War in Literature Unit

Ms. Mallery/Mrs. Wood

April/May 2010

English 11A

Motion Picture Analysis Worksheet

Step 1: Pre-viewing

A. What is the title of the film? _________________________________________________

B. What do you think you will see in this motion picture? List three concepts or ideas that you might expect to see based on the title of the film. List some people you might expect to see based on the title of the film.

Concepts/Ideas

People

1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

Step 2: Viewing

A. Type of motion picture (check where applicable):

__Animated Cartoon__Documentary Film__Newsreel

__Other

__Propaganda Film

__Training Film

__Combat Film

B. Physical qualities of the motion picture (circle those which apply):

Music

NarrationSpecial effectsColor

Live action

Background noise

Animation

Dramatizations

C. In literature, mood is defined as the atmosphere created by the setting, and actions of people and characters. Tone is defined as the attitude a writer has towards the subject they are writing about. What do you feel is the mood or tone of the film?

Step 3: Post-viewing

A. Circle the things that you listed in the previewing activity that were validated by your viewing of the motion picture.

B. What is the central message(s) of this motion picture?

C. Consider the effectiveness of the film in communicating its message. As a tool of communication, what do you feel are its strengths/weaknesses?

Film Reflection Writing Assignment

You spent the last several class days viewing a major motion picture. After viewing the film, and filling out the motion picture analysis sheet, what are your reactions to the film?

In two well developed paragraphs, complete the following:

1. In the first paragraph, explain how well you feel the film depicted the events of the Vietnam War. Did it seem realistic in content? Did the actors appropriately portray what it would be like to be a part of the war in your opinion?

2. In the second paragraph, describe the effects of the war on the soldiers themselves and their families. Do you think the effects were positive or negative? Why?

Use the space below to begin drafting your assignment. This assignment can be hand written, using every other line; or it can be typed, double spaced. The completed assignment is due in class on Mon. April 12th, 2010.

The Sniper

By: Liam O'Flaherty

. .......The long June twilight faded into night. Dublin lay enveloped in darkness but for the dim light of the moon that shone through fleecy clouds, casting a pale light as of approaching dawn over the streets and the dark waters of the Liffey. Around the beleaguered Four Courts the heavy guns roared. Here and there through the city, machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically, like dogs barking on lone farms. Republicans and Free Staters were waging civil war. .......On a rooftop near O'Connell Bridge, a Republican sniper lay watching. Beside him lay his rifle and over his shoulders was slung a pair of field glasses. His face was the face of a student, thin and ascetic, but his eyes had the cold gleam of the fanatic. They were deep and thoughtful, the eyes of a man who is used to looking at death. .......He was eating a sandwich hungrily. He had eaten nothing since morning. He had been too excited to eat. He finished the sandwich, and, taking a flask of whiskey from his pocket, he took a short drought. Then he returned the flask to his pocket. He paused for a moment, considering whether he should risk a smoke. It was dangerous. The flash might be seen in the darkness, and there were enemies watching. He decided to take the risk. .......Placing a cigarette between his lips, he struck a match, inhaled the smoke hurriedly and put out the light. Almost immediately, a bullet flattened itself against the parapet of the roof. The sniper took another whiff and put out the cigarette. Then he swore softly and crawled away to the left. .......Cautiously he raised himself and peered over the parapet. There was a flash and a bullet whizzed over his head. He dropped immediately. He had seen the flash. It came from the opposite side of the street. .......He rolled over the roof to a chimney stack in the rear, and slowly drew himself up behind it, until his eyes were level with the top of the parapet. There was nothing to be seen--just the dim outline of the opposite housetop against the blue sky. His enemy was under cover. .......Just then an armored car came across the bridge and advanced slowly up the street. It stopped on the opposite side of the street, fifty yards ahead. The sniper could hear the dull panting of the motor. His heart beat faster. It was an enemy car. He wanted to fire, but he knew it was useless. His bullets would never pierce the steel that covered the gray monster. .......Then round the corner of a side street came an old woman, her head covered by a tattered shawl. She began to talk to the man in the turret of the car. She was pointing to the roof where the sniper lay. An informer. .......The turret opened. A man's head and shoulders appeared, looking toward the sniper. The sniper raised his rifle and fired. The head fell heavily on the turret wall. The woman darted toward the side street. The sniper fired again. The woman whirled round and fell with a shriek into the gutter. .......Suddenly from the opposite roof a shot rang out and the sniper dropped his rifle with a curse. The rifle clattered to the roof. The sniper thought the noise would wake the dead.

