Rat Kiley
and
The man Tim 0’Brien killed
By: Connor and Jared
About Rat Kiley
•
•
•
•
Tangible Things
Rat was the medic of the group.
He carried comic books, canvas, morphine
plasma.
He also carried brandy and M&M’s candy
Intangible Things
He carried the responsibility of taking care of
his comrades. He carries grief.
Quotation
• “Well, that’s Nam,” Mitchell Sanders said.
“Garden of Evil. Over here, man, every sin’s real
fresh and original.”
How to Tell a True War Story ~ pg.76
• Rat Kiley decides to shoot a buffalo multiple
times. This shows the depression and anger
releasing from within Kiley. He felt love towards a
fellow comrade, Curt Lemon, and wanted to
receive some common courtesy back.
Quotation
• Thank God for Rat Kiley. Every so often, maybe
four times altogether, he trotted back to check me
out. Which took courage.
The Ghost Soldiers ~ pg. 180
• This quotes shows that Rat Kiley cared for his
friends. Even during the dangers of war, he would
come back to make sure. Completely aware that
he was risking his life for the sake of others.
The Man Tim O’Brien Killed
• The man symbolizes Tim O’Brien. Tim gives this man
characteristics and a life very similar to his own.
Practically put there to make someone else happy.
“He was not a fighter.”
The Man I Killed ~ pg. 119
• Tim made a honest mistake. For when one starts to
give another human qualities, it makes it harder on
yourself when you have to kill that person. You have to
learn to dehumanize in the war.
The Man Tim O’Brien Killed
• “The young man could not make himself fight
them. He often wanted to, but he was afraid, and
that increased his shame.”
The Man I Killed ~ pg.121
• O’Brien doesn’t exactly possess courage so he
gives that trait to the nameless soldier. He knows
that other people want him to fight, but that is
not his cup of tea. The nameless soldier is a bully
to himself.
Lt. Jimmy Cross
Theme: Beauty in war
By: Hason Lee & Cathy Chang
Name, personality and physical
description
Name: Jimmy Cross
Ranking: Lieutenant
Physical description: He’s Caucasian, maybe he’s
around his late 20s.
Tangible and intangible things
Tangible
• Guns
• Letters from Martha
• White pebble (Good luck
charm)
• Majority of military stuff
He carried the letters and a
pebble because it is his
good luck charm and his
“love” for Martha.
Intangible
• “Love”
• Guilt of war
• Guilt of loss soldiers
He “loves” Martha and as guilt
over the war and loss of his
soldiers.
Quotes demonstrating Lt. Cross
The Things They Carried:
“First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross crouched at the
bottom of his foxhole and burned Martha’s
letter.” (pg. 22)
– He shouldn’t have been thinking of Martha during the
fire fights and should've thought of her on his free
times.
In The Field:
“Lieutenant Jimmy Cross began composing a letter
in his head to the kids father ” (pg. 157)
– He wrote a letter because he wanted to take
responsibility for Kiowa’s death.
Theme: Beauty in war
The theme, beauty in war was able to get the
troops together during the war. Therefore,
that’s how they cooperate which each other
and became friends. He wants us to
understand that beauty in war is a true war
story that is truthful but yet the truth is ugly.
3 Quotations for beauty in war
“A true war story is never moral. “ (pg, 65) “How
to Tell a True War Story”
“On occasions the war was like a Ping-Pong ball.
You could put fancy spin on it, you could
make it dance.” (pg, 31) “Spin”
“ To generalize bout the war is like generalizing
about peace.” (pg, 77) “How to Tell a True
War Story”
Norman Bowker and
Kathleen
Norman Bowker
● Like many other men in the military, he was a PFC for spec 4.
● This position meant he carried: the standard M-16 gas-operated
assault rifle with ammunition.
Tangible Objects
● Diary
● Lucky thumb
The diary he carried showed how he coped with the war by writing
out his feelings.
The lucky thumb he carries, is an example of the desperate measures
he will take for what he believes will give him good fortune.
Intangible
● Norman carried the knowledge that his father wanted him to win a
medal.
● He carried the knowledge that he could die at any minute.
He is aware that he could die at any minute. He wasn’t going to let
that knowledge affect his choices.
Quotes
“Ill tell you something O’Brien. If I could have one wish, anything, I’d wish for my
dad to write me a letter and say it’s okay if i don’t win any medals…”(pg.34 spin)
This quote shows that Bowker wants to impress his dad but he has really high
expectations of him. It makes him seem stressed with all of the pressure put on
him.
