The Things They Carried- Tim O Brien - Check it out from our library!

Transcription

1 IB English SL Summer Reading: The Things They Carried- Tim O Brien - Check it out from our library! 1. For every 50 pages, you are to log on to the SL Facebook group (Mr. Howell s SL IB English) and submit a post (minimum 200 words) about the reading. Your post should include a quote, and your thoughts about the work and what you ve read. You should also comment on at least one other person s post in at least a few sentences. 2. Create a presentation (powerpoint / keynote) on one literary aspect of the novel. The list of these is included in this packet. How will I be graded? At the end of the novel, I will look back and check your posts for relevancy and completion. Your posts should be long enough (200 words) and on topic and show that you actually read the work. You will present your presentation to the class when we come back to school. Both are test grades! What to post Questions you have while reading Predictions about what will happen next Thoughts on writing style Symbols or images that stick out to you What you think to be important to the text Character Development What not to post Summaries of what you read Something you ve copied and pasted from another site Personal information Anything not related to the reading A word about posts: Think of your FB post as a blog or reflection of your reading. It is great place to think out loud and start to make connections and ask questions. I DO NOT expect you to come up with brilliance. I expect you to make an honest effort at the assignment and not taking shortcuts. I would much rather you give an honest post rather than a reposting of spark notes.

2 Example of a WELL WRITTEN POST: The internal conflicts in this story are deep deals with the slave's botched relationship with his father who happened to be the sheriff. One example of this is when he tells his father, what father s duty have you ever performed for me? (Chestnut 148). The slave struggled with the reasons why his father did not send him up north to help him succeed and be free. He also struggled with the loss of his mother to the whip of a slave master that his father sent both of them to. The sheriff's son has built up endless grief towards his father and when he has a chance to maybe resolve this grief by shooting him he takes the chance. The son exclaims, It is your life for mine: there is but one safe way for me; you must die (Chestnut 149). Here, the son shows the height of his internal conflict- the choice that his father s life was not as valuable as his own. Additionally, the external conflict in this story has two parts. The first part is the accusation of murder towards the sheriff's son. This causes an upset in the town because the accused murderer is black and the person that was killed is white. Considering the time period, right after the civil war, and where the story takes place, part of the recently disbanded confederacy, a racial trial was most likely to end in lynching. Although the father himself battles the town in an attempt to decide the fate of his own son, this conflict creates the scene for the climax of the short story, both father and son being locked in the prison against society. The second part of the external conflict was the standoff between the sheriff and his son. The sheriff's son gets the upper hand on the sheriff while he is distracted by outside gunfire and holds him captive until the sheriff's daughter shoots him making him unable to kill the sheriff. Eventually, the internal and external conflicts result in the death of the son. Example of a WELL WRITTEN RESPONSE TO A POST: I agree with the lynching since it seem like the story included a slavery time period in the boy's history. Most likely, blacks didn't have a chance. This story reminds me of "To Kill a Mockingbird", which included racial views and people coming to jail house wanting to kill the prisoner. - Why is this a great response? - This response ADDS something to the academic discussion. Bringing in the connection to another text that you have read is one way to continue the academic discussion with something that has substance. If the original author wanted to, they could respond to this person and continue the conversation about the connection that was made. Example of a POORLY WRITTEN POST: The external conflict in the story was the fact that everyone assumed that the son did the crime but didn't really know who did the murder of Captain Walker. The internal conflict is that the towns people where caught up in the fact that they

3 wanted to leave something in memory for the Captain. Example of a POORLY WRITTEN RESPONSE TO A POST: I agree and think your response was well written and i like how you gave evidence backing up your opinion. - Why is this a poor response? - This response adds nothing to the academic conversation. Of course the guidelines of the assignment were followed! Simply saying that you like someone s post is NOT an acceptable response. If the original author were to respond to you, they would be left with nothing to say other than thanks. You must add something of substance to the discussion, not filling to say that you made a response. The following are examples of student posts from prior years' summer reading assignments. PLAGIARISM EXAMPLE #1: First Post: This quote relates to the overall theme of the story, because Rip Van Winkle went into the woods thinking he was one person, and when he came out he was a whole new different person. He wasn't the same person he went into the woods thinking he was. He got to see everything from another person's point of view. Rip's point of view gave us specific details, and gave us a clear understanding of how he saw himself in the beginning and how he saw himself in the end. A connection I can make from this passage is, a lot of people change over time, and it only takes one "adventure" to change one person into a completely different person. Second Post- - Plagiarized from the First: This quote relates to the theme of the story, because Rip Van Winkle went into the woods thinking he was Rip Van Winkle and when he woke up and came out he was a totally different person, he was unknown and anonymous. He got to see everything from a different perspective or point of view. His point gave us supported details, and gave us an understanding of how he saw himself in the beginning and how he sees himself now. In the beginning he was a lazy man who didn't care and now he is an unknown man who doesn t know where or who he is at all. A connection I can make is that people don't change overnight it takes time and patience. When a person changes you should give them credit and hope they keep changing because they want to.

4 PLAGIARISM EXAMPLE #2: First Post: In the story, "Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving. Rip takes a vacation to mountains to get away from his family because his wife and his kids were aggravating him because he never helped around the house or did anything to help them out. While he was in the mountains he met a stranger who offered to cary his stuff for him. The stranger offered him a drink and he took it and fell into a deep sleep. When he finally wake up and goes home he comes to the conclusion that nothing his going his way, and his family was gone. In the quote, "God knows, exclaimed he, at his wit s end; I m not myself I m somebody else that s me yonder no that s somebody else got into my shoes I was myself last night, but I fell asleep on the mountain, and they ve changed my gun, and every thing s changed, and I m changed, and I can t tell my name, or who I am! (29). This quote proves to not take anything for granted because any second it could all be gone Second Post- - Plagiarized from the First: In the story, "Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving, Rip leaves his home and his nagging wife and two children and heads for the mountains for some piece. Rip meets a wanderer who helps him carry his stuff, then he meets more strangers. Rip is offered a drink, which he drinks and it puts him in a deep sleep. When he goes back home, he realizes that it isn't right. In the quote, "God knows, exclaimed he, at his wit s end; I m not myself I m somebody else that s me yonder no that s somebody else got into my shoes I was myself last night, but I fell asleep on the mountain, and they ve changed my gun, and every thing s changed, and I m changed, and I can t tell my name, or who I am! (29), it shows that he was lost and confused when he came home. The theme of this story is you shouldn't take anything for granted because time is so precious. Presentation Ideas:

5 Presentation Guide Here is a list of general ideas that you could use. You can pick from either list or feel free to use your own, just run it by me first. An explanation of a particular aspect of an author s work The examination of a particular interpretation of a work The setting of a particular writer s work against another body of material, for example, details on social background or political views A commentary on the use of a particular image, idea or symbol in one text or in a writer s work A comparison of two passages, two characters or two works A monologue or dialogue by a character at an important point in the work Reminiscences by a character from a point in later life An important character and how he or she contributes to the novel An important scene in the novel and how it contributes to the theme of the novel A reoccurring idea, motif, or theme and why it is important Presentation checklist: Includes at least 5 quotes from the novel Reference or cite an outside source that relates to your topic Is at least 10 slides long Has a clear explanation as to importance of topic to the novel Makes connections to other works, movies, shows, songs, etc Is not pictures, pictures, and more pictures but is text based