He stooped to pick the rifle up. He couldn't lift it. His forearm was dead. "I'm hit," he muttered. .......Dropping flat onto the roof, he crawled back to the parapet. With his left hand he felt the injured right forearm. The blood was oozing through the sleeve of his coat. There was no pain--just a deadened sensation, as if the arm had been cut off. .......Quickly he drew his knife from his pocket, opened it on the breastwork of the parapet, and ripped open the sleeve. There was a small hole where the bullet had entered. On the other side there was no hole. The bullet had lodged in the bone. It must have fractured it. He bent the arm below the wound. The arm bent back easily. He ground his teeth to overcome the pain.  .......Then taking out his field dressing, he ripped open the packet with his knife. He broke the neck of the iodine bottle and let the bitter fluid drip into the wound. A paroxysm of pain swept through him. He placed the cotton wadding over the wound and wrapped the dressing over it. He tied the ends with his teeth. .......Then he lay still against the parapet, and, closing his eyes, he made an effort of will to overcome the pain. .......In the street beneath all was still. The armored car had retired speedily over the bridge, with the machine gunner's head hanging lifeless over the turret. The woman's corpse lay still in the gutter. .......The sniper lay still for a long time nursing his wounded arm and planning escape. Morning must not find him wounded on the roof. The enemy on the opposite roof covered his escape. He must kill that enemy and he could not use his rifle. He had only a revolver to do it. Then he thought of a plan. .......Taking off his cap, he placed it over the muzzle of his rifle. Then he pushed the rifle slowly upward over the parapet, until the cap was visible from the opposite side of the street. Almost immediately there was a report, and a bullet pierced the center of the cap. The sniper slanted the rifle forward. The cap clipped down into the street. Then catching the rifle in the middle, the sniper dropped his left hand over the roof and let it hang, lifelessly. After a few moments he let the rifle drop to the street. Then he sank to the roof, dragging his hand with him. .......Crawling quickly to his feet, he peered up at the corner of the roof. His ruse had succeeded. The other sniper, seeing the cap and rifle fall, thought that he had killed his man. He was now standing before a row of chimney pots, looking across, with his head clearly silhouetted against the western sky. .......The Republican sniper smiled and lifted his revolver above the edge of the parapet. The distance was about fifty yards--a hard shot in the dim light, and his right arm was paining him like a thousand devils. He took a steady aim. His hand trembled with eagerness. Pressing his lips together, he took a deep breath through his nostrils and fired. He was almost deafened with the report and his arm shook with the recoil.  .......Then when the smoke cleared, he peered across and uttered a cry of joy. His enemy had been hit. He was reeling over the parapet in his death agony. He struggled to keep his feet, but he was slowly falling forward as if in a dream. The rifle fell from his grasp, hit the parapet, fell over, bounded off the pole of a barber's shop beneath and then clattered on the pavement. .......Then the dying man on the roof crumpled up and fell forward. The body turned over and over in space and hit the ground with a dull thud. Then it lay still. .......The sniper looked at his enemy falling and he shuddered. The lust of battle died in him. He became bitten by remorse. The sweat stood out in beads on his forehead. Weakened by his wound and the long summer day of fasting and watching on the roof, he revolted from the sight of the shattered mass of his dead enemy. His teeth chattered, he began to gibber to himself, cursing the war, cursing himself, cursing everybody. .......He looked at the smoking revolver in his hand, and with an oath he hurled it to the roof at his feet. The revolver went off with a concussion and the bullet whizzed past the sniper's head. He was frightened back to his senses by the shock. His nerves steadied. The cloud of fear scattered from his mind and he laughed.  .......Taking the whiskey flask from his pocket, he emptied it a drought. He felt reckless under the influence of the spirit. He decided to leave the roof now and look for his company commander, to report. Everywhere around was quiet. There was not much danger in going through the streets. He picked up his revolver and put it in his pocket. Then he crawled down through the skylight to the house underneath. .......When the sniper reached the laneway on the street level, he felt a sudden curiosity as to the identity of the enemy sniper whom he had killed. He decided that he was a good shot, whoever he was. He wondered did he know him. Perhaps he had been in his own company before the split in the army. He decided to risk going over to have a look at him. He peered around the corner into O'Connell Street. In the upper part of the street there was heavy firing, but around here all was quiet. .......The sniper darted across the street. A machine gun tore up the ground around him with a hail of bullets, but he escaped. He threw himself face downward beside the corpse. The machine gun stopped. .......Then the sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother's face. .

Literary Devices found in “The Sniper”

In the short story “The Sniper”, by Liam O’Flaherty, various literary devices are used in order to add to the overall mood and intensity of the story. Below are examples of devices used.

Imagery involves one or more of your five senses (hearing, taste, touch, smell, sight). An author uses a word or phrase to stimulate your memory of those senses. These memories can be positive or negative which will contribute to the mood of the literary piece.

What are some examples from the short story that portray imagery being used?

Metaphors are words or phrases that are applied to something that it is not completely similar to in order to show resemblance. For example: “All the world’s a stage”.

What are some examples from the short story where metaphors are used to show resemblance between two unlike things?

Similes are used in writing to compare two unlike things explicitly. Often the comparison is made using the words “like” or “as”. For example: “She is like a rose”. Or, “Her skin is as soft as a rose’s petal”.

What are some examples from the short story where the author uses similes to make comparisons?

What is irony? How is the literary device irony used in this short story?

When War Becomes a Crime Survey

You have been ordered by your commanding officer to shoot all inhabitants of a village suspected of being a Vietcong stronghold. When you arrive you find mostly old men, women, and children. Your commanding officer orders you to shoot everyone.

Please answer the following questions:

1. What do you think most people would do in this situation?

a. Obey orders and shoot

b. Refuse to shoot

2. What would you do?

a. Obey orders and shoot

b. Refuse to shoot

3. Explain why you would or would not obey the order to shoot:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ .

4. What is your opinion of the soldiers?

a. They were right because it was what any good soldier would do.

b. They were wrong even though it was hard for them to know what was right or wrong in this situation.

c. They were wrong because they clearly violated military code.

d. They were wrong because it was a violation of morality regardless of military code.

e. Other (If your opinion is not covered above, list it here in your own words).

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ .

5. Who was responsible and should be tried?

a. The soldiers and higher officers

b. Only the soldiers

c. Only higher officers

d. Neither

Taking Sides: The War at Home

Situation #1

You are an active and involved citizen. The war in Vietnam floods your TV screen and newspapers. You have kept up with the changing events both at home and abroad. You have discussed and debated this controversial war with friends and family and have come up with four basic principles that guide your beliefs:

1. America must stand for principles of self-determination in Vietnam.

2. America has global responsibilities and commitments.

3. American citizens are personally responsible for the policies of their government.

4. America is involved in moral and political corruption.

You decide to write an editorial with a group of your family and friends for your newspaper explaining your beliefs and the role the U.S. government should have in Vietnam. Your interpretation of the four principles is based on a pro-war position that supports U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

As a group, “brainstorm” policy recommendations-for both home and abroad-that accomplish and support each of the four principles in which you believe. Write your recommendations neatly on poster paper.

Taking Sides: The War at Home

Situation #2

You are an active and involved citizen. The war in Vietnam floods your TV screen and newspapers. You have kept up with the changing events both at home and abroad. You have discussed and debated this controversial war with friends and family and have come up with four basic principles that guide your beliefs:

1. America must stand for principles of self-determination in Vietnam.

2. America has global responsibilities and commitments.

3. American citizens are personally responsible for the policies of their government.

4. America is involved in moral and political corruption.

You decide to write an editorial with a group of your family and friends for your newspaper explaining your beliefs and the role the U.S. government should have in Vietnam. Your interpretation of the four principles is based on a anti-war position that supports an end to U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

As a group, “brainstorm” policy recommendations-for both home and abroad-that accomplish and support each of the four principles in which you believe. Write your recommendations neatly on poster paper.

Types of Propaganda

Definition of Propaganda- Information, rumors, or ideas deliberately spread widely to harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc. The information is spread not only deliberately, but with an agenda in mind. Most propaganda is used to persuade people to believe something, to do something, or to buy something.

Methods Used to Spread Propaganda- TV, radio, magazines, newspapers, posters, internet, commercials, films, etc. Propaganda can be spread through various different types of media.

Types of propaganda:

Name Calling

Glittering Generalities

Transfer

Testimonial

Plain Folks

Bandwagon

Fear

Card Stacking

How can you tell if it’s propaganda or not??

· Recognize which technique is being used

· Determine the purpose of the technique

· Get the facts to determine if it’s propaganda or not

· Weigh the facts against the purpose and the technique

A good reference website on propaganda and the types: http://www.propagandacritic.com/articles/index.html

Cartoon Analysis Worksheet

From the cartoons included in your packet, choose two that you like the most and complete the cartoon analysis sheet for both of them.

Cartoon Chosen: _______________________________________________________________________

Level 1

Visuals

Words (Not all cartoons include words)

List the objects or the people you see in the cartoon.

Identify the cartoon caption and/or title.

Locate three words or phrases used by the cartoonist to identify objects or people within the cartoon.

Record any important dates or numbers that appear in the cartoon.

Level 2

Visuals

Which of the objects on your list are symbols?

What do you think each symbol means?

Which words or phrases in the cartoon appear to be the most significant? Why do you think so?

List adjectives that describe the emotions portrayed in the cartoon.

Level 3

Describe the action taking place in the cartoon.

Explain how the words in the cartoon clarify the symbols.

Explain the message of the cartoon.

What special interest groups would agree/disagree with the cartoon’s message? Why?

Uncle Sam

Vietnam Cartoons

Vietnam Cartoons

Gulf War Cartoons

Gulf War Cartoons

Iraq War Cartoons

War in Afghanistan Cartoons

Title of the poem: _________________________________________________

Poet: _____________________________________________________________

1. Summarize or paraphrase the poem. React personally: How does it make you feel? Does it remind you of a personal experience? A story you've heard? An issue? A situation?

2. Now analyze the poem using your annotations and the following:

Voice

Who is speaking?

How would you characterize the speaker?

To whom is he or she speaking?

What is the speaker's tone?

Why is he or she speaking?

Word Choice, Word Order

What type of diction is the poet employing?

How does the poet's word choice affect the meaning of the poem? The tone?

Does the poet employ figures of speech? (Simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, understatement, metonymy, synecdoche)

Imagery

Did you note any descriptive passages?

What is the dominant impression being created?

What is the relationship of the descriptive images to the speaker's state of mind?

How do images create sense of time of day? Season of year? Atmosphere? Mood?

Do the images progress? (day to night, hot to cold, soft to loud, color to color, etc)

Sound

Does the poem contain an obvious meter or rhythm?

What sounds are emphasized by the rhyme scheme?

Theme

What seems to be the point of the poem?

What ideas are being communicated by the speaker?

How are the ideas being reinforced by the elements of the poem?

Exploring Poetry

Questions to consider:

1. Who is the speaker (voice--not always the poet)? What does the poem reveal about the speaker's character? In some poems the speaker may be nothing more than a voice meditating on a theme, while in others the speaker takes on a specific personality.

2. Is the speaker addressing a particular person? If so, who is that person and why is the speaker interested in him or her? Many poems are addressed to no one in particular and therefore to anyone, any reader. Others, while addressed to a specific person, reveal nothing about the person because the focus of the poem is on the speaker's feelings and attitudes.

3. Does the poem have a setting? Is the poem occasioned by a particular event? The answer to these questions will often be no for lyric poems. It will always be yes if the poem is a dramatic monologue or a poem that tells or implies a story.

4. Is the theme of the poem stated directly or indirectly? Some poems use language in a fairly straightforward and literal way and state the theme, often in the final lines. Others may conclude with a statement of the theme that is more difficult to apprehend because it is made with figurative language and/or symbols.

5. From what perspective (or point of view) is the speaker describing specific events? Is the speaker recounting events of the past or events that are occurring in the present? If the past events are being recalled, what present meaning do they have for the speaker?

6. Does a close examination of the figurative language of the poem reveal any patterns?

7. What is the structure of the poem? Since narrative poems--those that tell stories--reveal a high degree of selectivity, it is useful to ask why the poet has focused on particular details and left out others. Analyzing the structure of a non-narrative or lyric poem can be more difficult because it does not contain an obvious series of chronologically related events.

8. What was your response to the poem on the first reading? Did your response change after study of the poem or class discussions about it?

* * * * * * *

To appreciate the sounds and meaning of a poem, it is best to start by reading it aloud. Once you've listened to the poem, pay attention to the words that make up the poem. Where a poem takes the reader is inseparable from how it takes the reader. Poets pay close attention to diction or word choice (words have connotative (associative) and denotative (dictionary) meanings); every word in a poem counts.

Figurative language, or devices of language--i.e. imagery, metaphor, simile, personification, allusion, and symbol--allow us to speak non-literally in order to achieve a special affect. Figurative language makes a comparison between what is being written about and another element that allows the reader to better picture or to understand it.

The music of poetry, or the sound patterns found in poetry, is created by various uses of language, such as alphabetical letter sounds; rhyme; alliteration; assonance; onomatopoeia; rhythm created by stressed and unstressed syllables (often most easily recognized in the poet's use of metrical feet); variations of line; tone; etc.

War Poems

There Will Come Soft Rains (War Times)

Sara Teasdale

There will come soft rains and the smell of the

ground,

And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pools singing at night,

And wild plum-trees in tremulous white.

Robins will wear their feathery fire

Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

And not one will know of the war, not one

Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,

If mankind perished utterly;

And spring herself, when she woke at dawn,

Would scarcely know that we were gone.

my enemy was dreaming

Norman Russell

when i found my enemy sleeping

i stood over him as still

as the owl at night

as the heron waiting fish

i raised my knife to kill him

then i saw my enemy was dreaming

his mouth made a little smile

his legs trembled

he made small sleep sounds

a happy dream was in his mind

only i will have this memory

i will show the others

only the horse of my enemy

i will not tell the others

i left my enemy dreaming his dream.

