Homework for tomorrow:  Read 111-130 for tomorrow...Be prepared for a quiz on pages 65-130 tomorrow (15 -20  questions, 30-40 points

Pantyhose by TV Girl - Inspired by the Things They Carried



Chapter 7: “How to Tell a True War Story”

1. Find a few of O’Brien’s elements of a “true war story.” (such as, “A true war story is never moral.”) Why does O’Brien believe these elements are important to a “true” war story?
2. Why is the baby water buffalo scene more disturbing than the death of one of O’Brien’s platoon members, CurtLemon?
3. O’Brien explains that this story was “not a war story. It was a love story.” In what sense is this a “love story”? Why?

Chapter 9: “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”
1. Characterize Mark Fossie and Mary Anne Bell in a six box cartoon or image
2. Describe the changes in Mary Anne Bell from the time she arrived in Vietnam to be with her boyfriend until the end of the chapter. Be specific and record moments from the text (page numbers and descriptions) that demonstrate how she changed.
3. Why do you think she changed? What did the change symbolize? How long did this metamorphosis take?
4. Does it matter that Mary Anne is a woman? How so? What does the story tell us about the nature of the Vietnam War?
5. Does it matter what happened, in the end, to Mary Anne? Would this be a better story if we knew, precisely, what happened to her after she left camp? Or does this vague ending add to the story? Why?
6. “You’re in a place where you don’t belong.” Any parallels to today? How does our lack of understanding of a people and their place destroy us (as it does Fossie)? How does it make monsters of us?