Directing your writing for the final essay

What I will be looking for in the final essay: a introductory paragraph that includes author, title of the novel (underlined, if hand-written; italicized, if typed) with a thesis statement; the body of the paper should consist of specific examples from the novel that are explained and related to the thesis statement. Consider this example:

Thesis [that would follow near the end of the introductory paragraph]:  Tim O’Brien’s novel, The Things They Carried, presents characters who are admirable, even noble at times; these include Norman Bowker, Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley and Kiowa. These men are juxtaposed with soldiers like the sadistic Azar, the fearful, the drug-using Ted Lavendar, and Curt Lemon, whose bravado does not mitigate his fear of the dentist. The reader can better appreciate the men to whom the book is dedicated because of the actions of these characters.

Body Paragraph One: The reader is first introduced to Azar in the short chapter titled, “Spin,” when the narrator relates the episode of Azar blowing up Ted Lavendar puppy. When he is chastised by the other men, his response is that he is “just a boy.” He, like the other soldiers is roughly nineteen, and might truly be considered “boys,” but he is not only young; he is immature. Like the other soldiers, he witnesses war for the first time; his means of coping with war seems striking in contrast to soldiers like Henry Dobbins, however.  When Alpha Company comes across a young Vietnamese girl doing what seems to be a ritual dance after her parents have been killed, Azar mocks  and ridicules her mercilessly; he stops, though, when the Henry Dobbins picks him up and threatens to drop Azar into the well. The reader is keenly aware that Azar has no real mechanism for dealing with this kind of death or grief. His cruelty is evident, too, when he chooses to help Tim O’Brien play a mean prank on Bobby Jorgensen, the new medic who replaced Rat Kiley. Mitchell Sanders had declined to help O’Brien because the joke was too malicious and undeserved. Azar, however, is without scruples and finds it humorous. It is not until Azar is sent with Norman Bowker and Mitchell Sanders to retrieve Kiowa’s body from sewage that the reader sees Azar with his defenses down and even apologetic. This speaks volumes about Kiowa as well as Azar.

NOTES: This is not a plot summary. This is an analysis that provides evidence which supports the thesis.

THESIS:  The reader can better appreciate the men to whom the book is dedicated [Henry Dobbins, Norman Bowker, Rat Kiley, Kiowa, et.al.] because of the actions of these characters [Azar, Ted Lavendar, Rat Kiley]

Evidence in Paragraph One: focus is on Azar—cruelty in blowing up puppy; compared to Henry Dobbins re. the dancing girl; compared to Mitch Sanders—each episode is from the novel and briefly explained, but related to the thesis; it uses a combination of writing methods: comparing Azar to another soldier and giving a specific example. Each example is directly related to the thesis of the paper.

Topics for Your Consideration

The following are not EXACT topics that could appear for you to select on the final essay, but could be similar to what you might see:

• Who are the storytellers of Alpha Company? What do they have in common? What stories do they tell? Why do use exaggeration? What is they want from their audience/readers? 
• Stories that might help: "How to Tell a True War Story," "The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," "Good Form," "Lives of the Dead"
• Tim O'Brien says that stories can "save us." What does he mean? He also says stories can bring the dead back to life? Use examples from the book to illustrate what he means. How does this even connect the story of Linda to the men who were lost in Alpha Company?
•  "Good Form," "Lives of the Dead" 
• Paradox and irony are close companions in this novel. For example, in the story "How to Tell a True War Story," Tim O'Brien says the truths are "contradictory." He notes for example, that war is indeed "hell" and that it "makes the stomach believe." He tells the story of the baby water buffalo that is killed slowly and cruelly as evidence; yet he adds that for all its ugliness, war is also beautiful. What does evidence goes he give from the story to support this statement? Ultimately, at the conclusion of the story he says that the stories he tells are "not war stories," they're "love stories." What does he mean by that? [It is by the way, another paradox.] In what paradoxical [and ironic] way does cowardice lead these young men to perform courageous deeds?
• "How to Tell a True War Story," "On the Rainy River," "Enemies" and "Friends"
• Explain the difference between "happening-truth" and "story-truth," as O'Brien distinguishes it. What does story-truth do that happening-truth cannot? In what way does the fiction of Tim O'Brien become more believable and truer than happening-truth. Give examples from the book to support your answer.
• "Good Form," "Notes" --other stories as well
• IF there are any questions about character in this novel that could develop into an essay topic, it might be this: Which two soldiers are the most important to Alpha Company and in what way? -- Needless to say, support with evidence.
• Depends on who you choose

Last Week Before Finals

1. The "back story" and "outlook" for your character is NOT due today; it is due THURSDAY - 12/5/2013

2.  Make sure you're aware of when your class will have its final exam

3. They haven't disappeared, and yes, you will get them back.  (Vague pronouns used deliberately.)

4. We need to finish up character analysis today (as much as possible)

5. We need to focus on theme in The Things They Carried on Wednesday.

To explain . . . one more patient time . . . THEME in literature refers to the main idea about life that the book/short story/poem reveals. Theme is usually indirect and while it permeates the book, it is not something that one can simply "pull out" and place in a "fill in the blank" quiz. As Tim O'Brien says, theme is like a "thread" that runs through the work; you can't "tease" it out. The characters and their actions reveal the various themes in this novel. It is a character-driven novel, not a plot-driven novel. The focus is not what will happen next; rather, the focus is who are these men, how do they react to these circumstances and what happens to them. 

Themes . . . will most likely be the focus of the essay topics for the final--but to illustrate how theme is revealed, you MUST be familiar with the men of Alpha Company.

For example . . . why is storytelling important? What do stories do, according to Tim O'Brien? Who are the storytellers? What do all the storytellers have in common? What's the difference between "happening truth" and "story truth"?

For example . . . O'Brien, Norman Bowker, and Jimmy Cross are all haunted by memories. Bowker and O'Brien are especially guilt ridden by memory--but there are other soldiers who cannot forget, as well. What do they remember? How is truth different from memory? How do stories connect memory to the present?

For example . . . For all its horror, cruelty, and brutality, war is equally beautiful, according to the narrator of "How to Tell a True War Story." In fact, paradox run through this novel, not just this story, though there are abundant examples in this particular story. What are they? What are other paradoxes that exist in the story--for instance, in the midst of chaos and misery, random death and violence, how common is it to find men playing--and enjoying--a nightly game of checkers? Why is this a fitting paradox. How paradoxical is it, too, to find 19 year-old men who are more afraid to be seen a coward than to be seen dead? Remember Curt Lemon and the dentist.

For example . . . How paradoxical is it that courage and cowardice go hand and hand? How ironic, true, and paradoxical (yep, all three) that Tim O'Brien, soldier, considers himself a coward for going to war?  Why do the men of Alpha Company understand Rat Kiley's decision to shoot himself in the foot and choose not to deride him for his action?