OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXTRA CREDIT

Sunday, March 28, 2010

"The Things They Carried," by Tim O'Brien

Photos taken July 8, 2003 by Melinda Roberts
Vietnam Veterans/POWs/MIAs Memorial
Little Saigon, Westminster, Orange County, California

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
Due Tuesday, March 30, 2010
@ 12:00 midnight EDT

Complete the “Post a Comment” Activity: What do YOU carry?:

Read The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien (pages 1172-1185 of our text).

Write a First Response to The Things They Carried.
Use the following writing prompts:
What was your first impression of First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross? of the other soldiers? of the things they carried? Did any of your impressions change? If so, why? how? Which aspect of the work affected you most? Why? What is the significance of the things they carried?
Or free-write your own response.
Be sure to provide specific textual details and quotes from the story to justify and/or explain your response.  Remember, a first response is not a summary -- use 3-5 quotes from the story and discuss how it affected you.

Guidelines for first response papers are available here:

If you have any questions, send me an e-mail at english102wcc@gmail.com, and allow up to 24 hours for a response (although I will most likely get back to you much sooner than that).

Get a Sense of the Times: College Students Protest the War:
On May 4, 1970, a student demonstration at Kent State, Ohio left four students dead, one paralyzed, and eight others wounded. This demonstration, meant to be one of many peaceful demonstrations against the war, was ended abruptly and violently when the National Guard fired into the crowd for 13 seconds. The brief shootings ended the lives of students Jeffrey Miller, Allison Krause, William Schroeder, and Sandra Scheuer. The distances ranged from 270 feet to 390 feet. Some of these students were not even directly involved. Justified or not by self-defense, the "massacre" sparked a nationwide student strike that closed many colleges and universities.

Extra Credit Opportunity:
Watch one of the following Vietnam-era movies and thereafter submit a 400-500 word brief summary and first response.  The summary/first response should be submitted via e-mail to english101wcc@gmail.com on or before Wednesday, April 7, 2010 @ 12:00 Noon.  The summary will have a value of up to 25 points.


Flight of the Valkyries clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHjWDCX1Bdw

Born on the Fourth of July movie trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8NR6n1nRMI


Good Morning, Vietnam! trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mJoHqmtFcQ

The Killing Fields trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z1sj7gzpCk



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