The Things They Carried 11 - Final Discussion 208-the end
"I'm young and happy, I'll never die. I'm skimming across the surface of my own history moving fast...when I take a high leap into the dark and come down thirty years later, I realize it is as Tim trying to save Timmy's life with a story"
The Things They Carried - Final Discussion : Though this is initially a Teacher Led (Ringmaster Teacher) discussion - the second half of the class is given over to the comments, questions, quotes that each student has brought in for the discussion. There is obviously a lot to cover - once more the metaphysical rug is pulled out from under us - we learn about Timmy's "girlfriend" that caused the death of his best friend - and the childhood that he is trying to heal by writing this book - which may not, in the end, be a book solely about Vietnam - as much as it is about every trauma and sadness that we all must bear and must carry around with us.
Lesson Overview
The lesson is divided into 2 parts 1) Ringmaster Teacher (see Lesson Notes) 2) Student comments, questions, quotes (every student brought in a very specific one of these today. For the first part - see my lesson notes - though I give a few of the points below.
Finishing the action in Vietnam
Tim (the character) dealing with Kiawa's death
The introduction of his childhood and Linda
That incredible moment when we realize it is Linda's picture that Tim was showing to Kiawa - that caused the bombardment and Kiowa's death
The ambiguity of the bully - how he redeems himself - perhaps hope for Tim's redemption
"We keep the dead alive with stories"
The Funeral Home
It's all made up - everything Linda, the War Stories, the book
The movie - The Man Who Wasn't There - a perfect metaphor for this book being about a Tim who is NOT Tim O'Brien
It is all about bringing these characters back to life - and giving "Timmy" a chance to live.
As I said, the lesson notes have these (along with page numbers) and many, many more (if you can read my writing)...
My Lesson Notes & a sample reading page
See above for some of this - maybe AI can help you read my writing for the rest.
See above for instructions - the text with my notes served as a guide for the questions, comments and ideas that I ask - though I was always ready for and often elicited the students ideas, questions, etc. Over the years - as I wrote notes in this text - the previous years' notes and questions become incorporated into the lesson. Again - you will find that these instructions are flexible - and I had to be - they kept changing the amount of time that we had in the classroom.
Handouts & Quizzes
Most Recent Handouts & Quizzes
Row Reading Schedule for the rest of the book Docx PDF - This schedule will instruct the students what they will need to have prepared (on a sheet of paper - with the text and the page number) for that day in class. They are to read everything that is assigned and take notes on anything in the reading - but when we have a class discussion, they need to havefour things prepared (see the handout for what 4 things) from this specific section based on where they sit in the classroom. This is in addition to the bookmark that they have which tells them what they will be quizzed on. What they are to bring in (the 4 things) are especially designed to help them make connections in the novel)
Audio Visual Content
The Things They Carried - Audio Book. Here is a link to the Audible version of the novel. This is magnificent recording of the book - narrated by the actor Bryan Cranston. I should have put this in every lesson it is an amazing resource.
Remote Enhancements
This is the Power Point Presentation that I gave for remote learning. Probably the most useful thing is the picture of the Grid that I used with the students to give them their row assignments for the Row Reading Schedule (see above). Note the picture is blurred to protect the privacy of the students.
Links
Class Recordings (for registered members)
Audio
Video
The Things They Carried Day 12 - AP Prose Analysis Essay: This essay prompt was designed for my AP Literature class - but really could be used with any class that is studying rhetoric, writing, and literary analysis. WARNING: The prose sample from the book is very graphic and explicit in its descriptions of the aftermath of the death of "the man that Tim killed".
WHAT CAME BEFORE:
Thoughts on the Lesson
The ending of this book is so simple and yet so profound. Tim the character is writing the book to allow Tim the character to heal - Tim O'Brien writes that - and writes the entire book to help all of us heal from the weight of the things that we carry with us every day.