Grass

Carl Sandburg

Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.

Shovel them under and let me work—

I am the grass; I cover all.

And pile them high at Gettysburg

And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.

Shovel them under and let me work.

Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:

What place is this?

Where are we now?

I am the grass.

Let me work.

The Mother

Padraic Pearse

I do not grudge them; Lord, I do not grudge

My two strong Sons that I have seen go out

To break their strength and die, they and a few,

In bloody protest for a glorious thing.

The shall be spoken of among their people,

The generations shall remember them,

And call them blessed;

But I will speak their names to my own heart

In the long nights;

The little names that were familiar once

Round my dead hearth.

Lord, thou art hard on mothers:

We suffer in their coming and their going;

And tho’ I grudge them not, I weary, weary

Of the long sorrow—And yet I have my joy:

My sons were faithful, and they fought.

Poem Explication

Student Names: ___________________________________

Title of the poem: __________________________________

Author/poet: _____________________________________

What was your initial reaction to the poem? What did you think it meant after the first time you read it?

Who is the speaker? (Is it the poet? Is it a soldier? Is it someone else?) How do you know this? (What is revealed about the speaker that helped you determine who it is?)

How does the poet’s word choice (diction) affect the meaning of the poem? Are there words used that cause a certain emotion to be felt? Does the poem have a rhyme scheme?

Did the poet use any figurative parts of speech? (Simile, metaphor, imagery, symbolism, allusion, etc.). If so, indicate them on your copy of the poem, and label what they are.

What is the poems theme? (What is the point of the poem? What ideas does the poet communicate to you?)

Was your final reading of the poem, after explicating it, different from your initial reaction? If yes, why? What changed your reading or understanding of the poem?

Explication Classroom Activity

1. Find a partner to work with.

2. Read the poem you are given one time through.

3. Read the poem a second time.

4. Explicate what meaning you found in each of the lines in the space provided on the side of your poem.

5. After you have explicated the poem, complete the hand-out.

6. We will share our poems, and discuss what you found the poems meaning to be.

7. Be sure both of your names are on the explication sheet, and that you hand in your copies of the poem you explicated with the finish worksheet in order to receive credit for the activity!

The Wall

By: Harry E. Gilleland

I am a Vietnam vet,

one who has not visited the memorial in Washington yet.

The wall is a long, linear monument of panel after panel,

each inscribed with name after name—all that it can handle.

I happened to see a picture of The Wall on the Internet today,

taken at midnight, light reflected in the most striking way.

It seemed unbelievably long—stretching almost out of sight.

So many soldiers killed, perished in their country’s fight.

58,226! Imagine 58,226 corpses lying on bloodied ground.

That’s more than the entire population of many a town!

So many lives cut short, potential never to be fulfilled.

So many friends, family, loved ones missing them still.

Try to imagine all the sweethearts that went unwed,

the children not conceived with their future father dead,

all the little children who grew up never knowing their dad,

the many achievements, successes these men might have had.

These 58,226 answered their country’s call without asking why.

Thinking of their supreme sacrifice always brings a tear to my eye.

At The Wall, people stand and cry, paying tribute to their man.

I’d like to think he hears them…maybe…just maybe…he can.

Sadfully Remembering

By: Ruth Shagoury (Hubbard)

Tears in the eyes of the woman, of the mother…

I saw them, and am looking at them right now.

Tears are flowing along her face like two little brooks downhill.

It is summer and it seems like everything froze around her and me.

She lost maybe her husband, son, or maybe her brother.

She is the loser and all of us are.

It is silence around us. Her crying cramps on

her face and her painfully moves telling us everything.

I am looking at her and

through my tears, I see two women, ten of them, hundreds…

I see unbroken rows of mothers and all of them are crying the same

way and raising their hands, and praying.

Their tears are the same brook of tears…

I am standing faded away in the day of that summer, of still one war year.

The Call to Service

By: Edgar A. Guest

These are the days when little thoughts

Must cease men’s minds to occupy;

The nation needs men’s larger creeds,

Big men must answer to her cry;

No longer selfish ways we tread,

The greater task lies just ahead.

These are the days when petty things

By all men must be thrust aside;

The country needs men’s finest deeds,

Awakened is the nation’s pride;

Men must forsake their selfish strife

Once more to guard their countries life.

We Regret To Inform You

By: Paul Cameron (1st Inf. Dev. Vietnam)

Dear parents of the deceased

We regret to inform you of this release

Your son was mortally wounded in combat

His valor in finest tradition and all that

Dear wife and children of this brave man

We regret to inform you of this telegram

Your husband and father killed by sniper fire

He was aiding the wounded until he expired

Dear America, home of our war dead,

We regret to inform you about all this bloodshed

For their gallantry under hostile action are sent

These silver stars and medals from the President

Dear combat comrades of these dear fallen men

We regret to inform you that your memories never end

The sights and sounds of their death keep pounding away

Their names carved on a wall as you kneel down and pray

Febo from Nam

By: Lawrence “Doc” Mize (Vietnam Vet)

Green blades of grass

reach up to the sky.