“ Yes, but i didn’tget it. Almost,, but not quite.” (pg. 135, speaking of courage)
This quote shows that he is not good at letting things go. He keeps bringing up the
silver star becsuse he feels guilty about the death Kiowa. It is easier to talk about
the award then to talk about how his friend dies when he could have saved him.
Theme: Kathleen
The theme of innocence is expressed by Tim O'brien's daughter,
Kathleen. Through this entire story, O’brien expresses
innocence and the corruption of that innocence. By using his
daughter as the theme, he tries to make the audience
understand the connection between an innocent being and a
one tarnished. KAthleen is also from ‘the outside’. she doesn't
understand the war and what her father experienced.
Quotes- Kathleen
● “When she was nine, my daughter Kathleen asked if I had
ever killed anyone.. It was a difficult moment, but I did what
seemed right, which was to say, “Of course not…” (Pg 125,
Ambush)
● “My daughter Kathkeen tells e it’s an obsession, that I should
write about a little girl who finds a million dollars and spends
it all on a Shetland pony.”(pg 33, Spin)
Qoutes- Kathleen
● “One morning in Saigon she’d ask what it was all about. “This
whole war,” she said, “why was everybody so mad at everybody
else?” (pg 175, Field Trip)
Norman Bowker and
Kathleen
Norman Bowker
● Like many other men in the military, he was a PFC for spec 4.
● This position meant he carried: the standard M-16 gas-operated
assault rifle with ammunition.
Tangible Objects
● Diary
● Lucky thumb
The diary he carried showed how he coped with the war by writing
out his feelings.
The lucky thumb he carries, is an example of the desperate measures
he will take for what he believes will give him good fortune.
Intangible
● Norman carried the knowledge that his father wanted him to win a
medal.
● He carried the knowledge that he could die at any minute.
He is aware that he could die at any minute. He wasn’t going to let
that knowledge affect his choices.
Quotes
“Ill tell you something O’Brien. If I could have one wish, anything, I’d wish for my
dad to write me a letter and say it’s okay if i don’t win any medals…”(pg.34 spin)
This quote shows that Bowker wants to impress his dad but he has really high
expectations of him. It makes him seem stressed with all of the pressure put on
him.
“ Yes, but i didn’tget it. Almost,, but not quite.” (pg. 135, speaking of courage)
This quote shows that he is not good at letting things go. He keeps bringing up the
silver star becsuse he feels guilty about the death Kiowa. It is easier to talk about
the award then to talk about how his friend dies when he could have saved him.
Theme: Kathleen
The theme of innocence is expressed by Tim O'brien's daughter,
Kathleen. Through this entire story, O’brien expresses
innocence and the corruption of that innocence. By using his
daughter as the theme, he tries to make the audience
understand the connection between an innocent being and a
one tarnished. KAthleen is also from ‘the outside’. she doesn't
understand the war and what her father experienced.
Quotes- Kathleen
● “When she was nine, my daughter Kathleen asked if I had
ever killed anyone.. It was a difficult moment, but I did what
seemed right, which was to say, “Of course not…” (Pg 125,
Ambush)
● “My daughter Kathkeen tells e it’s an obsession, that I should
write about a little girl who finds a million dollars and spends
it all on a Shetland pony.”(pg 33, Spin)
Qoutes- Kathleen
● “One morning in Saigon she’d ask what it was all about. “This
whole war,” she said, “why was everybody so mad at everybody
else?” (pg 175, Field Trip)
Norman Bowker and
Kathleen
Norman Bowker
● Like many other men in the military, he was a PFC for spec 4.
● This position meant he carried: the standard M-16 gas-operated
assault rifle with ammunition.
Tangible Objects
● Diary
● Lucky thumb
The diary he carried showed how he coped with the war by writing
out his feelings.
The lucky thumb he carries, is an example of the desperate measures
he will take for what he believes will give him good fortune.
Intangible
● Norman carried the knowledge that his father wanted him to win a
medal.
● He carried the knowledge that he could die at any minute.
He is aware that he could die at any minute. He wasn’t going to let
that knowledge affect his choices.
Quotes
“Ill tell you something O’Brien. If I could have one wish, anything, I’d wish for my
dad to write me a letter and say it’s okay if i don’t win any medals…”(pg.34 spin)
This quote shows that Bowker wants to impress his dad but he has really high
expectations of him. It makes him seem stressed with all of the pressure put on
him.
“ Yes, but i didn’tget it. Almost,, but not quite.” (pg. 135, speaking of courage)
This quote shows that he is not good at letting things go. He keeps bringing up the
silver star becsuse he feels guilty about the death Kiowa. It is easier to talk about
the award then to talk about how his friend dies when he could have saved him.
