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In the novel The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien takes us on a journey back to a time and place with which many of us are not familiar. He presents us a story of loyalty and pride, of fear and courage, and of imagination and compassion that transcends time. In an essay of four full pages, respond to one of the following prompts.

1. In The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien describes the location of this novel in rich detail. We feel that we can visualize the jungle, the villages, and the battlefields in which the characters struggle. We call this a "sense of place." Choose one location. Describe the location in detail. Discuss how O'Brien uses language to achieve a realistic "sense of place." Explain how this vivid setting is important to the story.
2. In The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien uses his characters to illustrate how soldiers cope with stress. Choose two major characters, compare and contrast them, then describe how the things they carry with them help them cope with the war. Finally, explain how these characters illustrate one main theme of the novel.
3. In The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien uses ordinary soldiers to illustrate the hardships, the personal toll, and the constant fear that the men endured in the Vietnam War. Use one of the blogs from your Blog Assignment and compare and contrast the experiences of one or more of O'Brien's characters with a real soldier fighting now in the Iraq War. Blog Urls
4. People are usually profoundly changed by their experiences in war. Choose at least three characters from the stories and analyze how these characters were changed by their experiences. What conclusions can you draw from these examples about the effects of war on the human spirit?
5. What is the role of women and girls in the book? Analyze the various female characters in the novel and explain what each may represent.
6. Choose one character from The Things They Carried; following this character through the whole text, describe the character writing a profile based on the information O'Brien gives you; discuss the character's purpose in this story; include the reason why you singled out this character.

No matter which question you choose to answer, I would rather you cover one or two ideas in depth than skim over many different ideas. I will be grading on the quality of your answers. Do Not simply retell the story, but discuss the ideas presented in the book.

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1. A clear thesis statement and introduction which sets out for your reader the point you wish to make about the stories. Please do not repeat verbatim the essay prompt.
2. A very brief synopsis of the stories you are discussing. This means writing a sentence or two about each story (no more than one paragraph in total).
3. An analysis supported by examples from the text, properly quoted (or paraphrased) and cited.
4. You are not required to use sources other than O'Brien's book to support your views; if you do use any outside sources, make sure you properly quote or paraphrase and cite. The use of outside sources for this essay is strongly discouraged!
5. Length: Four full pages.
6. All drafts must be typed 12 font, double-spaced, 1" margins.
7. Must have a title other than the book title.
8. Use MLA format for citing. You are required to use a separate sheet of paper for Works Cited (not included in page count).
9. At least one visit to LRC is REQUIRED BEFORE OCOBER 20.
10. Remember to save all drafts!!

Bring four copies to workshop with your group. Turn in one to me at the end of class.

Bring four copies to workshop with your group. Turn in one to me at the end of class.

Submit clean, revised copy in a two-pocket folder, right-side pocket.

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