The Things They Carried (By: Tim OBrien) & The Story of an Hour - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
The Things They Carried (By: Tim OBrien) & 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
two novels
devices in The Things They Carried and The Story of an Hour
understanding
Story truth is emotional truth so it can feel truer than what results from reading facts
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
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.
Jimmy Cross: —2 pictures of Martha —Letters from Martha —small pebble Martha send him Lee Strunk: —slingshot Mitchell Sanders: —brass knuckles Ted Lavender: —Fear —Tranquilizers —dope Rat Kiley: —comic books Kiowa: —illustrated New Testament from his father —grandma’s distrust of white men —grandfather’s feathered hatchet Henry Dobbins: —girlfriend’s pantyhose
“It was very sad, he thought. The things men carried inside. The things men did or felt they had to do.”
Why:
value—escapism/pretending everything is normal
security
security
○ 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.
○ 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.”
○ “Smooth to the touch, it was a milky white color with flecks of orange and violet, oval-shaped, like a miniature egg.”
○ “The poor bastard just flat-f**** fell.” This helps convey a sense of the drama ,chaos, and despair of the war.
○ "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.
woman and had children while unmarried (inspiration of female independence and women’s strength)
Louise Mallard was told that her husband, Brently Mallard, had died in a railroad
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.”
○ “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.
○ “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.
○ "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.
○ "She saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she
dead and is looking forward to the years that she can only worry about herself.
○ "When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and
The story concentrates more
ideology and her missed experiences as a wife
The woman is happy to be free from the love of her husband. She dies of shock when she finds out he is alive. Cross thinks that he was so obsessed with his fantasy of Martha and the life they might lead after the war, he was negligent. Shows the vulnerability of men through listing
and experiences on the warfront An awakening
inner self Feels that she gained independence from a constricting relationship w/ a man.
Contrast of The Things They Carried & The Story
He burns Martha’s stuff to distance himself from the sentimentality he sees as a destructive force during wartime. He concludes that it is better to be loved than to be lead
Men fighting for the independence
loved
home. Love is an escape from the realities
soon leads to resentment and guilt.
The Story of an Hour The Things They Carried
Comparison of The Things They Carried & The Story of an Hour Both have a cynical view of love
Physical vs. Emotional appearances
Imagery: war, freedom from male oppression
Symbolism: Love is pain
Use tangible objects to convey ideas. Use belongings in Things They Carried and heart problems in The Story
Psychological Trauma Themes: love, physical and emotional burdens, strength & bravery, struggle for freedom, Death is involved and has a big impact on both protagonists