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The Things They Carried

The Things They Carried. The Nature of Storytelling and the Subjectivity of What is “True”. TTTC Big Questions. What does each soldier “carry”, literally and figuratively? What is the nature of truth? What is the function of storytelling?

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The Things They Carried

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  1. The Things They Carried The Nature of Storytelling and the Subjectivity of What is “True”

  2. TTTC Big Questions • What does each soldier “carry”, literally and figuratively? • What is the nature of truth? • What is the function of storytelling? • How does the use of language and rhetorical strategy add richness and meaning to this work?

  3. Context: The Vietnam War • Those against the draft • Guerillas are not an immediate threat to US • If US were threatened, no need for draft- Americans would volunteer • “…millions upon millions drafted to kill and be killed”: violation of American Liberties • Unjust- deferment program forces poor and African American men into combat; privileged avoid war

  4. Context (con’t) • Those Who Support The Draft • Necessary to defeat communism, and therefore whole Cold War • S. Vietnams falls? All will fall • Draft is national defense • Deferment encourages men to seek and education and enter careers • Honor and respect for those who enter military

  5. Chapter 1: The Things They Carried • Soldiers introduced and “what they carry” mentioned: both physically and mentally • They carried: • “terrible power” (7) • “ghosts” (9) • “Hate”( 3) • Dobbins sees “no moral” in the war(13) • Lieutenant Cross is hardened by the war • Blunt, straightforward tone made known; Read pages 20-21 for thematic analysis

  6. Chapter 2: “Love” • Flash forward to years later • Jimmy Cross admits guilt for Lavender’s death • Ironically have a lighthearted conversation about the love he had for Martha that never manifested • Tim O’Brien said he would not mention Lavender- he lied; was it worth it? Why would he mentioned that he lied?

  7. Chapter 3: “Spin” • Mitchell Sanders upset about the draft • The game of checkers mentioned as good because “There were rules”. • Discusses that war was not all bad (34): paradox jux. of absolute peace with absolute frenzy and choas • Poppa-san helped them across the mine fields and they learned to love him • The boredom of war noted • O’Brien discusses his own writing and the “remembering” always • “remembering makes it now”; stories are important

  8. Chapter 4: “On A Rainy River” • Personal confession • He admits: “I was no soldier” (39-41 rhet. analysis); he “…felt paralyzed”(41) • He “…felt a sickness inside [him]. Real disease.” (43) • Drives to Canada and contemplates defecting • Ends up on Rainy river, meets Elroy who “knew” but did not talk about it; displayed “ferocious silence” (47) • He felt a “Hot, stupid shame.” (49) • Read 54-57: deliberation on the river and then “he submitted” (57) • He acquiesces: “:I was a coward. I went to the war. “ (58)

  9. Chapter 5: “Enemies” • Fighting two wars: • Dave Jenson accuses Strunk of stealing his jackknife • Reacts I anger; Breaks his nose • Becomes paranoid that retaliation would be worse • Broke his own nose: WHY?

  10. Chapter 6: “Friends” • Jenson and Strunk not “instant buddies” bu they learned to trust each other • Made a promise to put each other out of misery if ever dilapidated due to war • Strunk stepped on a mine and lost his leg; Jenson had a choice to make • Ironically Jenson was “relieved…of an enormous weight”- What weight?

  11. Chapter 7: “How To Tell A True War Story” • A war story is : • “never moral” (65); • Harsh and indefinable • “always embarrassing”; • “cannot be believed” (68-74) • “the crazy stuff is true and the normal stuff isn’t” • Nam talks • Nobody listens; nobody hears nothin • “war is hell” (76) • Last sentence • “…in a true war story, nothing is ever absolutely true” (78) *******

  12. Chapter 8: “The Dentist” • Curt Lemon was embarrassed at fainting over tooth being pulled out • Vulnerable and human • Not a “man” • Had dentist pull out a perfectly good tooth- why?

