The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien:

:· Chapter One: The Things They Carried:

Foxhole:______

Perimeter:______

Poncho:______

Grunts:______

Intransitive:______

Taut:______

Topography:______

Bayonet______

Antipersonnel______

Shrapnel______

Monsoons______

Volition______

Arsenal______

Entrench______

Tangible______

Muzzle ______

The Things They Carried by Tim Obrien

HUMPING:______

Physical Things / Sentimental Things / Emotional Things

Character Chart

Soldier Items Carried Info in Story

Jimmy Cross
Henry Dobbins
Dave Jensen
Ted Lavender
Mitchell Sanders
Norman Bowker
Rat Kiley
Kiowa
Lee Strunk
Azar
Curt Lemmon
Tim OBrein

· Spin: ammo, grid, exuberance, fungal

· On The Rainy River: stash, dispense, aggression, stooge, imperative, province, summa cum laude, infantry, jingo, smoldering, decapitate, eviscerate, schizophrenia, censure, acquiescence, platitude, pious, gentry, bewilderment, chrome, giddy, reticence

· How To Tell A True War Story: rectitude, salvage, denotation, skewed, artillery, scenario, mongoose, ordnance, definitive, rucksack, drudgery, napalm, anarchy, civility

· Sweetheart Of The Song Tra Bong: improbable, bedlam, mundane, warranty, vulnerable, sniper, intrigue, casualties, gore, adrenaline, hammock

· Stockings: plod, invulnerable

· Church: pagoda, swab

· The Man I killed: cadre, cowlick, piaster

· Style: hamlet

· Speaking Of Courage: causation, gargling, mortar, hoist

· Notes: catharsis, nucleus, valor

· In The Field: platoon, giddiness, condolence

· The Ghost Stories: cushy, battalion, bunker, hooch, botch, rapport, illumination

· Night Life: grope, defoliant, kilter

· The Lives Of The Dead: infatuation, chronology, taper, tranquilizer, translucent, essence, blatant, formaldehyde

The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien

Chapter 1: "The Things They Carried"

  1. What do the following words or acronyms refer to?
  2. RTO,
  3. Grunt,
  4. KIA,
  5. PFC,
  6. SOP,
  7. "freedom bird,"
  8. "hump."
  1. Why do you think Rat Kiley, the medic, carries M&M’s for "especially bad wounds"?
  1. Who is Martha? What is her relationship to the Lt. Cross?
  1. Pg 6-How does Kiowa describe Ted’s death?
  1. What is Cross’ “good luck charm?” Where did it come from? Why is not really good luck at all?
  1. What do you think “where things came together but also separated” means? Is this really talking about the ocean waves or is it a metaphor for something else?
  1. What was the young dead VC boy carrying? How does what he carries differ from what the American soldiers carry?
  1. Describe Norman Bowker’s good luck charm. What is the significance of the item?
  1. Describe how Ted Lavender died.
  1. Pg 15- Why did they march each day?
  1. How do the soldiers feel about silence?
  1. Pg 19- What was “the burden of being alive?”
  1. Pg 21- What emotional baggage do the men carry? Why do the men kill and die?
  1. What do you think the author’s tone toward Vietnam is?

The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien

Chapter 2: " Love"

  1. What could Jimmy Cross never forgive himself for?
  1. How did Jimmy get a new picture of Martha playing volleyball?
  1. What does Jimmy ask Tim to do when he writes his story?
  1. What does he tell Tim NOT to mention?

5. When Jimmy tells Martha about his feelings at the reunion she reacts strangely and says “She didn’t understand how men could do those things…The things men do.” What do you think is Martha’s story? Why is she cold? What does she mean here?

The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien

Chapter 3: "Spin”

Vocabulary:

*ammo

* grid

* exuberance

* fungal

1. When Azar says “war is a bitch…one leg for Christsake. Some poor fucker ran out of ammo.” What does he mean? Why does he say this?

2. What does Mitchell Sanders send to the draft board? Why?

3. Pg 32- How was the war NOT like checkers?

4. What did you do when you weren’t humping? Describe boredom.

5. Pg 36 Explain what is meant by “even when you’re pinned down by war you have never felt more at peace.”

6. Pg 37- What does Kiowa’s words at the end of the passage reveal about the speaker?

7. Pg 38- According to O’Brien what are stories for? Do you agree?

The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien

Chapter 7: ""How to Tell a True War Story"

