Monday, September 22nd:
1st Period:
Vocabulary:
Speculates: to guess, to postulate, to create a theory without complete evidence.
Vouch: to attest to, to say with certainty that something is true, to stand up for, to act as a character witness for.
Fluke: coincidence, a stroke of luck.
A grain of salt: to accept a story but with a touch of skepticism
Endorphins: “feel good” hormones, which are released by the body when one exercises, etc.
Question:
Do you believe the story of Mary Ann Bell in "The Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong? Why or why not?
According to Tim O’Brien, is the story true? Does it matter?
Show the NPR story of Dang Thuy Tram, a real Vietnamese doctor-hero, who was killed in a firefight by Americans.
Are men and women the same or different when it comes to war?
Discussion
A True War Heroine: Dang Thuy Tram
2nd Period:
Continued instruction on the essay:
The Conclusion
The essay will be due on Wednesday, September 24th.
Read THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
"Ambush"; page 131
Journal
Discussion
Tuesday, September 23rd:
Regular Day
Vocabulary Workshop, Unit 3 is due today
1st Period:
Read THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
"Stockings"; page 117
Vocabulary:
Eccentricity: peculiarities specific to a person.
Examples of eccentricities:
A person must follow a set routine every day or will become upset.
Or dressing up your pets as people, giving them birthday parties, and throwing weddings for them.
Maci liking armpits.
Or someone from Texas affecting an English accent.
Vocabulary:
Detonate: to explode, as in a bomb.
Talisman: a symbol which is believed to have magical powers, or give comfort or protection to. Many times a talisman is a religious symbol.
"Church"; page 119
Dobbins is emblematic of American foreign policy: blundering, clumsy, tone deaf to nuance, subtlety, irony and culture. Throwing money is seen as a solution to all problems, and failing that, then war and violence is used.
Many monks are pacifists and are against all forms of violence. There were incidents of Buddhist monks setting themselves on fire to protest the Vietnam War.
"Church"; page 119
Read “The Church”;
Discussion: What is ironic about the two Vietnamese priests cleaning the soldiers’ guns?
Why did the priests like Dobbins so much?
Was Dobbins respectful to the priests?
Why is Dobbins’ last lines ironic,“All you can do is be nice. Treat them decent, you know…” ironic?
For tomorrow:
Reread the description and actions of Dobbins.
How is Dobbins a symbol of America. How is Dobbins' behavior typical of the cultural, military and political impact of America on the rest of the world?Dobbins is emblematic of American foreign policy: blundering, clumsy, tone deaf to nuance, subtlety, irony and culture. Throwing money is seen as a solution to all problems, and failing that, then war and violence is used.
Many monks are pacifists and are against all forms of violence. There were incidents of Buddhist monks setting themselves on fire to protest the Vietnam War.
2nd Period:
Collect Unit 3 vocabulary
Collect Unit 3 vocabulary
Work on essay; due tomorrow
Wednesday, September 24th:
THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
Finish reading “The Man I Killed”
Skim the chapter again and write down at least ten descriptions of the young man. The descriptions must be concrete:
1. “His jaw was in his throat.”
2. “The other eye was a star shaped hole.”
3. “His neck was opened to the spinal cord.”
4. “His skin on the right cheek was smooth and fine grained and hairless.”
5. “The blood at the neck had gone to a deep purplish black.”
6. “The yellow part of the star seemed to be getting wider, spreading out at the beginning of the star.”
7. “His chest was sunken and poorly muscled – a scholar.”
8. “His eyebrows were thin and arched like a woman’s.”
9. “He had bony legs, narrow waist and long shapely fingers.”
10. “Clean fingernail, and clean hair.”
11. “His upper lip and teeth were gone.”
12. “He had a tear in the lobe of his ear.”
13. “He wore a black shirt, black pants, a gray ammunition belt, a gold ring on the third finger of his right, and rubber sandals.”
14. “His wrists were the wrists of a child.”
15. “”His clean black hair was upward into a cowlick at the rear of his skull.”
16. “His forehead was slightly freckled.”
17. “The skin at his left cheek was peeled back in three ragged strips.”
18. “Slim…dainty young man.”
19. “The star-shaped hole was red and yellow.”
Now, go back and skim “The Man I Killed”, write down the most repeated descriptions of the young man and write the number of times it is repeated:
1. “He’s got child-like wrists.” (2)
2. His one eye is shut and the other one was a star-shaped hole.”(3 – 5)
3. “He was dainty.” (6) (Indirect references to the young soldier’s daintiness.)
