1. The Things They Carried & Tim O’Brien
Meyer / AP English 11

2. Tim O’Brien: A Profile O’Brien primarily a writer of fiction
Vowed to stop writing fiction in 1994; a few months later, published a famous essay in the NYT describing his return to My Lai, site of a four hour massacre
From , O’Brien was an infantryman in the Quang Ngai province; his platoon was stationed in My Lai a year after the massacre

3. Author Background Then and now, he could feel evil in My Lai
In the NYT cover story, O’Brien draws parallels between the “guilt, depression, terror, shame” that infects his Vietnam experience and present life
Contemplates suicide
O’Brien writes in the article, “Last night suicide was on my mind. Not whether, but how.”

4. Born in 1946
Raised in small-town Minnesota
Father was an insurance salesman
Mother an elementary school teacher
As a child, O’Brien was lonely, overweight, and a “dreamer”
Practiced magic tricks

5. Had political aspirations going into college
Became a political science major at Macalester
Attended peace vigils and war protests
Planned to join the State Department to reform its policies
Drafted as an infantryman upon graduation
Seriously considered deserting to Canada
Now thinks it was cowardly not to desert to Canada, but in 1968, he feared the disapproval of family and friends

6. After the War
Received a Purple Heart after being wounded by shrapnel from a hand grenade
Pursued a doctorate at the Harvard School of Government
Began writing his first book, If I Die in Combat, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home, while at Harvard
TTTC is written in 1990; it becomes a finalist for Pulitzer Prize

7. Love and War His books are universal
War stories as much as love stories
O’Brien says, “I’ve had the twins of love and evil. They intertwine and intermix. They’ll separate, sometimes, yet they’re hooked … together. The emotions in war and in our ordinary lives are, if not identical, damn similar.”

8. Style
Authors use figurative language to evoke a reader’s senses and to make their writing descriptive and colorful.
Types of figurative language:
Simile
Metaphor
Alliteration
Imagery (sensory)
Personification
Tim O’Brien uses this tool in his fiction to create a sense of realism in his stories.

9. Style Continued
In The Things They Carried, O’Brien states that within his stories “there is always that surreal seemingness, which makes the story seem untrue, but which in fact represents the hard and exact truth as it seemed.” (p. 71)
How something seems to have happened vs. how it really happened.
The use of figurative language within a story, especially within O’Brien’s stories, can give the reader the impression that the story is plausible, if not completely true.
The figurative language compels the reader to believe the story, even though it may only be what “seemed to have happened.”

10. Things to Consider
What is the purpose of storytelling and the personal narrative?
How does fictionalizing fact affect the reader and his response?
How does war literature affect the definitions and perceptions of heroism and courage?
How do storytelling/personal narratives affect the formation of identity within the reader and writer?
How does the past (both personal and historical) affect an author's writing?

11. For Reading - Pay attention to the symbolism in this novel.
Look at the style  it’s beautiful!
When does fact matter more than fiction? Or vice versa?
What is the impact of war?
You will need a basic understanding of Vietnam  refer to the fact sheet provided.

12. Vietnam in Film
Forrest Gump 
(soldier’s POV)
Across the Universe 
(the draft)
Apocalypse Now 
(impact of war)