  1. What does a true war story never do?
  1. What two things are the first rules of thumb to telling a true war story?
  1. Describe Curt & Rats game. What was it called?
  1. Describe what happened to Curt.
  1. Describe Mitchell’s story? (Pg 71-76)
  1. What does Rat do to the baby water buffalo?
  1. Why does Rat do this?
  1. Give an example from the story to support each of the things below. Obrien says “war is:
  1. hell:______
  2. mystery:______
  3. terror:______
  4. adventure:______
  5. courage:______
  6. longing:______
  7. love”:______
  8. “Proximity to death brings with it a corresponding proximity to life.” Explain this quote.
  1. What about Curt’s death still wakes up Obrien in the middle of the night? (Pg 83)
  1. What does Obrien mean when he says “it wasn’t a war story; it was a love story.” (Pg 85)

Vocab:

Rectitude:______

Salvage:______

Skewed______

Drudgery______

Anarchy______

Civility______

The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien

"The Dentist” & "The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong"

“The Dentist”

1. What did Obrien dislike about Curt?

2. How did Curt “say” he felt about dentists? Why?

3. Why does Curt end up completely embarrassed?

4. How does he deal with this?

5.  Why was Curt “all smiles” at the end? Why did he do this?

“The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”

What is Rat’s reputation with the men? How honest is he?

Describe Rat’s first military job.

Who are the Greenies? Describe them.

What is “the Song Tra Bong”?

What was Mark Fossie’s “great idea”?

Describe Mary Anne. (Clothes, skin, age….)

What was Mark & Mary Anne’s relationship? What are their future plans?

What was Mary Anne’s response to Vietnam & the war?

How did Mary Anne respond to the medical traumas?...To danger?

When Mary Anne does not come home the first night, what does Fossie suspect?

How did she change as a result of her conversation with Fossie the next morning?

How did she respond to Fossie’s arrangements to send her home?

How could they tell Mary Anne had changed?

Why do people not buy this story?

How does Fossie know she is “back”? When they go in what is around her neck?

What does Mary Anne tell them they “don’t know”? pg 111 What is her connection to Vietnam?

How was Vietnam like a “powerful drug”? (114)

What did they think happened to Maryanne?

How is Maryanne a symbol for many soldiers that went to Vietnam? Make as many connections as possible.

"Love"

  1. What could Jimmy Cross never forgive himself for?
  2. How did Jimmy get a new picture of Martha playing volleyball?
  3. What does Jimmy ask Tim to do when he writes his story?
  4. What does he tell Tim NOT to mention?

"Spin"

  1. What do we learn about Azar’s character in this story?
  2. How was the war NOT like a game of checkers?
  3. How did the "old poppa-san" help the platoon? What was his special skill?
  4. What does Norman Bowker wish for, more than anything?
  5. What does Kiowa say when his rain dance doesn’t work?
  6. What did Azar do to Ted Lavendar’s puppy?
  7. What does Azar say about his action?
  8. Identify in this story moments of beauty and/or serenity.
  9. How is this story structured? What can you say about all these short sections?
  10. According to Tim, what are stories for?

"On the Rainy River"

  1. How did Tim feel about the Vietnam War while he was at college?
  2. On pg. 40, what does he mean by "dominoes"? (hint: what was the "domino theory"?)
  3. What was Tim’s job in the summer of 1968?
  4. What were Tim’s options once he received his draft notice?
  5. Who did he hold responsible for his situation?
  6. Who did he think should go to war instead of him?
  7. What did he do at work when he decided to leave?
  8. What does Tim say is Elroy Berdhal’s role in his life?
  9. What sort of person was Elroy? How did Tim know?
  10. What was the financial deal Elroy made with Tim?
  11. Where did Elroy take Tim & Elroy on the day six?
  12. What typical images of boyhood did Tim remember about himself while on the river?
  13. Who are the following people: LBJ, Abbie Hoffman, Jane Fonda as Barbarella?
  14. What was Elroy Berdhal’s role that day?
  15. What did Tim end up doing about his situation?

The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien
Study Questions for Part 2 - Amy Reynolds, Engl 098

"Enemies"

  1. Who broke whose nose?
  2. What was the effect of the fight on Jensen?
  3. What did Jensen finally do to resolve the conflict between them?

"Friends"

  1. What was the pact that Dave Jensen & Lee Strunk made together?
  2. What happened to Lee Strunk?
  3. What was he afraid of when he saw Jensen, and what did he make him promise?

"How to Tell a True War Story"

  1. What happens when you "send guys to war"?
  2. What were Curt Lemon and Rat Kiley doing when Curt stepped on the land mine?
  3. How does O’Brien describe Lemon’s death on pg. 70?
  4. Why is it difficult "to separate what happened from what seemed to happen"?
  5. What was the mission of the patrol that went up to the mountains?
  6. What did they hear while they were there?
  7. What did they end up doing about it?
  8. On pg. 76, what does Mitchell Sanders say is the moral of his story?
  9. What does Sanders later admit about his story?
  10. What happened to the VC water buffalo?
  11. What did Rat do afterwards?
  12. What does "proximity to death" bring with it?
  13. On pg. 82, what is the "only certainty"?
  14. What wakes Tim O'Brien up at night 20 years later?
  15. What did Tim think Curt Lemon must’ve thought killed him?
  16. What does the nice middle-aged woman think Tim should do?
  17. What does he want to say to her about the baby buffalo, and everything else in the story?
  18. According to O’Brien, what is a true war story NEVER about?

