action in a way that isn't literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison. Imagination was a killer. Hyperbole: an exaggerated statement See next slide

Figuratively... They carried all they could bear, and then some, including silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried. They all carried ghosts. Some things they carried in common. Often, they carried each other, the wounded or weak. They carried the land itself—Vietnam. They carried the sky. The whole atmosphere, they carried it, the humidity, the monsoons, the stink of fungus and decay, all of it, they carried gravity. …they would never be at a loss for things to carry. They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. They carried shameful memories. They carried their reputations. They carried these things inside.

Quickwrite After discussing both the literal and figurative things the soldiers carried, does it make you view the lives of soldiers differently? What is the overall purpose of O’Brien’s work? Are there things that you carry each day that go unnoticed or unmentioned?