"The Things They Carried" (Chapter 1)
"On the Rainy River"
"Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong"
Sergeant Camacho
Tim O'Brien or Vietnam War
True/False
100
What does Ted Lavender carry that shows how afraid he is?
Tranquilizers and/or extra ammunition
100
How does Tim feel when he opens his draft notice?
Shocked, scared, angry, confused
100
Who is Mary Anne Bell and how does she end up at the outpost at Tra Bong?
She is Mark Fossie's girlfriend. Mark arranges for her to come.
100
What happend to Sergeant Camacho's friend who was on night patrol with a dog on a holiday night?
He was shot at and the dog was killed.
100
True or False -- Tim O'Brien wrote The Things They Carried so that he could honestly and completely tell true stories about his experience in Vietnam.
False - Many of the stories are made up
100
The story suggests that moral courage and social courage are always the same thing.
False (It contrasts them -- moral courage would mean resisting the war, but social courage means conforming.)
200
Jimmy Cross feels responsible for Ted's death. What was he doing when Ted Lavender was shot?
Daydreaming about Martha
200
Describe Tim's main conflict after he gets drafted. What two options is he stuck between?
1. Going to war (obeying the law, meeting society's expectations)
2. Fleeing to Canada (staying true to his concience and personal beliefs)
200
How does Mary Anne change from the time she arrives at Tra Bong to later in the story. Give two specific examples.
At first...curious, cheeful, innocent...wears pink sweaters and makeup
Later...intense and wild, stays with Green Berets. Doesn't wear girl clothes and cuts her hair short
200
Sergeant Camacho showed a picture of a bombed building on the base. What happened to the man who had been in the building behind a desk when the rocket hit?
He was killed.
200
Why was the U.S. involved in the Vietnam conflict?
Because they wanted to stop the spread of communism after World War II.
200
Elroy pressures Tim to make a quick decision about going to war.
False
300
Talk about an item a soldier carries that helps him create a feeling a safety.
Pantyhose, extra ammo, tranquilizers
300
Who is Elroy Berdahl and how does his behavior at the Tip Top Lodge help Tim confront his decision about going to war?
Elroy = old man at the lodge
Elroy gives Tim time, space, and no judgement while he makes his decision. He never lectures just lets silence and kindness and a fishing trip help Tim decide.
300
How does Mark react to Mary Anne's transformation? What does he expect for Mary Anne and their future?
Mark becomes anxious and controlling. He gets engaged and plans to send Mary Anne home to fix the problem. He expects her to stay innocent, predicatable and domestic. He does not like that war is changing her.
300
Which military branch did Sergeant Camacho choose to enlist in so he could avoid the draft?
Airforce
300
What is one reason someone might have supported the Vietnam war?
They believed the "domino theory" about communism. The U.S. should stop communism from spreading
or
They felt patriotic and a sense of duty to their country.
300
Mark Fossie is excited for Mary Anne to become "one of the guys" and encourages her adventures with the Greenies.
False
400
What does Kiowa's reaction to Ted's death reveal about his character and how the men cope with the trauma?
Kiowa keeps replaying the moment Ted Lavender died by saying, "Boom, down!" Kiowa is sensitive and honest. The dark humor shows how the men cope with trauma by talking it out, repeating the story, or using dark humor to joke.
400
What does the Rainy River symbolize for Tim?
The Rainy River marks the border between the U.S. and Canada, but it symbolically represents the two possible futures for Tim and his big decision.
400
What does the jungle symbolize in this chapter?
The unknown, the primitive, and the dark pull of war. A place beyond rules and civilization.
400
What was Sergeant Camacho's most memorable story?
Anything goes here
400
What is a reason someone might not have supported the Vietnam War?
1. It was unnecessary and unjust to send American boys to Vietnam because Vietnam was not a direct threat.
2. There was a high number of casualties and graphic images of violence shown on T.V. every day.
400
Rat Kiley insists that the story about Mary Anne is absolutely and literally true.
True
500
O'Brien lists what each soldier carries in a very detailed, repetitive way. How does this style help devleop a theme about the weight of war?
Sample answer...The listing style creates a sense of overwhelming weight. The physical weight and burdens connect with the emotional burdens the soldiers carry like grief, guilt, and terror.
500
Tim says he went to war because he was, "afraid not to." How does his admission complicate traditional ideas about courage and cowardice?
Tim sees himself as a coward because he succumbs to social pressures and goes to war instead of making the choice he feels is right (which would have been to flee to Canada).
This shows how messy and painful courage and cowardice can be in real life.
500
How does the way the story is told by Rat Kiley (as a kind of mythic legend) connect to bigger themes about the effects of war?
War can change anyone and take their innocence away. War changes identity, desire, and sanity. It doesn't matter if it is a man or a woman.
500
How did Sergeant Camacho identify this woman?
"Brain Freeze Girl"
500
What experience most shaped Tim O'Brien's writing?
Serving in Vietnam
500
Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong is a cautionary tale about bringing women to a war zone.
False -- the the story is a symbol about how war changes people and causes them to lose their innocence.