No one told Febo

it was his time to die.

I think of a time so long ago

relive the terror that always leaves me low.

Febo’s back from Nam

did he ever really go?

I close my eyes

wait for the light to rush in.

Listen for the sounds

of the far-away place I had been.

An image forms,

Febo running for cover.

He heads for the dike

then he runs no further.

I rush to my friend

heart filled with fear.

Febos dead

but it doesn’t seem real.

I life his head

to close his eyes.

Curse at God

scream out “Why?”

His blood on my hands

so sticky and hot.

I looked down at Febo

Febo smiled not.

The rain fell heavy

on the swollen rice paddy field.

The mound of dirt forming the dike

could have prevented the kill.

Mortars exploded

small arms fire struck everywhere.

I sat alone with Febo

I no longer cared.

I stayed there forever

or so it seemed.

I entertained the thought

Vietnam was a horrible dream.

Febo’s legacy a tableau

that stamped in my mind.

Febo’s gone

I’m still here.

Green blades of grass

reach up to the sky.

No one told Febo

it was his time to die…why?

My Brother, Your Brother, Our Brothers

By: Doug Connor

All gave some and some gave all.

We need only to gaze at the names on the dark wall.

Etched deep are the ranks in the Garden of Stone

And all over the country are the Nam Land’s own.

Many are still with us and some have since gone;

Some met an early fate in the Nam Land’s dawn

But none went gently into the night.

They stood steadfast with honor, duty, and what was right.

Many walked home; some were carried;

Many are still scattered, in the Nam Land buried.

Yes, all the brothers’ souls walk the Nam Land at night-

Especially the dead, while the living still fight.

The nightmares of the neverending Nam Land War,

The sacrifice of their brothers and the memories’ scars.

America’s civilians, awaken from your slumber.

Stand tall and salute them with reverence and honor.

Greater love hath no man than to give his life for another,

Especially in battle, when that man is his brother.

A Viet Nam Prayer

By: Roger Ables (Vietnam Vet)

For asking please forgive us Father

But were you with us here today?

In this place that must be hell.

If it is not, then we cannot tell.

We lost so many good friends here today.

It is so bad that we no longer know the way.

We have seen so much in this past year.

We really need to know that you are here.

We need your love, your guidance and a song.

We fear this place and that our being here is wrong.

So many of us seem lost.

Yet we stay together no matter the cost.

Please father guide us and show us the way.

So that we can survive another day, and

If we are not to make it home,

Please don’t let us die here alone.

Democracy

By: Langston Hughes

Democracy will not come

Today, this year

Nor ever

Through compromise and fear.

I have as much right

As the other fellow has

To stand

On my two feet

And own the land.

I tire so of hearing people say,

Let things take their course.

Tomorrow is another day.

I do not need my freedom when I’m dead.

I cannot live on tomorrow’s bread.

Freedom

Is a strong seed

Planted

In a great need.

I live here, too.

I want freedom

Just as you.

A Battle Prayer

By: Edgar A. Guest

God of battles, be with us now:

Guard our sons from the lead of shame,

Watch our sons when the cannons flame,

Let them not to a tyrant bow.

God of battles, to Thee we pray

Be with each loyal son who fights

In the cause of justice and human rights;

Grant him strength and lead the way.

God of battles, our youth we give

To the battle line on a foreign soil,

To conquer hatred and lust and spoil;

Grant that they and their cause shall live.

Offerings at the Wall

What would you leave??

In class, we read several passages about what fellow soldiers, mothers, daughters, strangers, and other loved ones, left for the fallen soldiers at the Vietnam Veterans Wall. In the text Offerings at the Wall, photos of artifacts that were left at the wall and some stories to accompany the artifacts are compiled in this book. The book is heart gripping, detailed, and emotional to read.

“The rangers [at the Wall] gathered up flags and roses, letters and teddy bears, toy cars and birthday cards, dog tags and service medals, cans of C ration and packets of Army-issued toilet paper. For a time, everyone was puzzled by the status of the objects, many of which were obviously valuable, yet purposely abandoned. But an awareness grew that there was something almost sacred about these objects: They were like tangible bonds between those who fell in Vietnam, and those who remembered; a mystic communication with the dead. Everyone who touched these offerings at the Wall knew that they had to be kept—forever” (Preface).

