Introduction & chapter 1

• Engels
• Upper Secondary (Key Stage 4)
• GCSE

Lesson objectives 

We will consider some techniques used by the author in chapter 1

We will consider the structure of chapter 1 

We will consider symbolism in chapter 1 

Assigned reading in MB 

Word of the day

Cryptic (adj) - secret, mysterious 

Unscramble the following letters to discover a synonym for cryptic. 

       SAIOMUGUB

 

The cryptic message was read and reread by the detective trying to find the missing child. 

Word of the day

Use cryptic in a sentence that shows your understanding of this word. 

AMBIGUOUS.

U.S. Marine Sharing Cigarettes, 1967 © Philip Jones Griffiths / Magnum Photos

Rate the word 1 to 4

1. I do not know the word, and I have never seen it before. 

2. I've heard or seen the word before, but I'm not sure what it means. 

3. I know the word and can recognise and understand it while reading, but I probably wouldn't feel comfortable using it in writing or speech. 

4. I know the word well and can use it correctly in writing or speech. 

Malefactor 

Word of the day

Malefactor (n) - a criminal; a person who violates the law. 

Can you write down three synonyms for malefactor 

He was a well-known criminal lawyer who had saved many a malefactor from going to jail. 

criminal, scoundrel, knave, cad, reprobate, desperado, scalawag

Word of the day

If you divide the word malefactor into three parts, it can help you to remember this word: 

mal - ("evil"), fac - ("make or do"), + or (suffix showing agency) combining these gives malefactor = someone who does evil 

Malignant

In the following video segment, you will watch author and Vietnam veteran Tim O’Brien read from his novel The Things They Carried. This novel is a work of fiction, and you should listen to it that way–as something that can help you understand what it was like for soldiers in Vietnam, although it may not be literally true.

On your handout is the written version of what you will see and hear in the video. We will watch it twice. 

1. Listen as a reader; take in the content and understanding of the text.

2. Listen as a writer. Consider the rhythmic nature of the writing, and the techniques employed to help you understand the content at a more visceral (emotional) level. 

www.pbslearningmedia.org

Read and listen to the the text on the other side of the handout 

1. Mark with a highlighter (or underline) the items on the list which are actual physical objects that can fit in a backpack.

2. Mark with a different colour highlighter (or circle) the items on the list which are not actual physical items that can be carried, but more abstractions. These items we will consider concepts rather than objects. 

3. What did you notice? 

In your Teams class notebook, answer these questions: 

1. What effect does it have on you as a reader that Tim O’Brien included both physical objects and abstractions in his list of the things the soldiers carried?

2. Why do you think he included both in the list?

3. How would you summarise the list of items the men carried with them in their backpacks?

4. How does O’Brien use repetition and detail as a narrative device? 

5. How does it make you feel as a reader?

1. Make a list of what you are carrying in your backpack. 
   
2. Think about why each item is there. 
   
3. Write a letter to a friend or family member that describes what you are carrying with you. 
   
4. Begin your letter by explaining why you are writing. Then tell your friend or family member about the items, and why you carry them.
   
5. Do some items have a symbolic weight? If so, explain. 

Lesson objectives 

You will give feedback on your homework 

You will look closely at an extract 

You will consider syntax in an extract 

You will write a response in your class notebook 

Assigned reading in MB 

Word of the day

Fac  = is a root from the Latin word facio which means "to do or make"

Our key word to remember this root is factory 

I hear Smithson's are opening a new factory in Shanghai

Rate the word 1 to 4

1. I do not know the word, and I have never seen it before. 

2. I've heard or seen the word before, but I'm not sure what it means. 

3. I know the word and can recognise and understand it while reading, but I probably wouldn't feel comfortable using it in writing or speech. 

4. I know the word well and can use it correctly in writing or speech. 

Facsimile

Word of the day

Facsimile (n) - an exact copy, especially of a document

Fun fact: The word 'fax machine" comes from the phrase "facsimile transmission" which was first used in 1948. Fac = make, simile = similar 

Johnson published a fine facsimile of the volume in 1936

criminal, scoundrel, knave, cad, reprobate, desperado, scalawag

How does this image relate to the reading you have done? Write your answer. 

Silent writing 

Read chapter one and fill out this table for the character given to you. Put your findings in your own class notebook - homework

 

Name of the character
What they carried	What this could mean or symbolise about the character
.

Upload your findings to your class notebook

Name of the character	Lieutenant Jimmy Cross
What they carried	What this could mean or symbolise about the character
Letters from Martha, 2 photos of Martha, responsibility for his men, compass, code book, binoculars, 45. caliber pistol, lucky pebble

Name of the character	Henry Dobbins
What they carried	What this could mean or symbolise about the character
Extra rations (canned peaches, pound cake), M-60, 10 - 15 pounds ammunition, girlfriend's pantyhose, Black Flag insecticide

Name of the character	David Jensen
What they carried	What this could mean or symbolise about the character
toothbrush, dental floss, mini soap bars, 3 pairs of socks, Dr Scholl's foot powder, night sight vitamins, earplugs, rabbit's foot, empty sandbags

Name of the character	Ted Lavender
What they carried	What this could mean or symbolise about the character
tranquillisers, 6 - 7 ounces of premium dope, 34 rounds of ammunition instead of 25.

