The Things They Carried. Vocabulary. Directions: Write the definition of each word. 1. Volition. 2. Imperative. 3. Cryptic. 4. Monotonous. 5.

Transcription

1 Vocabulary Directions: Write the definition of each word. 1. Volition 2. Imperative 3. Cryptic 4. Monotonous 5. Amnesty 6. Intangible 7. Rectitude 8. Ordinance 9. Catharsis 10. Selective 11. Implausible 12. Conscientious 13. Evasion 14. Serenity 15. Taut

2 Vocabulary Directions: Use each word, spelled correctly, in a sentence that clearly shows that you understand the meaning of the word. 1. Volition 2. Imperative 3. Cryptic 4. Monotonous 5. Amnesty 6. Intangible 7. Rectitude 8. Ordinance 9. Catharsis 10. Selective 11. Implausible 12. Conscientious 13. Evasion 14. Serenity 15. Taut

3 , Love, and Spin Learning Target: Learning Target: Analyze how characters, conflicting motivations, and character relationships advance the plot. Directions: Answer each question about the motivation of each character. 1. Jimmy Cross dreams about going back home after Vietnam and seeing Martha again. Why is this motivation to return home bittersweet for him? 2. List one of the unique items carried by one of the soldiers, and discuss what the item reveals about the character. 3. Why does Lieutenant Jimmy Cross feel responsible for the death of Ted Lavender? Do you think his feelings are justified? Explain your answer. 4. What conflicting feelings does Kiowa have about the way Ted Lavender was shot? 5. How does Tim O Brien attempt to console Jimmy Cross when Cross tells him that he will never be able to forgive himself for Ted Lavender s death? 6. The book does not explicitly say why Martha is unable to have a romantic relationship with Ted Lavender, but the reason is implied by her dialogue with Cross, and by Cross s request when he finds out that O Brien is writing a book about their experiences. What has happened to Martha, and why does it affect her relationship with Cross? 7. O Brien describes several brief stories in the chapter titled Spin that are disconnected from each other. What is his purpose for telling this series of brief stories? 8. Mitchell Sanders tells an odd story about a soldier who goes AWOL in order to sleep with a Red Cross nurse. The story has an odd ending. What do you think the point of the story is? 9. What does Norman Bowker s one wish reveal about him as a character? 10. How do you react to Azar and the violent act he performs in the chapter called Spin? Why do you think he does it? Do you feel more strongly about the violence against animals than you do about the death of Ted Lavender? If so, explain this irony. 11. How do you feel about O Brien as a character at this point in the book? Explain your answer.

4 On the Rainy River Learning Target: Infer character motive and compare characters from. 1. What is unique about the setting of the novel? How does this unique quality affect the way you think about the novel, or how does it advance the theme? 2. What internal conflict does O Brien struggle with in this chapter? Do you sympathize with O Brien? Explain your reasoning. 3. What is ironic about O Brien s reason for going to war? 4. What is ironic about the fact that O Brien considers himself a coward? 5. Do you think Elroy Berdahl knows why O Brien has come to the Canadian border? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

5 Enemies, Friends, How to Tell a True War Story, and The Dentist Learning Target: Analyze a text to examine changes in how a character is perceived by the reader. 1. Why does Dave Jensen break his own nose? What is ironic about his reason? 2. Why does Dave Jensen feel relieved when he hears the news that Lee Strunk did not survive the helicopter ride to the hospital? 3. According to O Brien, how can you tell whether a war story is true? How does this definition of a true war story affect the way you understand the rest of the book? 4. What is the difference between how Mitchell Sanders tells a war story and how O Brien tells one? Which character s stories seem more believable, and why? 5. Why do you think Rat Kiley shoots the baby water buffalo? Explain your answer. 6. Why do you think Curt Lemon insists that the dentist remove a perfectly good tooth? Use the text to support your answer.