This piece of writing should be creative, detailed, and vivid—similar to the brief writings we read in class. I should be able to tell who you are, what item you left, and why this item has meaning and is important. Use figurative language to add emotion and details to your writing (simile, allusions, imagery, etc).

**You will have time to begin this assignment in class, but you will complete this for homework and hand it in on Thursday! This can be typed, or hand-written, but if you hand-write this, please write clearly! You can also choose to accompany your writing with a picture of your item if you would like. BE CREATIVE!!

The Things They Carried

By: Tim O’Brien

Writing Technique used = The List

O’Brien uses the simple device of the list to organize his story and to make the reader begin to understand the terrible weight (both literal and symbolic) that the young soldiers carried with them in the jungles of Vietnam.

Literal weight of what is carried-vs-Symbolic weight of what is carried.

Use of ordinary objects such as:Use of symbolic meaning of weight:

“Chess sets, basketballs, Vietnamese-

“They shared the weight of memory…

English dictionaries, rations, water…”they carried the sky… The whole atmosphere. They carried the stink of fungus and decay…They carried infections”

The Things They Carried

Directions:

As you are listening to chapter one of the book, write down examples of literal and

symbolic “things” that are described as being carried by the soldiers in the book. We

will go over your examples in class.

LiteralSymbolic

What Are You Carrying? Letter Assignment

a ring you love? a hall pass?

an old love letter? loneliness?

a memory of your grandfather? keys? a debt?

a lucky penny? a picture of your best friend?

allergy medicine?

too much responsibility? bitterness?

your father’s expectations?

a ticket stub? political leanings?

fear of commitment?

a passion?

a secret?

fear of rejection?

what else?

what else?

what else?

what else?

Choose something you are carrying. It may be a concrete, tangible object or something more abstract, intangible, or symbolic. Whatever you choose let it be something that matters to you and that means something to you. Ask yourself questions:

• Why am I carrying this?

• Did I make the choice or is someone making me carry it?

• Do I wish I could put it down?

• What does it weigh?

• What does it demand of me to carry it?

• Where would I be without it?

Then write a letter to someone (most likely someone connected to your weight) in which you talk about this “thing you carry.” Write a letter that truly makes your reader understand this thing you carry, why you take it with you, and how its weight affects you. The letter may be serious or humorous, but it should be powerful. Your tone will depend to a great extent on what you choose to write about in your letter.

Friendly Letters

Purpose

A friendly letter (or informal letter) is a way of communicating between two people (sometimes more) who are usually acquainted. There are many uses and reasons for writing a friendly letter, but usually friendly letters will consist of topics on a personal level. Friendly letters can either be printed or hand-written.

Friendly Letter Writing

The friendly letter is typically less formal than that of a business letter. Usually the first paragraph of the body will consist of an introduction which will give the recipient an idea about why you're writing to them with a short summary of the main topic of your letter. If you don't know the person you are writing to, you may want to introduce yourself in this introductory paragraph as well.

The next few paragraphs will usually consist of the message you want to get across along with any details you may want to convey.

The last paragraph will usually be the conclusion where you wrap everything up. You can sum up your main idea in this paragraph, thank the recipient for their time, wish the recipient well, and/or ask any questions.

Since friendly letters are less formal, you can feel free to write it however you like, but the above format is fairly common.

Friendly Letter Format

In the friendly letter format, your address, date, the closing, signature, and printed name are all indented to the right half of the page (how far you indent in is up to you as long as the heading and closing is lined up, use your own discretion and make sure it looks presentable). Also the first line of each paragraph is indented.

Your Address 1All that is needed is your street address on the first line and the city, state and zip on the second line. (Not needed if the letter is printed on paper with a letterhead already on it.)

Date 2Put the date on which the letter was written in the format Month Day Year i.e. April 29, 2010. Skip a line between the date and the salutation.

Salutation 3Usually starts out with Dear so and so, or Hi so and so. (Dear Emily, Hi Dad,) Note: There is a comma after the end of the salutation (you can use an exclamation point also if there is a need for some emphasis).

Body 4The body is where you write the content of the letter; the paragraphs should be single spaced with a skipped line between each paragraph. Skip 2 lines between the end of the body and the closing.

Closing 5Let's the reader know that you are finished with your letter; usually ends with Sincerely, Sincerely yours, Thank you, and so on. Note that there is a comma after the end of the closing and only the first word in the closing is capitalized.

Signature 6Your signature will go in this section, usually signed in black or blue ink with a pen. Skip a line after your signature and the P.S.

P.S. 7If you want to add anything additional to the letter you write a P.S. (post script) and the message after that. You can also add a P.P.S after that and a P.P.P.S. after that and so on.

