Tim O'Brien interview Public television

Bring your Platoon permission slips tomorrow

On The Rainy River, The Things They Carried

Movie permission slip (Platoon)

Final Exam Prep Sheet

"On the Rainy River" discussion

Chapter 4: “On the Rainy River”

1. How did Tim feel about the Vietnam War while he was at college? Do his actions and language support the idea that he “hated” the Vietnam war?

2. What were Tim’s options once he received his draft notice? Who did he hold responsible for his situation? Who did he think should go to war instead of him? Does any of his reasoning make sense to you, or is it merely self-pitying ranting? 

3. What does Tim say is Elroy Berdhal’s role in his life? What sort of person was Elroy? What details does O'Brien use to convey Elroy's character? Use a double-entry journal to record the details (left-hand side) and the character-traits suggested by those details (right hand side)?

4. At the story’s close, O’Brien almost jumps ship to Canada, but doesn’t: “I did try. It just wasn’t possible.” What has O’Brien learned about himself, and how does he return home as a changed person?

5. In this chapter, we learn the 21-year-old O'Brien's theory of courage: “Courage, I seemed to think, comes to us in finite quantities, like an inheritance, and by being frugal and stashing it away and letting it earn interest, we steadily increase our moral capital in preparation for that day when the account must be drawn down. It was a comforting theory.” What might the 43-year-old O'Brien's theory of courage be? 

Things They Carried: Speaking of Courage and Notes

Speaking of Courage and Notes

1. One definition of rhetoric is “the study of how spoken or written language works.  In short fiction, rhetorical analysis is the analysis of the choices an author makes in telling a story.”   

Rhetorical Awareness in Notes

In pages 149-152 of “Notes”, O’Brien talks about the decisions that he made while writing various versions of the chapter “Speaking About Courage”.  Identify three or four decisions that he made concerning setting, tone, emotional core, dramatic frame, characters, unity, etc.  Which ones apparently worked and therefore are present in this, the most recent version of the story?  Which earlier choices did not work?

O’Brien’s comment on his story telling choice (page #)	Was this a successful or unsuccessful choice? Why? What does O’Brien say about it?
“The emotional core of the story came directly form Bosker’s letter; the simple need to talk” (152)

1. What problems does Norman confront when he returns home? What seems to prevent him from dealing with them successfully?

 2. Why is this story called “Speaking of Courage”? Assume the title does NOT hold any irony. In what sense does this story speak of courage?

3. Why is Norman unable to relate to anyone at home? More importantly, why doesn’t he even try?

HW: Read "On the Rainy River" (37-58)

Things They Carried Chapter 12-14

"The Man I Killed"
“Style” and
“Ambush” Due

Wesley

May 22, 2017

The Things They Carried

With a partner, please discuss each question (you might have discussed chapter 12 already). Each person should take notes (bullet points and page #’s).  After about 15 mins of small group discussion, we will talk for awhile as a class.  HW: “Speaking of Courage”

Chapter 12: “The Man I Killed”

1. How did the narrator react to the fact that he killed another human being? What evidence in the story leads you to this conclusion?

2. This story describes fairly intimate aspects of the dead man’s life. Where do these details come from? How can Tim O’Brien know them? What is going on here?

Chapter 13: “Ambush”

1. Tim O’Brien’s daughter, Kathleen, asks if he ever killed a man: “ ‘You keep writing these war stories,’ she said, ‘so I guess you must’ve killed somebody.’ “ Following this, O’Brien relates two possible scenarios of the death described in “The Man I Killed” to explain “This is why I keep writing war stories.” In your opinion, why does O’Brien keep writing war stories?

2. Where does truth reside in this book? What is the connection between O’Brien’s actual experiences and the events in this book? Why is O’Brien using lies to get at “the truth”?

Chapter 14: “Style”

1. What symbolism lies in the woman’s dance?

2. What does Dobbins means when he says “Dance right!”?

HW: “Speaking of Courage” Due

The Things They Carried

Chapter 10-12 Discussion

Wesley

May 19, 2017

Chapter 10: “Stockings”

1. Why did Henry Dobbins continue to carry his girlfriend’s stocking even after she broke up with him?

2. Consider the comparison O’Brien makes between Dobbins and America. Does O’Brien like America? Does he respect it?

Chapter 11: “Church” 

1. What was Kiowa’s reaction to setting up camp in a pagoda? Why? How does this differ with Dobbin’s conception of faith/religion/spirituality?

