O’Brien: The Things They Carried
and Characters/Poems
Picture Vietnam Soldiers
Map Vietnam
Picture landscape Vietnam
Veteran Poem
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Think of Me
You know you can not bring me back
You know that I am gone
I walk the streets of heaven now
It's my eternal home
But think of me now and then
Just as you do today
Remember that I died for you
So America could stay
A land where men are equal
A land where men are free
A land I lived and died for
When you think of Freedom
Think of me
Written by Loyde P. "Snake" Arender on May 25, 1988
What is a Character?
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Character - The combination of qualities or features that
distinguishes one person, group, or thing from another.
This is generally a distinguishing feature.
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Example: Kiowa
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Devout Baptist p. 3
Carried New Testament presented to him by his father who taught
Sunday school p. 3
Carried his mothers distrust of white man p. 3
Carried his grandfathers old hunting hatchet p. 3
He enjoyed not being dead p. 18
He admired Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’s capacity for grief p. 18.
Class Exercise:
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Students number off 1 to 5. Get into your assigned group.
Each group pick a character from the list below:
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Martha
Kiowa
Jimmy Cross
Henry Dobbins
Dave Jenson
Ted Lavender
Norman Bowker
Mary Anne
Rat Kiley
Mitchell Sanders
Class Exercise cont.:
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Upon picking your character, notate on a piece of paper
the qualities of him or her.
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Write the specific characteristics
Write the page #
Do this while reading pages 67-116.
Notate unfamiliar words on 3/5 cards:
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Word
Definition
Notate how used in the book. (write the sentence it is used in)
Write it in a sentence you created
Class Exit Card:
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In your group notate 5 adjectives, nouns, and/or verbs
that best describes your character. Then answer these
questions using the adjectives, nouns, and/or verbs.
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What does this character represent for you?
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Does this character seem real to you? Why?
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Write a poem describing this character.
Example: Kiowa (you may draw a picture to go along with your
poem)
Poem
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A man of history
 Strong in religion
 Carried moccasins for silence
 Carried many things
 Bullets, rifles, pens, and
paper
 Flares, tobacco, helmets, and guns
 Carried for safety
 Carried many things