Symbol: Kathleen
The theme of innocence is expressed by Tim O'brien's daughter,
Kathleen. Through this entire story, O’brien expresses
innocence and the corruption of that innocence. By using his
daughter as the theme, he tries to make the audience
understand the connection between an innocent being and a
one tarnished. KAthleen is also from ‘the outside’. she doesn't
understand the war and what her father experienced.
Quotes- Kathleen
● “When she was nine, my daughter Kathleen asked if I had
ever killed anyone.. It was a difficult moment, but I did what
seemed right, which was to say, “Of course not…” (Pg 125,
Ambush)
● “My daughter Kathkeen tells e it’s an obsession, that I should
write about a little girl who finds a million dollars and spends
it all on a Shetland pony.”(pg 33, Spin)
Qoutes- Kathleen
● “One morning in Saigon she’d ask what it was all about. “This
whole war,” she said, “why was everybody so mad at everybody
else?” (pg 175, Field Trip)
The Things They
Carried – Mitchell
Sanders
By: Austin H.
Tyler B.
Mitchell Sanders
• He is the RTO of the Alpha Company
The Things He Carried
Tangible
• Condoms
• PRC-25 Radio
• Brass Knuckles
Intangible
Quotes
• “Rat would go on like that until Mitchell Sanders couldn’t
tolerate it any longer. It offended his inner ear. ‘The story,’
Sanders would say. ‘The whole tone, man, you’re wrecking it.’”
Page 102 “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”
Mitchell Sanders likes a good story, he is criticizing the way Rat
is telling his story and how he keeps disgressing
The Man Tim O’ Brien Killed
• He thinks about how his life was before the war, his school life,
his friends, and his family. He starts to humanize his enemies
and think about their lives before the war. He wants them to
understand that people in the war are people, they had lives
going to school, working, hanging out with friends, and had
families.
Quotes
• “He was not a Communist. He was a citizen and a soldier.”
Page 119 “The Man I Killed”
• “He was not a fighter. His health was poor, his body small and
frail. He liked books. He wanted someday to be a teacher of
mathematics.”
Page 119 “The Man I Killed”
• Tim O’Brien was just another soldier in Alpha company United States Army 1968-1970 -Sergent -Unit: 46th infantry
Regiment 198th Infantry Bridge
• Tim O’brien wants the audience to understand that without
courage what would you do? where would you be? we are
motivated by shame and not by courage. It is a skill that must
be learned like everything else.
• “Right then, with the shore so close, I understood that I would
not do what I should do. I would not swim away from my
hometown and my country and my life. I would not be brave.
That old image of myself as a hero, as a man of conscience
and courage, all that was just a threadbare pipe dream.” (Page
57) ● “My conscience told me to run, but some irrational and
powerful force was resisting, like a weight pushing me toward
the war. What it came down to, stupidly, was a sense of
shame." Chapter 4, pg. 52
Curt Lemon
Solider
Physical description
•
•
•
•
Young
Sharp gray eyes
Lean
Handsome
Tangible
• Smoke grenades: Rat
Kiley and Curt Lemon
used the grenades to
play catch with.
• Dog tags: he was a
solider
Intangible
• Fear (of the dentist): His
• Youth: He was mentally
and physically young
Quotes
• How to Tell a True War Story (page 65): “A tremendous human being,
Rat says. Pretty nutso sometimes, but you could trust him with your
life.” This quote from Rat Kiley shows that even though Curt Lemon was
youthful and occasionally immature, he was still a trustworthy solider.
• The Dentist (page 82): “He had an opinion of himself, I think, that was
too high for his own good. Or maybe it was the reverse. Maybe it was a
low opinion that he kept trying to erase.” This quote from Tim O’Brien
demonstrates that Curt Lemon, in doing all of the risky things he did,
was trying to prove himself to himself
Coping mechanisms
• Coping mechanisms are important because they show the
reader how the soldiers dealt with grief and loss during and
after war. They also show the different ways people deal with
tragic moments in their lives.
Quotes that demonstrate the
theme
• Notes (page 152): “I did not look on my work as therapy, and
still don’t. yet when I received Norman Bowker’s letter, it
occurred to me that the act of writing had led me through a
swirl of memories that might otherwise have ended in
paralysis or worse.”
• The Things They Carried (page 19): “They used a hard
vocabulary to contain the terrible softness.”
Quotes (continued)
• How to Tell a True War Story (page 75): “ Rat Kiley lost his best
friend in the world. Later in the week he would write a long
personal letter to the guy’s sister, who would not write back,
but for now it was a question of pain.”