2. What is the meaning of the washing motion of the younger monk? Is it the same when Dobbins does it?

3. The image of the monk cleaning an M-60 is incongruous and jarring. What purpose does it serve in the story?

Chapter 12: “The Man I Killed”

1. How did the narrator react to the fact that he killed another human being? What evidence in the story leads you to this conclusion?

2. This story describes fairly intimate aspects of the dead man’s life. Where do these details come from? How can Tim O’Brien know them? What is going on here?

Homework: “Style” and “Ambush” Due for Monday, May 22, 2017

Chapter 9: “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”

Exam Essay Practice (30 minutes): In responding, incorporate quotes from "True War Story" and "Sweetheart". This is practice...don't try to be perfect with your organization, but strive for meaningful and interesting interpretation and insights.   Based on direct quotes (provide quote and page #) from O'Brien in "How To Tell A True War Story", what in your opinion makes "Sweetheart" a true war story? What do you think is "true" about it? What "truths", if any, about war, human nature, existence, etc does it suggest to you? 

Homework: 

“Stockings”

“Church” and

“The Man I Killed” Due

1. Characterize Rat Kiley. After reading the entirety of the story, why does this story seem particularly “true” to Rat? What meaning might he derive from it?

2. Characterize Mark Fossie and Mary Anne Bell.

3. 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.

4. Why do you think she changed? What did the change symbolize? How long did this metamorphosis take?

5. Look up the definition of the word metamorphosis. In what ways (note that this a plural noun) does this word apply to the transformation of Mary Anne?

6. Does it matter that Mary Anne is a woman? How so? What does the story tell us about the nature of the Vietnam War?

7. 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?

8. “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?

Silent Reading: Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong (85-110)

What makes this a "true war story"?

What do you think is "true" about it? What "truths", if any, about war, human nature, existence, etc does it suggest to you? 

The Things They Carry - How To Tell a True War Story

25 minute discussion prep

Do the following in a double-entry journal format:

1.) Find a passage where O'Brien says something about memory, truth, or writing. What were his truths   Which ones resonated with you and why? Did you disagree with any of them? Why?

2.) Find another passage (or two) related to the following:What, specifically, does he say about war stories? 

What evidence does he provide in this chapter to support what he says about "true war stories"?

3.) A third passage: Which parts of the chapter were most powerful for you? Choose one. Explain Why?

4.) Which parts might be underrated, might fly under the radar? Find one passage and explain why it caught your attention.

Friday's HW:  Small change to schedule: Read "Love" (26-29) and "Spin" (30-37)

What passages caught your attention and why?

Do a double-entry journal  with  two key passages on the left, and your reactions on the right.  What connections, thoughts, emotions does it evoke for you and explain why? 

Choose one passage that you feel provides a good example of O'Brien's writing style.

What are some rhetorical strategies he employs, what are some characteristics of his style?

First consider big picture items:  What is O'Brien's purpose(s) in the passage?  What does he want the reader to think, feel, question, etc.?

What are his broad rhetorical strategies? What words would you use to describe his style, his tone?

How does he use overall paragraph organization and syntax and to what ends? What effects does his organization and syntax create in the reader's head?

What other ground level rhetorical characteristics did you notice and how would you describe his use of them and the effects they created? (Consider elements such as diction, syntax, selection of details, imagery, figurative language, etc.).  Describe them; don't just say "he uses a lot of imagery." What kind of imagery? Use adjectives!

In-class activity

For "Love" or "Spin": 
Find a passage /paragraph that grabbed you;

What is your take-way? In other words, what stuck? Why did it grab you?

What details, in particular, made it came alive?

Homework: Read "How to Tell A True War Story"(64-81)

• Orange Crush was an orange flavored soft drink. In this case, though, it was meant to refer to Agent Orange, a chemical used by the US to defoliate the Vietnamese jungle during the Vietnam War. US military personnel exposed to it developed cancer years later and some of their children had birth defects. The extreme lyrical dissonance in the song meant that most people completely misinterpreted the song, including Top Of The Pops host Simon Parkin, who remarked on camera after R.E.M. performed the song on the British TV show, "Mmm, great on a summer's day. That's Orange Crush."
• The song does not refer to any single Vietnam-related experience for lead singer Michael Stipe, but simply that he lived in that era of American history. He wrote in Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982-2011: "[The song is] a composite and fictional narrative in the first person, drawn from different stories I heard growing up around Army bases. This song is about the Vietnam War and the impact on soldiers returning to a country that wrongly blamed them for the war."
  