The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien

Study Questions for Part 3 - Amy Reynolds, Engl. 098
"The Man I Killed" story cycle

"The Dentist"

  1. How did Curt Lemon’s visit to the dentist affect him?

"The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong"

  1. What was Rat’s reputation among the men of Alpha Company, when it came to telling stories?
  2. What does Rat insist about his story in this chapter?
  3. What was the military discipline like at the outpost?
  4. Who were the Greenies and what were they like?
  5. Who did Mark Fossie bring to the outpost?
  6. What was their plan together, since elementary school?
  7. What does Rat say are the similarities between Mary Ann and all of them?.
  8. What did Mary Anne begin to do when casualties came in?
  9. Where had Mary Anne been the first time she stayed out all night?
  10. How did she change as a result of her conversation with Fossie the next morning?
  11. How did she respond to Fossie’s arrangements to send her home?
  12. When and under what circumstances did Rat see her next?
  13. On pg. 106, what is Mitchell Sanders’ attitude about Rat’s way of telling a story?
  14. What does Rat have to say about the soldiers attitude toward women?
  15. What did the Rat, Fossie, and Eddie find when they entered the Greenies hootch?
  16. What kind of jewelry was Mary Anne wearing?
  17. What does Mary Anne tell Fossie about his presence in Vietnam?
  18. What does Mary Anne say she wants to wants to do with Vietnam?
  19. At the bottom of pg. 113, what does Rat say about "the girls back home"?
  20. What is the metaphor that Rat uses to explain Mary Anne’s experience with Vietnam?

"Stockings"

  1. What did Dobbins do with his pantyhose when his girlfriend dumped him?

"Church"

  1. What did the monks at the temple help Henry Dobbins do?
  2. How does Kiowa feel about the soldiers camping at the temple?

"The Man I Killed"

  1. What is paragraph one of the story about?
  2. What did the young man hope some day to become?
  3. What is Kiowa doing throughout the story?
  4. What is Tim doing?
  5. What did the boy fear about his performance in battle?
  6. How did the other boys at school treat him?
  7. What does Tim’s examination of the boy’s body tell us about Tim’s feelings about his death?
  8. What was the boy carrying?
  9. What does Kiowa keep insisting Tim do?
  10. How does Tim respond?

"Ambush"

  1. Why did Tim throw the grenade at the young man?
  2. What could Tim have done instead?
  3. What is the significance of the story’s final image?

"Style"

  1. What was the young girl doing when the company came to her village?
  2. What did Azar do that night?
  3. How did Henry Dobbins respond?

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
Study Questions Part 4- "Speaking of Courage" Story Cycle
Amy Reynolds, Engl. 098

"Speaking of Courage"

  1. As the story opens, what is Norman Bowker doing?
  2. What happened to Norman's friend Max?
  3. On pg. 129, what does Max say about the necessity of God as an "idea"?
  4. What happened to his old girlfriend, Sally Kramer?
  5. How long has he been doing his present activity? (see pg. 140)
  6. What day of the year does this story take place?
  7. Which one of his medals was Norman Bowker especially proud of?
  8. What medal did he almost win?
  9. How did the Song Tra Bong change during the rainy season?
  10. What was it about the river that especially got to Norman?
  11. What did the town not care to know about?
  12. What does the word "bivouack" mean?
  13. What did the old women of the ville yell to the men when they bivouacked in the field?
  14. What did the soldiers realize was the purpose of the field?
  15. In the field, what was the difference between courage and cowardice?
  16. What happened to the platoon late in the night?
  17. Who did Norman hear screaming?
  18. What did Norman see in the glare of the red flares?
  19. How did Norman try to save Kiowa?
  20. What made him fail?
  21. What would Norman never be able to do?
  22. Where is Norman at the very end of the story, and what is he looking at?

"Notes"

  1. What did Norman do to himself in 1978?
  2. What did he feel had happened to him in Vietnam?
  3. What does he ask Tim to do?
  4. What had O'Brien felt smug about?
  5. According to O'Brien, what are you doing when you tell stories about your own experience?
  6. How did O'Brien feel about the short story he published from a chapter in "Going After Cacciato"?
  7. Ultimately, what "ruined" the story?
  8. What did Norman have to say about the story?
  9. How did O'Brien revise the story for The Things They Carried?
  10. Who was "in no way responsible" for Kiowa's death, according to O'Brien?


"In the Field"