1. Bell Ringer:
On the copyright page of the novel "The Things They Carried" appears the following: “This is a work of fiction. Except for a few details regarding the author's own life, all the incidents, names, and characters are imaginary.” How does this statement affect your reading of the novel?
2. Lit Circles: "Night Life" & "The Lives of the Dead"
Comprehension Questions
1. How does the opening paragraph frame the story we are about to read? 2. Why is O'Brien unable to joke around with the other soldiers? Why does the old man remind him of Linda?
3. What is the function of the Linda plot in “The Lives of the Dead”? Consider in particular what it teaches him about death, memory, storytelling.
4. What is the “moral” of the dead KIAs? Consider Mitchell Sanders' view. 5. In many ways, this book is as much about stories, or the necessity of stories, as it is about the Vietnam War. According to O’Brien, what do stories accomplish? Why does he continue to tell stories about the Vietnam War, about Linda?
6. Reread the final two pages of this book. Consider what the young Tim O’Brien learns about storytelling from his experience with Linda. How does this knowledge prepare him not only for the war, but also to become a writer? Within the parameters of this story, how would you characterize Tim O’Brien’s understanding of the purpose of fiction? How does fiction relate to life, that is, life in the journalistic or historic sense?
On the copyright page of the novel "The Things They Carried" appears the following: “This is a work of fiction. Except for a few details regarding the author's own life, all the incidents, names, and characters are imaginary.” How does this statement affect your reading of the novel?
2. Lit Circles: "Night Life" & "The Lives of the Dead"
Comprehension Questions
1. How does the opening paragraph frame the story we are about to read? 2. Why is O'Brien unable to joke around with the other soldiers? Why does the old man remind him of Linda?
3. What is the function of the Linda plot in “The Lives of the Dead”? Consider in particular what it teaches him about death, memory, storytelling.
4. What is the “moral” of the dead KIAs? Consider Mitchell Sanders' view. 5. In many ways, this book is as much about stories, or the necessity of stories, as it is about the Vietnam War. According to O’Brien, what do stories accomplish? Why does he continue to tell stories about the Vietnam War, about Linda?
6. Reread the final two pages of this book. Consider what the young Tim O’Brien learns about storytelling from his experience with Linda. How does this knowledge prepare him not only for the war, but also to become a writer? Within the parameters of this story, how would you characterize Tim O’Brien’s understanding of the purpose of fiction? How does fiction relate to life, that is, life in the journalistic or historic sense?