  Stipe's father served in Vietnam in the helicopter corps.

What passages caught your attention and why?

Do a double-entry journal  with  two key passages on the left, and your reactions on the right.  What connections, thoughts, emotions does it evoke for you and explain why? 

Choose one passage that you feel provides a good example of O'Brien's writing style.

What are some rhetorical strategies he employs, what are some characteristics of his style?

First consider big picture items:  What is O'Brien's purpose(s) in the passage?  What does he want the reader to think, feel, question, etc.?

What are his broad rhetorical strategies? What words would you use to describe his style, his tone?

How does he use overall paragraph organization and syntax and to what ends? What effects does his organization and syntax create in the reader's head?

What other ground level rhetorical characteristics did you notice and how would you describe his use of them and the effects they created? (Consider elements such as diction, syntax, selection of details, imagery, figurative language, etc.).  Describe them; don't just say "he uses a lot of imagery." What kind of imagery? Use adjectives!


HW:  Small change to schedule: Read "Love" (26-29) and "Spin" (30-37)

For discussion…

1.    On page 5, O’Brien writes, “Depending on numerous factors, such as topography and psychology, the riflemen carries anywhere from 12 to 20 magazines, usually in old cloth bandoliers, adding on another 8.4 pounds at a minimum, 14 pounds maximum.”

a.     Factual/literal question:  What is the definition of “topography”?

b.    Inferential question:  Why would “topography and psychology” affect their decision on how much ammunition to carry?

2.    Inferential Question:  O’Brien gives us repeated peaks into Jimmy Cross’s mind, especially as it is preoccupied with Martha.  On page 1, O’Brien writes, “More than anything, he wanted Martha to love him as he loved her,” and it seems clear that she does not love him.  Why do you think that Jimmy Cross loves Martha so much?  Why do you think that Martha apparently does not feel the same way about him?

3.    Inferential Question:  Why did Lieutenant Jimmy Cross feel guilty about Ted Lavender’s Death?(page 6)

4.    Inferential Question: What does O’Brien mean when he says “They used a hard vocabulary to contain the terrible softness” (20)?  What is a hard vocabulary? A terrible softness?

5.    Inferential Question:  What does O’Brien mean when he writes “They were too frightened to be cowards” (top of 22)? 

Menagerie: For tomorrow, choose two pieces (one written and one visual) that you would recommend to others to check out. Without saying too much (no spoilers), prepare a brief comment or two about what you found appealing or interesting about the work? 

Going beyond  the obvious "slavery was bad", what is your take-away from "Beloved"? What did the book reveal or make you question about issues such as slavery, race, human nature, memory, the legacy of personal and societal histories, writing styles, etc?  

What do you know about Vietnam?

Optional Beloved Quiz Make-up Assignment

If you do not feel your Beloved quiz scores accurately reflect your true reading effort and comprehension of Beloved, you may request an opportunity to write a make-up essay at 6:45 am on Monday, May 15.However, before I grant your request, I will review your book for evidence of careful annotations throughout, talk with you, and use professional judgement to determine how rigorous your reading effort was, and whether you are eligible or not for this assignment. This assignment is not meant as a reward or second chance for those who did not read or simply did not read carefully.

On the day of the essay, you may use your book, but no other outlines, and I will grade it holistically but rigorously; in other words, you will have to really earn the grade.

Also note, that the percentages associated with the AP scores of 1-9 are slightly lower than normal (see the back of this page), because, while I want this assignment to help those who truly read well but struggle with MC-style testing, I do not want this assignment to become a too attractive second-chance option to students, and therefore become an unintentional disincentive to read.

Please keep in mind, that regardless of whether you do better or worse, this grade will replace your quiz grades on Beloved (I will apply the percentage earned on the essay to each of the three quizzes on Beloved), so your grade could go up or down.

It will be handwritten, but must be legible.  It will be worth a potential 105 points, the same as our total point value for the quizzes.

