The Things They Carried Pre-Reading
The Things They Carried
by Tim O'Brien
Tim O'Brien's novel The Things They Carried is a shocking exploration of the Vietnam war and its effects on soldiers, civilians, and countries. In it, O'Brien recounts stories influences by his own experiences in the war. In order to examine the ideas that are brought up while reading the novel, we must understand the importance of the war itself.
Part I: Geography
Use the interactive map on the right to answer the following questions in your packet. You may need to open up the map in a new tab to zoom in/out.
Map
- On which continent is Vietnam located?
- What are the countries that border Vietnam?
- What are the two major cities in Vietnam?
Video
- Based on the video, what is the Vietnam terrain like?
- How could this terrain be difficult or dangerous for unfamiliar soldiers?
- What other general observations can be made about Vietnam or the Vietnam war based on this scene from Forrest Gump?
Part II: Vietnam Photo Gallery
Click through the image carousel on the left and analyze the images. Answer the corresponding questions.
- What do you think is the average age of a U.S. soldier who fought in the Vietnam war?
- Choose one photo and answer the following:
- What is happening in this photo?
- This photo makes me feel/think…
- I want to know more about…
- Choose one photo and answer the following:
- What is happening in this photo?
- This photo makes me feel/think…
- I want to know more about…
- Choose one photo and answer the following:
- What is happening in this photo?
- This photo makes me feel/think…
- I want to know more about…
Part III: History of the Vietnam War
Watch the video below and answer the following questions. You may need to go back and re-watch parts of the clip.
- What year did war break out?
- During this time, the U.S. was involved in the Cold War with which two major countries?
- Why did the U.S. get involved in Vietnam?
- Describe the Domino Theory.
- What happened to Vietnam after France and Viet Minh signed a treaty?
- What happened in the Gulf of Tonkin?
- How many U.S. troops were in Vietnam by the end of 1968?
- In your own words, what was Guerilla Warfare?
- What happened to Vietnam after the U.S. pulled out its troops?
Part IV: The Things We Carry
Create a folder in your Google Drive titled "TTC Journals." At the end of the novel, you will submit all of your journals to be graded as a quiz.
This journal will reflect on the different things we carry with us on a daily basis...both tangible and intangible things. There are questions below to get you thinking and writing, but let the questions inspire commentary and questioning about the things we carry and the things that weigh most heavily on us.
Consider what you carry with you on a daily basis.
- What is in your backpack or school bag?
- Approximately how much does it all weigh?
- What are the items that you must carry with you at all times?
- Does their weight correlate with their importance?
- What intangible things do you “carry” with you (i.e. parental pressures, responsibility, etc.)?
- What weighs more heavily on you: the tangible or intangible things?