The Things They Carried Discussion Topics
Rocker 1 Sammi Rocker AP Language and Composition Mrs. Haas 24 April 2013 The Things They Carried: 4. 3. 2. 1. Analysis Discussion Ideas: There are many paradoxes of war so we can discuss how O?Brien brings them to light: ?I was a coward. I went to war? (page 61); ?The truths are contradictory. It can be argued, for instance, that war is grotesque. But in truth war is also beauty? (page 80). Repetition in the story represents the narrator?s inability to move on from the trauma of the war. How jokes are important to the mental health of a soldier through its relief of tension, despite their usually twisted natures. A debate on whether the tangible or intangible ?weights? are heavier for the soldiers to bear. Passage Analysis: