The Things They Carried English 11 The Things They Carried Have this up on the screen as students are walking in, letting the song play: “All Along the Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix. An introduction to Tim O’Brien and his fictional account of the Vietnam War The Things They Carried

Vietnam Views Opposition: Not obligated under Geneva treaty to help Civil War – no right to intervene Vietnam chose not to honor Geneva treaty No Chinese threat – long history of China and Vietnam animosity South wanted unification No democracy in Vietnam Bad military tactics – napalm, ambushes, etc.

Relevant Facts About the Vietnam War English 11 Relevant Facts About the Vietnam War No fixed date that the US entered into war with Vietnam Series of steps from 1950 – 1965 Vietnam The Things They Carried

Vietnam War 58,000 Americans dead ~150 Billion dollars – cost of America Wanted to keep communism from spreading – domino theory Guerrilla Warfare Surprise attacks, ambushes, bombings, no clear enemy, terrorist in nature

English 11 Vietnam Timeline 1950 – Truman sent economic and military aid to the French who were trying to retain hold on their Indochina colony. 1954 – The defeated French conceded to a communist government north of the 17th parallel. 1960 – JFK approves Aid 1964 – US began sending combat troops as a result of The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Can also show students the time line provided by pbs.org located here: http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/timeline/ which is linked on the next slide Vietnam The Things They Carried

Vietnam Timeline 1965 – 1966 Military escalation because S. Vietnam couldn’t handle things 1967 – Draft began. Antiwar Protests happening across US 1969 –My Lai Massacre where US soldiers kill a village full of civilians 1972 – Ceasefire 1973 – Paris Peace Agreement Click here for an online timeline offered by pbs.org Vietnam

Post Vietnam Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: ~ 30% of Vietnam Veterans Frightening thoughts and memories Lack of emotional attachments to others Sleep disorders Easily startled Nightmares/flashbacks Psychiatric problems Lack of interest in life ~ 30% of Vietnam Veterans

English 11 Vietnam Demographics Location – South of China, East of Laos and Cambodia, West of South China Sea This map shows some of the various places mentioned in the book. Have an enlarged map on the board, or create an overhead for future reference. Can also show interactive map located here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/maps/index.html throughout the stories in the book. Here is an interesting interactive map of places mentioned in the book Vietnam The Things They Carried

Religion Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Tam Giao (tri-religion, …) Vietnam

English 11 Religions It’s interesting to note that the majority of Vietnamese people have no practiced religion. *Other religions include: Hoa Hao (1.5%), Cao Dai (1.1%), Protestant (.5%, and Muslim (.1%) The Things They Carried

People of Vietnam 80% ethnic Vietnamese 20% - 50+ different ethnic minority groups, hill tribes Languages spoken: Vietnamese, Chinese, English, French, Russian Vietnam

What Do You Need to Know About the Book Before Reading It? English 11 What Do You Need to Know About the Book Before Reading It? It is ALL fiction! Facts are not important! Emotional effect of incidents is what is important. Be sure to stress this slide, it is the most important for students to realize that none of the events actually happened as Tim describes. He is going for the emotional effect to get the reader to feel what he felt during the war. The Things They Carried

Tim O’Brien (author) vs. “Tim O’Brien” (character, narrator) English 11 Tim O’Brien (author) vs. “Tim O’Brien” (character, narrator) Protagonist and sometimes narrator is “Tim O’Brien”. This “Tim O’Brien” in the book is NOT REAL. Even when “Tim O’Brien” talks directly to the reader, it is the fictional “Tim”. Put this on the board. When “Tim O’Brien” is in quotes, we are referring to the fictional narrator. When Tim O’Brien is not in quotes, we mean the real-life author. The Things They Carried

Example of the narrator “Tim O’Brien” speaking directly to the reader “Now and then, when I tell this story [about the baby water buffalo], someone will come up to me afterward and say she liked it. It’s always a woman. “…. What I should do”, she’ll say, “is put it all behind me. Find new stories to tell.” “I wont say it but I’ll think it. “I’ll picture Rat Kiley’s face, his grief, and I’ll think, You dumb cooze. “Because she wasn’t listening. “It wasn’t a war story. It was a love story.” ~ “How to Tell a True War Story”, pgs 84 - 85

Tim O’Brien The author Tim did actually go to Vietnam and really was in the Alpha Company, but is writing a fictional account. Tim O'Brien

Themes The justification of killing Loss of a friend Isolation Corruption of war Inability to adjust back to normal life Individual consequences of war Racism as a coping mechanism

Tim O'Brien biography: The Early Years English 11 Tim O'Brien biography: The Early Years Born in Austin on Oct. 1, 1946 and grew up in a small town in Minnesota He shares this birth date with several of his characters Dad was an insurance salesman Mom was an elementary school teacher Students do not need to write this down. Tim O'Brien The Things They Carried

Tim O'Brien Biography: College Life English 11 Tim O'Brien Biography: College Life Political science major at Macalester College, attended peace vigils and war protests Graduated in 1968 Students do not need to write this down. Click on the crest to link to the college’s website. Tim O'Brien The Things They Carried

Tim O'Brien Biography: To Go to War? English 11 Tim O'Brien Biography: To Go to War? Received his draft notice upon graduation Was against the war: hated Boy Scouts, bugs, and rifles. Considered deserting to Canada once he received his classification as an infantryman Student’s do not need to write this down; however, this will be important to remember later on when we get to this chapter (On the Rainy River) Tim O'Brien The Things They Carried

Tim O'Brien Biography: In Vietnam English 11 Tim O'Brien Biography: In Vietnam Assigned to the 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 5th battalion, 46th Infantry as a foot soldier Served in Vietnam from 1969-1970 Returned home with a Purple Heart Was wounded by shrapnel from a hand grenade Students do not need to remember this. Tim O'Brien The Things They Carried

Tim O'Brien Biography: Views on Vietnam English 11 Tim O'Brien Biography: Views on Vietnam Now believes it was an act of cowardice to go to war instead of fleeing to Canada Was 22 years old and feared the disapproval of his family and friends, his townspeople and country Hated every minute of Vietnam This is important. This is a good essay question for the test – that going to war was an act of cowardice, and the brave thing to do would have been to flee to Canada. How do they (students) feel? What would they have done? Tim O'Brien The Things They Carried

Tim O'Brien Biography: Life after Vietnam After returning to the states, he became a grad student at Harvard. Left Harvard to become a newspaper reporter for The Washington Post. Began writing fiction about Vietnam Tim O'Brien

Tim O’Brien Claims he still gets calls from people, asking questions, offering their own opinions about what happened. They want to know, missing the point of the novel, that life often does not offer solutions or resolutions, that it is impossible to know completely what secrets lurk within people Tim O'Brien