4. “Frail, and delicately boned.” (2 – 3)(Indirect references.)
5. “The upper lip and teeth were gone.” (2)
6. “His eyebrows were thin and delicately arched like a woman.” (2 ) (Indirect references.)
Now, go back and find the fictional back story for the young man O’Brien killed:
1.”He had no stomach for violence. He loved mathematics.”
2. He was born in the village of My Khe.
3. “At school, he was sometimes teased by the other boys for how pretty he was.”
4. “At school they mimicked his woman walk.”
Finish for homework!
Period 2:
THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
The essay on the literary analysis of "The Man I killed" is due today! Please turn it into me either in class or no later than midnight tonight!
For those of you who have finished the essay, please work on the following in class.:
WRITER’S CHOICE; pages 513 – 514; “Prepositional Phrases”; exercises 1, 2 and 3.
For exercise 1: write the entire sentence, underline the prepositional phrases and draw an arrow to the object of the preposition.
Example:
1. In the late 1920’s, Thurgood Marshall pursued a law career.
Exercise 2:
1. Pursued – adverbial.
2.
How to do exercise 3:
1. The reveler (partiers) set off fireworks.
After the party, (adverb) the revelers on the beach (adj.) set off fireworks.
Thursday, September 25th:
No school today!
Friday, September 25th:
1st Period:
THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
Finish reading "The Man I Killed"
Skim “The Man I killed” for ten repetitive phrases (you only have to write the phrases once) and then write the number of times they are repeated next to them.
1. “His one eye is shut and the other one was a star shaped hole.”(3 - 5)
2. “He’s got child like wrists.”(2)
3. “He loved mathematics.”(4)
4. “His eyebrows were thin and arched like a woman’s.” (2)
5. “He had a gold ring on the third finger of his right hand.” (3)
6. “His upper lip and teeth were gone.” (2)
7. “Long shapely fingers.” (4)
8. “He had smooth skin.” (2)
9. “He was a slim, dead, almost dainty young man.” (3)
10. “He had clean finger nails.” ( 2)
Tim O’Brien stared obsessively over every detail of the young man’s face, chest, fingers, legs. The American soldiers’ fire power gave them god-like powers – they literally had the power of life and death. This was the first man he had killed and this murder traumatized O’Brien.
Next, find and write down the dialogue that the other soldiers say to Tim O’Brien. How does the dialogue suggest Tim O’Brien’s emotional state? How does the dialogue suggest what Tim O’Brien is doing?
Dialogue:
1. Azar: “Oh, man, you ****trashed the *******. You scrambled his sorry self, look at that, you did, you laid him out like Shredded ****Wheat.”
2. Azar: “Oh, man, you – ******* scrambled his sorry self.”
3. Kiowa to Azar: “Go away.” (2)
4. Kiowa: “Just forget that crud….No sweat, man. What else could you do?”
5. Kiowa: “I’m serious. Nothing anybody could do. Come on, stop staring.”
6.“All right, let me ask you a question….you want to trade places with him? Turn it all upside down – you want that?”
7. “Tim, it’s a war. The guy wasn’t Heidi – he had a weapon, right? It’s a tough thing, for sure, but you got to cut that staring.”
8.“Maybe you better lie down a minute.”
9.”Take it slow. Just go wherever the spirit takes you.”
10. “Listen to me…you feel terrible, I know that.”
11. “Okay, maybe I don’t know.”
12. “You okay?”
“I’ll tell you the straight truth….the guy was dead the second he stepped on the trial, understand me…..So listen, you best pull your ****together. Can’t just sit here all day.”
13.“Five minutes, Tim. Five more minutes and we’re moving out.”
14.“Hey, you’re looking better. All you needed was time – some R&R.”
15.“Come on man, talk.”
16. “Talk.”
“Stop staring.” (4)
The story ends with Tim O’Brien doing what?
Period 2:
TURN IN YOUR ESSAY!!!!!
TURN IN YOUR ESSAY!!!!!
THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
Read "Ambush"; pages 131
Read "Style", page 135
Read "Ambush"; pages 131
Discussion
1. What does O’Brien means when he writes on page 133, “Almost certainly the young man would have passed by. And it will always be that way.”
2. Do you think this was the actual occurrence of events in the death of the young man?
Read "Style", page 135
Reading journal
Discussion
Why was the girl dancing?
2.
What was the men’s attitude towards the young girl?
Read "Speaking of Courage"; page 137 - 138
Reading journal
Discussion
