Pre-Reading & Assignment List
The Things They Carried, Tim
O’Brien
- Research Paper Assignment (due TBA)
- TWO journal responses of roughly one page each (due dates TBA)
- Personal response to the chapter, not a summary of it
- Use one of the provided prompts to guide you
- If typed: double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font
- In-class writing prompts (to be completed in-class)
- Reading quizzes along the way (announced and unannounced, be reading, be ready)
- Short-term Project (due date TBA): Item for the Rucksack
- Visual of item (actual item, photo, drawn image, etc. - school appropriate)
- Description of item
- Reason it would be in a Vietnam War soldier’s rucksack
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VOCABULARY LIST
SOP – Standard Operating
Procedure
dysentery – intestinal
disease, infection caused by parasites
foxhole - a small hole dug in
the ground to protect a sniper or other soldier from enemy fire
grunts - an infantryman in
the U.S. Army or Marine Corps, especially one serving in Vietnam
hump - to carry something
heavy with difficulty
laxity – carelessness, negligence
malaria - an infectious
disease caused by a parasite that is transmitted by the bite of infected
mosquitoes
platoon - a subdivision of a
company of soldiers, usually led by a lieutenant and consisting of two to three
sections or squads of ten to twelve people
rucksack - a large bag,
usually with two straps and often with a supporting frame
ammo – ammunition
AWOL – away from position
without permission
monotony - boredom or
dullness arising from the fact that nothing different ever happens
poppa-san – elder Vietnamese
man
acquiescence – agreeing to
something passively
Cold War – hostile but
nonviolent relations between the former Soviet Union and the United States,
and their respective allies, from around 1946 to 1989
nationalist – someone who is
devoted to their nation
pacifist - somebody who
refuses to perform military service or take part in a war
SEATO – Southeast
Asia Treaty Organization
dustoff - describes an
aircraft such as a helicopter that is used to medevac wounded troops from a
combat zone
tourniquet - a tight
encircling band applied around an arm or leg in an emergency to stop severe
arterial bleeding that cannot be controlled in any other way
c-rations - a canned field
ration formerly issued to U.S.
soldiers
humane - done without
inflicting any more pain than is necessary
LZ – landing zone
paddy – rice field
rectitude – strong moral
integrity in character or actions
ambush – an unexpected attack
from a concealed position
ARVN – Army of the Republic of Vietnam
talisman - an object believed
to give magical powers to somebody who carries or wears it, e.g. a stone or
jewel
phosphorescence - the
continued emission of light without accompanying heat after exposure to and
removal of a source of stimulating radiation
shrapnel - metal balls or
fragments that are scattered when a shell, bomb, or bullet explodes
catharsis - an experience or
feeling of spiritual release and purification brought about by an intense
emotional experience
complicity - involvement with
another in doing something illegal or wrong
tangible - able to be touched
or perceived through the sense of touch
fatigues - informal military
uniforms worn every day and in battle, as distinct from formal uniforms
hootch – camp or tents of the
soldiers
MIA - a soldier who is
reported missing during a military mission
gangrene - decay of soft
tissues of the body as a result of lack of blood to the area
stand-down - a return to
normal status after being on alert, or the withdrawal of a military presence
blatant - obtrusive and
conspicuous in an offensive way, often intentionally