Day of the essay: On Monday, May 15, you will report to NC210 by 6:40, and write from 6:45 to 7:30.

Instructions: Respond to one of the following in a thoughtful and well written essay.

1. Choose a character from Beloved who is pulled in conflicting directions. Identify the forces of conflict and explain how this illustrates the meaning of the novel as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

2. The setting of a literary text often has special significance for the development of characters, plot, and/or theme. Write an essay in which you analyze the significance of the setting (Sweet Home, 124, Cincinnati, the North/South, the river, etc.) of Beloved and its effect on the meaning of the novel as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

3. No act of violence exists without a specific purpose or intention. Choose one such scene from Beloved, and write a well-organized essay in which you identify the violence and analyze its significance to the meaning of the novel as a whole. Avoid plot summary.

4. The quest for power is a strong human drive. Choose a character from Beloved who either seeks to gain power over another or seeks to free himself or herself from the power of another. Write an essay in which you illustrate how this power struggle is essential to the meaning of the novel. Avoid mere plot summary.

5. Select a character from Beloved who serves as the instrument for the suffering of others and analyze how this action contributes to the meaning of the novel as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

6. Choose a character from Beloved who has to deal with guilt. Identify the situation and analyze how effectively the character deals with his or her struggle. Relate this situation to the meaning of the novel as a whole, avoiding mere plot summary.

7. Select a character from Beloved who demonstrates irrational behavior. In a well-organized essay, analyze how this behavior can be considered reasonable and relate the behavior to the text as a whole.

AP Scoring Guide

9 Essays earning a score of 9 meet all the criteria for papers that earned 8 points and, in addition, are particularly persuasive or carefully reasoned or demonstrate impressive stylistic control.  (93%)

8 Essays that earned a score of 8 persuasively respond to the prompt. They present cohesive and carefully reasoned arguments using appropriate evidence to develop their positions. Their prose demonstrates their ability to control a wide range of the elements of effective writing, but they are not flawless. (86%)

7 Essays earning a score of 7 fit the descriptions of essays that received 6 points but are distinguished by fuller or more purposeful argument or stronger prose style. (83%)

6 Essays earning a score of 6 adequately respond to the prompt by presenting interpretations that are generally sound and that use appropriate evidence. A few lapses in diction or syntax may be present, but for the most part the prose of these essays conveys the writers’ ideas clearly. (78%)

5 Essays earning a score of 5 understand the task, and their interpretations and arguments are generally clear, although they may use superficial or limited evidence or exhibit uneven development. A few lapses in diction or syntax may be evident, but for the most part the prose of these essays conveys the writers’ ideas clearly. (73%)

4 These essays inadequately respond to the prompt. They may misunderstand, misrepresent, or oversimplify Morrison’s views, or use evidence inappropriate or insufficient to make their own case. The prose of these essays usually conveys the writers’ ideas, but may suggest inconsistent control over such elements of writing as organization, diction, and syntax. (68%)

3 Essays that received 3 points are described by the criteria for the score of 4 (see above), but are less persuasive in their attempts to state and defend an interpretation, or are less consistent in their ability to control the elements of writing. (60%)

2 Essays earning a score of 2 demonstrate little or no success in responding to the prompt. They may have seriously misread Beloved or substitute a simpler task, such as summarizing the novel or writing responses only tangentially related to the prompt. The prose of these essays may reveal consistent weaknesses in control of elements of writing, such as organization, grammar, or diction. (50%)

HW: Read and annotate chapter of The Things They Carried

AP argument prep

A-Mad - Vaughan Gym
Mar-Z - Upper South Gym

HW for Thursday: Bring "The Things They Carried"

Epithet

An epithet is a byname, or a descriptive term (word or phrase), accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It can be described as a glorified nickname. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature.

 -“the man of twists and turns” (I.1) -“Great Odysseus” (I.228) -“King Odysseus” (I.456) -“godlike man” (II.261) -“Odysseus of Ithaca” (II.277) -“Worldly Odysseus” (V.237) -“Long-enduring...

Work through Natural Springs resort town AP passage...

HW: Finish Beloved (chapters 27-28); Quiz tomorrow on 26-28

23. (6 points) In Chapters 22 and 23 Morrison employs a stream-of-consciousness style and images which might be interpreted in a variety of ways.  Explore at least two examples of potentially ambiguous imagery in the chapter, and write a thoughtful, well-developed paragraph which examines and attempts to support possible interpretations of the complex imagery.  Write this at the bottom of your grade-cam sheet.