Sample Friendly Letter

123 Truesdale Lane

Binghamton, NY 13900

April 29, 2010

Dear Kevin,

It has been such a long time since the last time I saw you. It’s been almost 12 years actually. Things with me have been going great, although I think about you often. The weight of your not being here weighs heavy on my heart. I can’t even explain it in words.

There is so much to tell you. Things have really changed since the last time I saw you. I am currently studying to become a teacher! My original choice of becoming a nurse didn’t work out so well. I am married now too. It was difficult to not have you there with me and our family since we are so close, but I knew you were there in spirit and watching over us; smiling.

Dad and Mom are doing well. They live in Maryland now, and the weather is always nice down there. Marcus is all grown up now. You would be proud of him. He’s an amazing golfer, and is doing wonderful in college. We talk about you often. He carry’s the same weight of sadness that I do since you have been gone. Miranda is a typical teenager now. She’s involved in many sports, but is great at soccer. She loves it so much. You should see her slide tackle! It’s pretty funny.

I hope you are doing well, and you know how much I miss you…we all miss you. The sadness we all have felt is fading because we know you are in a better place. It still doesn’t take the heartache and emptiness away. I carry with me the guilt of not being able to have helped you again…to have saved you a second time. I hope you can forgive me. Well, that is all for now. I love you, and look forward to seeing you again in the future.

Your sister,

Nicole

P.S. Gram asked me to have you say “hi” to Pop for her.

What Are You Carrying? Reader Response

Name of writer:

Names of responders:

Whether the “thing you carry” is concrete or abstract, all letters must include some of the elements below. Using a scale of 1-5 (with 5 being the best), rate how well you think the writer has achieved each of the elements by marking a rating on each blank line. For any rating of 3 or under, include specific suggestions as to how the writer can strengthen the piece.

_____ a vivid description of the “thing you carry”

_____ an idea of the weight of the “thing you carry”

_____ a sense of whether this weight is a negative burden or a

positive pleasure

_____ an explanation of why he or she carries this thing

_____ a story/stories involving the “thing you carry”

_____ a clear sense of whom the letter is written to (and how

he/she is connected to the “thing you carry”)

The writer also may need to consider the items below while revising the letter. Note any suggestions for improvement in these areas:

• Develop an interesting and attention-getting opening.

• Work on a conclusion that ends the letter smoothly. No choppy endings!

• Think about word choice. Use interesting and appropriate words, and avoid repetition.

• Proofread to correct spelling, punctuation, errors in sentence structure, etc.

On the back of this paper, do the following two things:

• Explain what you think is the greatest strength of this writer’s letter in its current form.

• State what you think would be the most significant thing the writer could do to improve his or her paper. How should he or she do this?

What Are You Carrying? Reflection Questions

1. If you were to send this letter to the person(s) to whom it is directed, what do you think his/her/their reaction would be? WHY?

2. What is the strongest or most powerful line in the letter? WHY?

3. What aspect of this letter would you like to improve if only you knew how? Be specific!

4. How did (or didn’t) the responders in your group help you? Again, be specific!

5. How does having written about this weight you carry change it?

Critical Lens Writing Assignment

Name______________________________

Write a critical essay in which you discuss two works of literature you have read from the particular perspective of the statement that is provided for you in the Critical Lens. In your essay, provide a valid interpretation of the statement, agree or disagree with the statement as you have interpreted it, and support your opinion using specific references to appropriate literary elements from the two works.

Guidelines:

Be sure to

• Provide a valid interpretation of the critical lens that clearly establishes the criteria

for analysis

• Indicate whether you agree or disagree with the statement as you have interpreted it

• Choose two works you have read that you believe best support your opinion

• Use the criteria suggested by the critical lens to analyze the works you have chosen

• Avoid plot summary. Instead, use specific references to appropriate literary elements

(for example: theme, characterization, setting, point of view) to develop your analysis

• Organize your ideas in a unified and coherent manner

• Specify the titles and authors of the literature you choose

• Follow the conventions of standard written English

Your task is to ask yourself the following questions, and create a piece of writing of at least one page, detailing your answers (this needs to be in story or letter form):

Who are you going to be? Whose point –of-view are you going to write from? (Wife, comrade, mother, son, friend, citizen, etc).

What are you going to leave at the memorial for the soldier or soldiers you came to visit?

Why is this item important? What is its meaning? Did it mean something to the soldier?

1 Return Address Line 1

Return Address Line 2

2 Date (Month, Day, Year)

3 Dear (Name of Recipient),

Body Paragraph 1 _____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Body Paragraph 2 _____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Body Paragraph 3 _____________________________________

_____________________________________________________ 4

Closing (Sincerely), 5

Signature 6

P.S. 7

“In war there are no unwounded soldiers”

~Jose Narosky