6 Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong Learning Target: Analyze how a minor character can serve as a foil of a major character. 1. Which character seems the most opposite of O Brien? Explain your reasoning. 2. The story of Mary Anne seems unbelievable, but the story serves a purpose. How is Mary Anne symbolic of all the soldiers in Vietnam? 3. How does Mary Anne s transformation reveal character traits of Mark Fossie? Explain your answer. 4. How can the story of Mary Anne be completely fictional, but also reveal a deep truth about the war? 5. When you realize that many parts of the book are fictional, does this make it less enjoyable? Why does O Brien not stick to the facts when telling war stories?

7 Stockings, Church, The Man I Killed, Ambush, and Style Learning Target: Apply Reader Response and Archetypal Criticisms to 1. Who is your favorite character in the novel so far, and why? 2. Who is your least favorite character in the novel so far, and why? 3. In what way do the characters in the novel comply with war story archetypes? 4. In what way do the characters in the story differ from war story archetypes?

8 Speaking of Courage and Notes Learning Target: Apply literary perspectives to 1. Explain the internal conflict that Norman Bowker faces in Speaking of Courage. 2. How do the soldiers react to the Vietnamese women who try to warn them not to camp in the field? In your opinion, does the fact that they are women factor into the soldiers response? Explain your answer. 3. Although not much detail is given, much is implied about the relationship between Bowker and his father. What can the reader infer about their relationship? 4. Why is it so difficult for Bowker and other soldiers to readjust to life after the war? Use the text to support your answer. 5. What kept O Brien from sharing the same fate as Bowker after the war? 6. List three adjectives you would use to describe O Brien, and explain why you chose each of them. 7. In your opinion, based on the limited amount of information you are given, is Bowker responsible for the death of Kiowa? Did he have a moral obligation to keep trying to pull Kiowa out of the mud? Explain your answer.

9 In the Field, Good Form, and Field Trip Learning Target: Analyze characters motives, interactions, and dialogue. 1. What do Azar s comments about the irony of Kiowa s death reveal about his state of mind? 2. In the chapter titled In the Field, what insights about leadership and power can be gained from the experience of Lt. Cross? 3. How does Azar s behavior change during the chapter titled In the Field? How do you account for this change? 4. What role does Kathleen, O Briens daughter (who is fictional) play in the chapters titled Good Form and Field Trip? Explain your answer. 5. Why does O Brien revisit the field where Kiowa died? What do you believe his role was in the death of Kiowa? Explain your answer.

10 The Ghost Soldiers Learning Target: Examine a text using Cultural Criticism 1. Why is O Brien s second time being shot such a horrible experience? 2. How does the character Bobby Jorgensen bring out new character traits in O Brien? 3. Explain how O Brien becomes a stranger in the village. 4. What is symbolic about Azar and O Brien teaming up to take revenge on Bobby Jorgensen? 5. How do you think Jorgensen feels after being tricked by O Brien? Explain your answer. 6. The role of shame in war is a major theme in this novel. Give three examples of stories that show the power of shame or embarrassment.

11 Night Life and The Lives of the Dead Learning Target: Infer the subtext of dialogue and narration in a novel 1. What is happening to Rat Kiley that eventually causes him to shoot himself in the foot? Do you sympathize with Kiley? Are his actions cowardly? Explain your answer. 2. In the beginning of the chapter The Lives of the Dead, we jump back in time to O Brien s fourth day in the war. When he refuses to shake hands with the dead man, what does this reveal about the difference between himself and the other soldiers? Does O Brien change over time? Explain your answer. 3. What connection does O Brien make between his childhood obsession with dreaming about Linda being alive and the soldiers telling stories about Vietnam? 4. O Brien writes: when I take a high leap into the dark and come down thirty years later, I realize it is as Tim trying to save Timmy's life with a story. What do you think he means by this? 5. Explain how the theme of loss of innocence can be seen in this book. Include at least two examples from the text.