Chad's+Essays

This essay will be due one week from today. It must be at least three pages, double spaced with 12 point Courier font and 1.25'' margins. There is no limit to how long it can be, but keep in mind that it should be focused and organized well. Please select one of the following six topics to write about:

1 . “The Man I Killed” is the only story that focuses primarily on a Vietnamese character. Why does this shift in focus occur in this particular story? Why are Vietnamese characters largely absent from the rest of the text? 2 . Although the work is supposedly about the Vietnam war, the final story focuses not on the war but on an episode from O’Brien’s childhood. Discuss how this story relates to the stories of the war. What is O’Brien’s purpose in ending his collection of stories this way? 3. What do the terms “story-truth” and “happening-truth” mean in the context of the book? How do they differ? 4. Although //The Things They Carried// contains a story called “The Man I Killed,” it is unclear whether O’Brien actually killed anyone in Vietnam. What purpose does this ambiguity serve? 5. How does shame fit into O’Brien’s portrayal of the war experience? 6. Discuss the structure of the work. Do the stories progress in a linear manner? How does the work’s fragmented style contribute to the themes that run through the stories?
 * NOTE:** Since you have a week to write this, I would love nothing more than to look over your rough drafts with you to make sure you are on the right track and help to possibly guide your thinking. My office hours are on the syllabus and if those don't work for you, come to me and we can discuss meeting at another time.

Response by Reid Otto 1. Prompt #2 is what I would choose if I just had to choose one, but there are others that are very intriguing as well. 2. Although I don't always favor a non-linear plot, I have a feeling this book would exhibit an effective way to tie everything together thematically by ending with an older story. 3. Since I have not read the book, I can only speculate. However, I would point out certain characteristics that the protagonist shows in the final account and draw similarities between the two timeframes. Now I feel like reading this book just because of the prompts!