  13. Chapter 9: “Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong” • War can quickly change someone • Rat Kiley would tell a story and exaggerate to make you feel as hot as he did about it; the emotion was key (92-93) • Fossie’sgf Mary Anne shows up at villiage but was changed (94) • They became engaged; she left and got “lost” • Came back with necklace of human tongues: numb • Fossie states: “I loved her”- war changed her too much

  14. Chapter 10: “Stockings” • Henry Dobbins is a metaphor for humanity (111) • The stockings were his talisman • “like many of us in Vietnam, Dobbins felt the pull of superstition” (112) • Irony? His gf “dumped him”- “the magic never goes away”

  15. Chapter 11: “Church” • Monk leads them into an abandoned pagota • “leave churches alone” during the war • Kiowa urges acting humane (pages 114-117)

  16. Chapter 12: “The Man I Killed” • Disturbing detail of dead man- why? (118-119) • Vivid recollection of horror of event • O’Brien imagines him as a man and not the enemy (121) • Feels more guilt • Plays out the “man”’s life • Kiowa tries to get Tim to “talk” – why?(123-124) • Needs to let the guilt free • Cannot shake it

  17. Chapter 13: “Ambush” • Tim O’Brien met with his own daughter questioning if he killed someone • He recounts the visual memory that haunts him • “I did not hate the young man; I did not see him as the enemy; I did not ponder issues of morality or politics or military duty.” (126) • He does not forgive himself for what he was forced to do.

  18. Chapter 14: “Style” • This young girl of 14 has lost her entire family and she is dancing • Azir confused by this- why? • This woman keeps dancing despite losing everything- why? • Why does Azir mock her? Why does Dobbins say “dance right”? • The human condition and empathy is a blurry difficult mess in wartime

  19. Chapter 15: “Speaking of Courage” • The war is over and Norman Bowler home again- description of his town • All strange now that not at war any longer • He drives around the river with his friends as memories • Speaks to his dad but does not mention 7 medals- does not feels brave • Speaks to Sally and mentions “shit field”- he was a coward and did not search for Kiowa; feels guilty • He continues to circle the lake- metaphor for his swirling memories of wrong and right and truth

  20. Chapter 16: “Notes” • Present day- stark and blunt use of language to mention about Norman Bowler’s death • “It’s almost like I got killed over there in Nam.” (150-152 read and annotate in text) • Bowler suggests memorializing Kiowa- asks wy he is not in the story

  21. Chapter 17: “In The Field” • Flashback to the shit field and 18 men wading in it, searching for Kiowa • DSS- “Kiowa was gone.”- sad, simple truth • Leutenant Cross writes a letter to Kiowa’s father • Whenever a man died, all the soldiers wanted to do was forget (159) • A young boy sharing his gf’s photo gets K. killed • Bowler states: “It’s nobody’s fault…Everbody’s” (168-170)

  22. Chapter 18: “Good Form” • THE WHOLE POINT • Read and annotate in text • Thematic connection and the relevance of truth

  23. Chapter 19: “Moccasins” • 20 years after the war, Tim takes his daughter to the field where K. died to replace his moccasins as a memorial • Difficult to explain truth to his 10 year old • Questions the point of the war • Read 178-179

  24. Chapter 20: “The Ghost Soldiers” • Tim O’Brien shot twice- once was taken care of by Rat Kiley; once by Bobby Jorgenson who botched the patch job and his wound became infected- speaks to the very real fear of dying • Carried a grudge until talks with him: “I hated him for making me stop hating him” (190) • He decides to get him back by scaring him at night with “ghost soldiers”- read page 95-96 on psychology • “…right and wrong were somewhere else” (198); “…you’re not human anymore” (200) • O’Brien makes a fool of him and they then consider the situation even

  25. Chapter 21: “”Night Life” • Rat Kiley began to breakdown mentally • He was speaking funny and having visions • He felt as if they were all just “meat for the war”. • He commits suicide and “nobody blamed him” – matter-of-fact one adds to the despair

  26. Chapter 22: “The Lives of The Dead” • “But this is true too: stories can save us.” (213) • He remembers his frst date with Linda – read page 217 • “…war memory and imagination and language combine to make spirits in the head.”(218) • “Timmy, stop crying”- this is what Linda would say to him after “she was dead”- what does this paradox suggest about O’Brien’s psychology? • Linda has cancre and was humiliated and made fun of- Tim regrets not “jumping in”- “As a writer, [he] wants ot save Linda’s life” (223) • We kept the dead alive with stories • Read page 223

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