Warm Up - October 1 Copy this term and its definition: Verisimilitude - In a literary work, verisimilitude is likeness to the truth i.e. resemblance of a fictitious work to a real event even if it is a far-fetched one. Verisimilitude ensures that even a fantasy must be rooted in reality, which means that events should be plausible to the extent that readers consider them credible enough to be able to relate them somehow to their experiences of real life. Now, apply this term to The Things They Carried. Why do you think O’Brien made this choice? Why did he choose to reveal this “secret” at this point in the book?

Learning Targets I can list out specifically what O’Brien does to illuminate his use of verisimilitude to his reader. I can reread/skim a past reading to identify how, if at all, the story changes, knowing that some of it could be, and probably is, false. I can apply this knowledge to further deepen my analysis of The Ghost Soldiers.

Group Work First, open your books to the vignette Good Form. With your group, read through the vignette closely, and list out what O’Brien does in writing this vignette. To give you an idea of what I’m looking for, start with these: O’Brien states that he will be blunt. He admits that he invents his stories.

What O’Brien does in Good Form O’Brien states that he will be blunt. He admits that he invents his stories. Then, he tells a story and admits that it’s false immediately after telling it. He states his reason why he invents stories (find the quote!!!) He differentiates between story-truth and happening-truth. He states that the story truth makes things ‘present,’ leaving the reader to infer that the happening-truth can’t do the same. He contradicts himself at the end, to prove that he can, and to illustrate that the actual truth is irrelevant.

Group Work, Part Deux Now, reread/skim the passage that corresponds to your group’s number (and, EVERY group needs to skim over How to Tell a True War Story). Knowing what you now know, how does the story change? Is it less or more effective? Why? The Things They Carry Love & Spin On the Rainy River Enemies & Friends The Dentist & Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong Stockings, Church, & The Man I Killed Style, Speaking of Courage, & Notes In the Field

Homework Read The Ghost Soldiers, and take notes on its form using your Style Analysis Toolkit.