English III Contemporary Literature (1945-present)

Historical Context Media saturated culture: people observe life as media presents it rather than experiencing life directly. Post WWII prosperity People beginning a new century and new millennium Social protest

Genre/Style Lines or reality blurred; mix of fantasy and non-fiction No heroes/anti-heroes Concern with individual in isolation Detached, unemotional, usually humorless Emergence of ethnic and women writers

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien Published in 1990 Considered one of the finest books about the Vietnam War A compassionate tale of the American soldier The book’s narrator follows a platoon of infantrymen through the jungles of Vietnam The book is split into vignettes drawn from O’Brien’s own experiences Tim O’Brien blurs the lines between fact and fiction

About the Author Tim O’Brien Born on October 1, 1946 Raised in Worthington, Minnesota (small prairie town) Graduated from Macalester College in St. Paul Minnesota in 1968 Received his draft notice Duty from 1969 to 1970 as a foot soldier Sent home with a Purple Heart when he got hit with shrapnel in a grenade attack He currently teaches creative writing at Texas State University.

The Vietnam War 1959: North and South Vietnam were divided. North sought to unify the country under communist rule South struggled to maintain independence 1965: the U.S. Sent ground troops to aid South Vietnam 1969: the draft was in full force (540,000 troops fighting in Vietnam) Draft dodgers: failed to register didn’t report for induction when called attempted to claim disability left the country to avoid service

The Vietnam War Measure of success was counting the dead bodies of the enemy Average age of U.S. service member was : My Lai Massacre members of a U.S. infantry company slaughtered more than 300 Vietnamese villagers, including women, the elderly, children, and infants. After this event, the American peace movement gained momentum.

Vietnam War (cont.) 1973: the warring governments signed a peace accord, ending hostilities between U.S. and North Vietnam. Saigon (capital of South Vietnam) falls to the North Vietnamese, ending the Vietnam War on April 30, 1975.

Vietnam War Propaganda As we are looking at these pieces of propaganda, note the following: your initial reaction to the poster what argument you think the poster is making what evidence in the poster led you to that answer

War on Terror/War in Iraq Propaganda Again, note the following your reaction to the poster what argument you think the poster is making what evidence in the poster led you to that answer

How are the perspectives on the Vietnam War similar and different from the Iraq War? Address the perspectives of a drafted soldier, a soldier who volunteered, and a U.S. citizen not fighting in the war.