The Things They Carried – Introductory Assignment
English 11b, Winter 2006
Hoffman
Name:
Hour:
Vocabulary: Find the following words in “Acclaim for The Things They Carried”
Write the sentence underlining the word
Define the word using a dictionary
1. Visceral
2. Evocative
3. Quotidian
4. Suffuses
5. Tenuousness
6. Resonates
7. Poignance
8. Ruminations
9. Mundane
10. Cathartic
1. Quotations – Find three (3) quotations that make this book sound appealing to you.
Write the top three in your opinion.
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2. Name three authors with whom Tim O’Brien has been compared:
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3. List five (5) of the most outstanding adjectives describing this book.
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4. Summarize what, specifically, the book is about (see page 4 for a clear statement,
or write your own!).
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5. Summarize what you’re expecting from this book and topic - what have you heard
others say about it, what do you already know about the subject, what does this
introductory reading make you expect?
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6. How does The Veteran (last page) tell you to read this book? What two abilities of
O’Brien does this article want you to appreciate?
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7. Make a list of all the books O’Brien has written along with the literary honor each
has won.
7. According to the back cover of the book, what kind of writing is included in this book
(what kind of story isn’t it?)?
8. The last quote refers to the “moral confusion that is the legacy of the Vietnam War.”
Take a shot at defining that phrase - In what way did the Vietnam War lead to “moral
confusion”?