The Things They Carried (By: Tim O’Brien) & The Story of an Hour (By: Kate Chopin) By: Maria Ghalmi Reem Aburukba Adnan Eidy Hilal Bazzi
Lesson Plan/Objectives ● Students will be able to identify the difference between the two novels ● Students will be able to compare the two novels ● Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of literary devices in The Things They Carried and The Story of an Hour ● Students will be able to participate in a Kahoot to check their understanding
Tim O’Brien Born October 1, 1946 Austin, MN ● Vietnam War Veteran ● Journalist ● Writes based on his experiences ● “Can the footsoldier teach anything important about war, merely for having been there? I think ● not. He can tell war stories.” “Story-truth” (truth of fiction) or “happening-truth” (truth of fact or occurrence) ● Story truth is emotional truth so it can feel truer than what results from reading facts
Summary of “The Things They Carried” First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross always thinks about Martha, a girl who he knows does not reciprocate his love. Instead of thinking about the war, he spends most of his time thinking about her. During a mission, one of his men, Ted Lavender, die of a headshot. Cross blames himself for loving her “more than anything, more than his men, and now Ted Lavender was dead because he loved her so much and could not stop thinking about her”. He carries the guilt around with him as the rest of the platoon mourns his Ted’s death. Finally, he decides to burn the pictures of Martha and his letters from her. This marks a new promise he makes to himself that he will be a good, focused leader.
“It was very sad, he thought. The things men carried inside. The things men did or felt they had to do.” What They Carried: Jimmy Cross: Rat Kiley: Henry Dobbins: Kiowa : —2 pictures of —comic books —girlfriend’s —illustrated New Martha pantyhose Testament from Mitchell Sanders: —Letters from his father Martha —grandma’s Ted Lavender: —brass knuckles —small pebble distrust of white Why: Martha send him —Fear men ● Sentimental —Tranquilizers —grandfather’s value—escapism/pretending Lee Strunk: —dope feathered hatchet everything is normal ● Means of killing—false sense of —slingshot security ● Superstition—false sense of security
Devices Found in “The Things They Carried” O’Brien uses many literary devices like symbolism, imagery, alliteration, juxtaposition, and metaphor. ● Symbolism ● Ted Lavender's tranquilizers represent fear and anxiety: “Ted Lavender, who was scared, carried tranquilizers until he ○ was shot in the head outside the village of Than Khe in mid-April. Juxtaposition ● Jimmy's love for Martha contrasted to him living life as a soldier: “Lieutenant Cross gazed at the tunnel. But he ○ was not there. He was buried with Martha under the white sand at the Jersey shore.” Imagery ● “Smooth to the touch, it was a milky white color with flecks of orange and violet, oval-shaped, like a miniature egg.” ○ Alliteration ● “The poor bastard just flat-f**** fell.” This helps convey a sense of the drama ,chaos, and despair of the war. ○ Metaphor ● "But it was more than a plane, it was a real bird, a big sleek, silver bird with feathers and talons and high screeching." ○ Compares the plane picking them up and taking them away to the immediate relief and freedom from the war.
Kate Chopin Born: February 8, 1850 St. Louis, MO ● Dead: August 22, 1904 Missouri ● Grew up in women-dominated household ● Grew up with story of great-grandmother, who was a business ● woman and had children while unmarried (inspiration of female independence and women’s strength) Pro-Confederate ●
Summary of “The Story of an Hour” Louise Mallard was told that her husband, Brently Mallard, had died in a railroad accident. Although her sister and husband’s friend fear she will devastated by the news, she sees a new beginning in his death. Mrs. Mallard thinks her body and soul are now free as she would live for only herself. However, once she leaves her room again, she sees her husband at the door. This leads to her dying of heart disease—”of joy that kills.”
Devices Found in “The Story of an Hour” Chopin uses many lit devices like metaphors, symbolism, foreshadowing, irony, and personification. ● Metaphor ● “When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone". Chopin uses metaphor on the word on ○ "grief" because the news of her husband's death hit her all at once. She came to realization and wanted to be alone. Symbolism ● “She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life". ○ The "new spring life" represents the new, thrilling life that awaits Mrs. Mallard. Foreshadowing ● "Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as ○ possible the news of her husband's death". The introduction of the short story foreshadows the ending of the short story that Mrs. Mallard's heart condition affects the conclusion of the story. Irony ● "She saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she ○ opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome". Mrs. Mallard's is now happy at this point that her husband is dead and is looking forward to the years that she can only worry about herself. Personification ● "When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and ○ over under her breath".
Contrast of the Two Stories The Things They Carried Cross thinks that he The woman was so obsessed Love is an escape is happy to with his fantasy of An from the realities be free from Martha and the life awakening of war, but it the love of they might lead after of your soon leads to her husband. the war, he was inner self resentment and negligent. guilt. The story Contrast of Men fighting for concentrates more The Things on the feminist the independence ideology and her of their country and They Carried missed loved & The Story experiences as a ones/sweethearts at of an Hour wife home. She dies of Shows the shock when vulnerability of Feels that she she finds out He burns Martha’s stuff men through listing gained he is alive. to distance himself from of physical objects independence the sentimentality he sees and experiences on from a as a destructive force the warfront constricting during wartime. He relationship w/ a concludes that it is better man. to be loved than to be lead The Story of an Hour on.
Comparison of the Two Stories Use tangible objects to Themes: love, convey ideas. Use Both have a cynical physical and belongings in Things view of love emotional burdens, They Carried and heart strength & bravery, problems in The Story struggle for freedom, of an Hour Comparison of Symbolism: Psychological The Things They Trauma Carried & The Love is pain Story of an Hour Physical vs. Imagery: war, Death is involved Emotional freedom from and has a big male oppression appearances impact on both protagonists
Kahoot Link https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/5680c7e1-34d7-425e-b2af-1 5c3d05f89e6
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