HW: Read ch 26 (281-309) and read and work through the AP Language and Composition questions.  Bring your Cliff's AP Language and Composition book on Monday.  No Quiz Monday.

Monday night: Finish reading Beloved (310-321)
Quiz for chapters 26-28 moved to Tuesday.   

(281-234) for Monday

Beloved Chapters 22-25

5/3

Late Start Day

Chapter 20-22 due

(236-252)

In-class reading 23-24 (253-270)

HW: Read ch 25 (271-277)

Discuss 23-25

Ch 19-25 quiz (44 points)

AP English Literature and Composition         

AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based

Creep by Radiohead 

Write an essay in which you discuss what Radiohead’s primary purpose in this song might be, and how they use verbal and musical elements/strategies to achieve those purposes?

When you were here before
Couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel
Your skin makes me cry

You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so fuckin' special

But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here.

I don't care if it hurts
I wanna have control
I wanna a perfect body
I wanna a perfect soul

I want you to notice
When I'm not around
You're so fuckin' special
I wish I was special

But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here.

She's running out again,
She's running out
She's run run run run

Whatever makes you happy
Whatever you want
You're so fuckin' special
I wish I was special

But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here
I don't belong here

HW: 

Choose one of the following and write either a six to ten line poem or a haiku which conveys the term or the tone words

Poem - Title it "Parallelism" 

How would you express parallelism as a poem?

Poem - Title it "Antithesis"

How would you express antithesis as a poem?

Poem - Title it "Sardonic" or "Lugubrious" or "Didactic"

How would you express antithesis as a poem?

Read Chapter 
Chapter 20-22 due

(236-252)

5/2 Chapter 19 (222-235) due In-class reading ch 20-22 (236-252) AP argument prompts AP Computer Science A AP Spanish Language and Culture       AP Art History AP Physics 1: Algebra-based

5/3 Late Start Day Chapter 20-22 due (236-252) In-class reading 23-24 (253-270) HW: Read ch 25 (271-277) AP English Literature and Composition          AP Japanese Language and Culture AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based

AP Prep - Tone and Style 

4AP Summer Reading

HW: Read 2^nd half of ch 19 (222-235)

Also, tomorrow, spend time with 2011 essay prompts - synthesis, rhet analysis and argument, but especially rhet analysis

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
5/1 Chapter 18 &  part of 19 discussion (187-222) AP Prep Lincoln Rhet Analysis student example Tone and Style HW: Read 2nd half of ch 19 (222-235) AP Chem AP Env Science AP Psych	5/2 Chapter 19 (222-235) due In-class reading ch 20-22 (236-252) AP argument prompts AP Computer Science A AP Spanish Language and Culture            AP Art History AP Physics 1: Algebra-based	5/3 Late Start Day Chapter 20-22 due (236-252) In-class reading 23-24 (253-270) HW: Read ch 25 (271-277) AP English Literature and Composition          AP Japanese Language and Culture AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based	5/4 Sophomore Choral Assemblies (SC) Discuss 23-25 Ch 19-25 quiz (44 points) HW: Read ch 26-28 (281-234) for Monday AP United States Government and Politics AP Chinese Language and Culture AP Seminar	5/5 Sophomore Choral Assemblies (SC) HW: Read ch 26-28 (281-234) for Monday AP German Language and Culture AP United States History AP Computer Science Principles
5/8 Quiz on ch 26-28 (281-234) (30-40 points) Discuss Beloved AP Biology AP Music Theory   AP Physics C: Mechanics (2 p.m.) Special Exam time. AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism	5/9 AP Test Practice AP Calculus AB AP Calculus BC     AP French Language and Culture AP Spanish Literature and Culture	5/10 AP Language and Comp Test	5/11 The Things They Carried Read chapter 1, The Things They Carried (pp.1-26) for tomorrow         5/10 AP Comparative Government and Politics AP World History  AP Statistics	5/12 The Things They Carried Discuss chapter 1 HW: Read chapters 2-3 (Love, Spin) for 5/15 discussion AP Human Geography AP Microeconomics AP European History AP Latin

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