Posted: February 7th, 2015

Write a Critical Response to Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried.

Paper, Order, or Assignment Requirements

i ESSAY 4: Literary Interpretation & Critique Paper

Assignment:  

Write a critical response to Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. Your essay will present an academic argument that critically interprets and critiques the piece of literature.

In your essay’s introduction, use at least one review or refer to one commentary on the book. In your essay’s analysis, use at least one reading from our class; apply the reading in a critical way within your analysis and interpretation of O’Brien’s work.

Thinking about the Assignment:

There are many ways to respond to literature and we will keep focused on formal analysis and work to critically respond to the text. Use the reading and writing skills we’ve been practicing this term to analyze and interpret, and critique and respond to O’Brien’s book and his writing.

Topic Ideas & Writing Prompts:

• How are power and authority portrayed in the book? What message does the book offer about notions of power, control, and authority?

• How does the book portray individuality? What does O’Brien’s writing suggest about the role of the individual? What is the individual’s responsibility? Is the individual responsible for the self or others? How so and why?

• What is the role of story-telling in Tim O’Brien’s narrative? How does O’Brien conceive of the role of fiction and present his writing? How is fiction related to truth? Examine O’Brien’s use of imagination and invention, and the difficulties posed by wartime conditions on telling a true war story and the truth.

• How does O’Brien depict the ethics of war? How are ethical concerns related to the lived experiences of war? What is the role of ethics in his writing about war?

• How are gender roles presented in the book? How are the men depicted and how do they view the women? Why? How are women portrayed? Why? In “The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” how does gender seem to affect reactions to war? How does gender relate to the experiences of war?

• How can use one (or more) of our thinkers to interpret the particularities of O’Brien’s text and critically respond to the book?

• Discover your own topic and construct a specific and critical approach to O’Brien’s writing.

Writing:         

Focus your paper on critical analysis of the book. Build an academic argument that engages and uses the literature in an informed response. Demonstrate close-reading and show your insights. Be sure to incorporate textual evidence to support your analysis. Use the author’s key terms and concepts, and use quotations from the book and the other works.

Form and format:    

This is a formal, academic essay. Your essay needs to have a strong thesis (complex, specific, and arguable) that states your essay’s argument; strong paragraphs that support your thesis, focus on a topic and use textual evidence to support your claims; and solid organization and structure. The appearance of your paper needs to follow the MLA format.