1. Where have you gone, Charming Billy Written by Tim O’Brien

2. Nerves of Steel? Some people seem to have nerves of steel. They always appear calm, no matter what they are feeling on the inside. Most people, however, show their feelings when they are very afraid or extremely anxious. What are some ways of showing fear or anxiety that you have observed in yourself or other people? Which of tem seem “normal,” and which are surprising?

3. Thematic Link Wars are usually conflicts among countries. However, wars are often a source of personal conflict, as well. The Vietnam War caused even family and friends to clash, leading to political, philosophical, and moral crises.

4. Causes of the Vietnam War The Vietnam War first began in 1959, five years after the division of the country by the Geneva Accords. Vietnam had been split into two, with a communist government in the north under Ho Chi Minh and a democratic government in the south under Ngo Dinh Diem. Ho launched a guerilla campaign in South Vietnam, led by Viet Cong units, with the goal of uniting the country under communist rule. The United States, seeking to stop the spread of communism, trained the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and provided military advisors to help combat the guerillas. Fear of the spread of Communism.

5. When was the war? The most commonly used dates for the conflict are 1959-1975. This period begins with North Vietnam's first guerilla attacks against the South and ends with the fall of Saigon. American ground forces were directly involved in the war between 1965 and 1973.

6. Tet Offensive This combat showed that American people that the war was more gruesome than they realized and was not going to end as quickly as they thought. Held in the jungles of Vietnam and was a different kind of war than at the beginning.

7. Withdrawal The withdrawal of US troops continued and more responsibility was passed to the ARVN, which continued to prove ineffective in combat, often relying on American support to stave off defeat. On January 27, 1974, a peace accord was signed in Paris ending the conflict. By March of that year, American combat troops had left the country. After a brief period of peace, North Vietnam recommenced hostilities in late 1974. Pushing through ARVN forces with ease, they captured the Saigon on April 30, 1975, forcing South Vietnam’s surrender and reuniting the country

8. Casualties United States: 58,119 killed, 153,303 wounded, 1,948 missing in action South Vietnam 230,000 killed and 1,169,763 wounded (estimated) North Vietnam 1,100,000 killed in action (estimated) and an unknown number of wounded

9. Key Figures Ho Chi Minh – Communist leader of North Vietnam until his death in 1969. Vo Nguyen Giap – North Vietnamese general who planned the Tet and Easter Offensives. General William Westmoreland – Commander of US forces in Vietnam, 1964-1968. General Creighton Abrams – Commander of US forces in Vietnam, 1968-1973. Presidents of the U.S. during War: President Kennedy, President Johnson, President Nixon

10. Key Figures Continued George F. Kennan - U.S. State Department analyst who developed influential policy of containment in 1947 Harry S Truman - 33rd U.S. president; adopted containment as a major part of U.S. foreign policy Dwight D. Eisenhower - 34th U.S. president; modified containment policy with more pessimistic domino theory Ngo Dinh Diem - U.S.–backed leader of South Vietnam; took power in fraudulent elections in 1955 Edward Lansdale - CIA operative stationed in Vietnam in 1954; eventually became advisor to Diem

11. Time to Proofread: Read the sentences below and then rewrite them correctly. 1. Author Tim O’Brien’s own war experiences must enable him to write so realistic about the vietnam war. 2. “I was surprised when O’Brien wrote that billy boy reacted casual when he first realized he had stepped on the mine said” jane said.

12. Rewrites ally VW1. Author Tim O’Brien’s own war experiences must enable him to write so realistically about the Vietnam War. BBally, J2. “I was surprised when O’Brien wrote that Billy Boy reacted casually when he first realized he had stepped on the mine,” Jane said.

13. Unit Prep After discussion, you are going to fill in the first 4 boxes on the Unit Prep sheet.

14. Making Inferences When you make a logical guess about something in a story, based on information in the story and your own common sense, you are making an inference. As you read this story, record clues that help you understand who Paul Berlin is and what he is going through. Pay special attention to: What he does with his body? What he notices in his surroundings? What he thinks about?

15. Homework Create vocabulary cards for the Words to Know Vocabulary on page 62. Write the word and a picture on one side and the definition and a sentence on the other side.

16. Making Inferences Carefully read the passage in which Paul daydreams about a campfire chat with his father. Infer from this passage what kind of relationship Paul and his father have. Give specific reasons referring to the text.

17. Literary Analysis Read the marked dialogue on the bottom of page 64. A dialogue is a method of characterization. Analyze the passage to understand which characters are speaking and their relationships to each other. Think about where the soldiers are, where are they going, and why? Why are the soldiers marching toward the ocean?

18. Map Making You will draw a map of what you imagine the route of the soldiers to be. Show where the company is at the beginning of the story and then show the soldiers’ progression over the course of the story from this starting point.

19. Making Inferences At this point in the story it is time to make inferences about Paul’s character. Choose a list of adjectives to describe Paul, using textual evidence to support your choices.

20. What you should have included: Paul is thoughtful, hopeful, and values personal relationships. He is thoughtful because he spends a lot of time going over events in his head, he values people because he wishes to develop camaraderie and understanding with others, and he is hopeful because his desire to later reunite with war buddies indicates a belief that he will survive.

21. Literary Analysis: Figurative Language Examine the passage in which O’Brien compares the soldiers to beads on a chain. What is the significance of the simile?

22. Literary Analysis: Figurative Language The beads are dark because the soldiers are marching at night and must remain hidden. They are like beads on a chain because they are individual soldiers who make up a unit and draw strength from the strength of each member of the team.

23. Why do you think that the soldiers were waiting for cloud cover?

24. Answer The moon was bright, making the soldiers easier to see. By waiting for the cloud cover, they could travel more safely.

25. Compare the ideas of agony in the story to the ideas of agony in Emily Dickinson’s poem on page 70

26. Connect to the Literature Complete questions 1, 3-6 in complete sentences in your notebook. Be ready to share answers with the class.

27. Create a spider map below that shows how the minor characters affect the main character in the story. Work with a partner to decide which characters contribute to Paul’s conflict, and which characters help resolve his conflict? How do they do so? Private First Class Paul Berlin Billy Boy Watkins Paul’s Father The Unseen Enemy Toby “Buffalo”

28. Connect to your Life Do you think that experience of being in combat builds character? Why or why not? The first place you should start is to decide how being in combat affects you as a person. You may want to start with a list of the positives and negatives of being in combat and then decide which one you feel more strongly about. When answering this question also refer to text from the story to support your answer. This should be a minimum of 3 paragraphs long. This should have a thesis statement. Each paragraph must have 5-7 sentences.

29. Live report from the Field With a partner, stage a dialogue between Paul Berlin and a war correspondent. Begin by imagining the questions that the correspondent would ask and the ways in which Paul might answer. You could focus on technical questions on day- to-day military life or you could take a more personal approach and ask Paul to describe his feelings about being in the war.

30. Writing Exercise: For each sentence, supply an adverb that gives the reader more detail about how, when, or to what extent each action was performed. 1. The soldiers wade into the paddy. 2. He follows the soldier in front of him. 3. His fear strangles him. 4.He trudges, counting his steps.

31. Possible Answers The soldiers wade cautiously into the paddy. He carefully follows the soldiers in front of him. His fear near strangles him. He trudges blindly, counting his steps.