Name of the character	Mitchell Sanders
What they carried	What this could mean or symbolise about the character
Condoms, brass knuckles, starched tiger fatigues

Name of the character	Norman Bowker
What they carried	What this could mean or symbolise about the character
diary, a thumb

Name of the character	Rat Kiley
What they carried	What this could mean or symbolise about the character
comic books, canvas satchel filled with morphine, plasma, malaria tablets, surgical tape, M&Ms, brandy

Name of the character	Kiowa
What they carried	What this could mean or symbolise about the character
Illustrated New Testament, grandmothers distrust of the white man, grandfather's feathered hunting hatchet, a pair of moccasins

Name of the character	Lee Strunk
What they carried	What this could mean or symbolise about the character
a sling shot and ammunition for the sling shot, starlight scope, tanning lotion

SOP 

Foxhole 

RTO 

Grease gun 

R & R 

PFC

grunt 

VC

US KIA

dustoff 

AO

USO 

Psy Ops 

hump 

1. M3 submachine gun 
   
2. Medical evacuation by helicopter
   
3. Private First Class 
   
4. Standard Operating procedure 
   
5. A soldier serving in Vietnam 
   
6. Radio Telephone Operator 
   
7. Area of operations 
   
8. Psychological Operations 
   
9. US soldier killed in action 
   
10. A field hole dug by a soldier for defence and to sleep in
    
11. Rest and recreation 
    
12. Vietcong (North Vietnamese) 
    
13. United Service Organization (entertainment & support for soldiers) 
14. Marching 

Word of the day

Fiasco (n) - a failure 

From Italian fiasco (a flask or bottle) 

This word is associated with bottles because glassblowers, in learning to blow glass properly, made many mistakes and ended up with badly misshapen bottles. 

 

We hoped the school play would be a great success, but it turned out to be a fiasco.

Word of the day

Write three synonyms for fiasco.

Use one of your synonyms in a sentence that shows you understand the meaning. 

Word of the day

Synonyms Fiasco (n) - a failure 

misadventure, misstep, defeat, blunder, debacle, failure

1. According to O'Brien, true war stories are never about war. How do you see this represented in the first chapter, "The Things They Carried”?

2. In this chapter, the narrator writes that his fellow soldiers “carried the soldier’s greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing”. What does this mean? Is this surprising? Why or why not?

3. Death is a recurring theme in this chapter, explain what you think the author is saying about death in war through chapter 1.

4. How do Kiowa, Norman Bowker, and Mitchell Sanders react to Ted Lavender's death in this chapter. What do these reactions reveal about the men?

5. Why does Lieutenant Cross feel guilty about Ted Lavender’s death?

6. In the list of all the things the soldiers carried, what item was most surprising? Which item did you find most evocative of the war? 

Complete the study questions 

Upload your answers to your Teams class notebook 

Grief, terror, love, longing - these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight. They carried shameful memories. They carried the common secret of cowardice barely restrained, the instinct to run or freeze or hide, and in many respects this was the heaviest burden of all, for it could never be put down, it required perfect balance and perfect posture. They carried their reputations. They carried the soldier's greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died , because they were embarrassed not to. 

pg 19 ("The Things they Carried") 

O'Brien uses .............................................  to represent .......................................... in the first chapter. 

Concrete detail (evidence): Describe an event in one or two sentences and include a short excerpt of text that will support this topic sentence. 

Analysis (explanation): Write one or two sentences discussing the event written above. 

While you write, answer both these questions:

 

1. What is the importance of the object to the event being described? 

2. How does the object symbolise a broader theme or concept in this chapter? 

Include these AWL words: 

concept

significant 

create 

indicate 

significant 

1. Choose and circle one word that you think is key to the importance of this excerpt to the chapter overall 
   
2. Choose and box one phrase that you think is key to the importance of this excerpt to the chapter overall.
   
3. Choose and underline one sentence that you think is key to the importance of this excerpt to the chapter overall. 
   
4. What stands out to you about these choices ? 
   
5. What term is being defined in this extract? 
   
6. Which sentence would you consider to be the thesis? Defend your answer. 
   

Complete: O'Brien uses extended definition as a device in order to .......................

Lesson objectives 

Syntactical techniques in chapter 1 

Write a paragraph on chapter 1 

Read and listen to "Love" 

Answer questions on "Love" 

At various times, in various situations, they carried M-14s and CAR 15s and Swedish Ks and grease guns and captured AK-47s and Chi-Uzis and .38 caliber Smith and Wesson hand guns and 68 LAWs and shotguns and silencers and blackjacks and bayonets and C - 4 plastic explosives 

Syntax analysis. 

Syntax analysis considers word, phrase and clause placement. It does not work in isolation, but must be considered together with other techniques used in the passage. 

What is the name of the syntactical device? 

What words or clauses are being highlighted? 

In your opinion, what is the reason for O'Brien employing this device? 

At various times, in various situations, they carried M-14s and CAR 15s and Swedish Ks and grease guns and captured AK-47s and Chi-Uzis and .38 caliber Smith and Wesson hand guns and 68 LAWs and shotguns and silencers and blackjacks and bayonets and C - 4 plastic explosives 

Polysyndeton: the use of several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted, as in he ran and jumped and laughed for joy.

Asyndeton: the omission of a conjunction between the parts of a sentence. 

O'Brien uses .............................................  to represent .......................................... in the chapter "The Things they Carried". 

Concrete detail (evidence): Describe an event in one or two sentences and include a short excerpt of text that will support this topic sentence. 

Analysis (explanation): Write one or two sentences discussing the event written above. While you write, answer both these questions:

 

1. What is the importance of the object to the event being described? 

2. How does the object symbolise a broader theme or concept in this chapter? 

Include these AWL words: 

concept

significant 

create 

indicate