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‘The Things They Carried’

Label what these men are actually carrying

In a different colour, detail what you think they might be metaphorically carrying

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Who tells this story? What is/are the effects of this?

How does Tim O’Brien set two worlds in contrast to each other?
How does Tim O’Brien convey the suddenness with which things can happen in this situation?
What is the effect of the large amount of technical terminology (including acronyms) Tim O’Brien uses?
The men carried ‘whatever seemed appropriate as a means of killing or staying alive’. Identify any items they carry that cannot be assigned to either of those two categories.��What do you notice about these ‘items’?
Among everything that is ‘carried’, what does Tim O’Brien sees as most significant in his story?��

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How does Tim O’Brien set two worlds in contrast to each other? �By juxtaposing their personal items and the military items, we are forced to contrast the two worlds through comparison. Additionally, the narrative switches from personal tales to the realities of war.
How does Tim O’Brien convey the suddenness with which things can happen in this situation?�Within the same paragraph we can shift from descriptive experiences to the actual war. The brief and unexpected nature of Ted Lavender’s death whilst urinating reminds us that nothing, especially life, can be taken for granted during the war.
What is the effect of the large amount of technical terminology (including acronyms) Tim O’Brien uses?�Creates a sense of authenticity to the experience. It reinforces the cold and harsh nature of war – nothing flowery or pretty in the description of them.

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4. The men carried ‘whatever seemed appropriate as a means of killing or staying alive’. Identify any items they carry that cannot be assigned to either of those two categories. The metaphorical things – like the expectations of their troops (Cross) and the wary attitude towards white people (Kiowa).��What do you notice about these ‘items’?�They reflect a personal experience and the expectations the men carry with themselves from their lives and past.

5. What does that process suggest about the things (among everything that is ‘carried’) Tim O’Brien sees as most significant in his story?�It is not so much the physical things we carry that are important, but the significance they hold for us, as people beyond our roles or the expectations we must inhabit.

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What the Soldiers Carried...

Complete the chart to note what the soldiers literally and metaphorically carried and what this reveals about them.

Each character searches for an escape from the reality of war that they find themselves in.

Jimmy Cross uses Martha’s letters
Ted Lavender has tranquilizers and dope
Henry Dobbins has his girlfriend’s stockings (worn around his neck)
Kiowa has the Bible (which would imply religion, but later suggests it’s the smell)
Rat Kiley has comics

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CONFLICT

The main conflict is the Vietnam War, but this also leads to internal conflict within characters.

______________________ struggles with internal conflict around Lavender’s death towards the end of the short story.
By holding onto _______________ (and the fantasy he created around her), Cross is distracting himself from his role and responsibility as a leader. He has a fascination about Martha’s virginity as a form of escape.

Find the quotations which shows the guilt he feels and what he tries to do to alleviate it:

P.19, 20, 22

“Lavender was dead. You couldn’t burn the blame.” P19
“He would accept the blame for what had happened to Ted Lavender. He would be a man about it.” p20
“[he] reminded himself that his obligation not to be loved but to lead.” P22

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THE (THIN) LINE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH - Links with FRIENDSHIP

“They carried the emotional baggage of men who might die.” (p17)
Part of this desire for escapism comes from their mortality being very firmly placed in the forefront of their existence.
There is both their own deaths, and the deaths of others “they carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried.” (p.17)

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After reading the first story and analysing the main characters, decipher some of the main themes of this collection Add quotations and explanations to your ideas.

P.5,

P. 13

p.14

p.17

p.20

p.12