essays are at least 50% bullshit
Jun. 8th, 2018 04:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
edenfallingTrying to write essays from memory without the text in front of me for reference is always an interesting exercise. *wry*
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Reading responses will begin with a paragraph summary of the the piece in question. The summary will include the "title", the author, and the page numbers of the work in question. The next paragraph(s) will be the answer(s) to the assigned question(s). All answers should be written in detail, using specific examples from the work in question to support and explain your point of view. Don't just tell what you think; explain what you think and why you think it. Be sure to use parenthetical references whenever you summarize, paraphrase, or quote a source. Reading responses will be graded for completion and for the substance of the content.
Reading Response: "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien (468-481)
1. Write a plot summary. (Keep your summary objective and don't forget to cite it.)
2. List and explain how each of the soldiers' personal and military "things" help the reader understand who each of the characters are. Explain. Your answers should be detailed; use quotations and paraphrases. MLA format for parenthetical references and Works Cited is required.
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Tim O'Brien's story "The Things They Carried" (O'Brien, 468-481) follows a company of American soldiers through their everyday lives in the Vietnam war. It is written non-chronologically and focuses on the soldiers' burdens, ranging from the physical weight of weapons and clothes, through the partially metaphorical weight of keepsakes, to the fully intangible weight of memories, emotions, and dreams. [Another sentence goes here because a two-sentence paragraph is ridiculous.]
Insofar as there is a plot to the story, it follows one day in the company's deployment, during which a soldier is killed and the lieutenant in command decides to change his emotional approach to the war. Lt. [C???] begins the story obsessed with his one-sided love for [M???], a girl he knew back in [location]; he carries her letters and rereads them every night. On the day in question, his company receives orders to [thing around Village Name], which requires them to [thing with tunnels]. While they investigate the first set of tunnels, [??? Lavender] leaves the security perimeter to urinate; Lt. [C???] does not notice this because he is so distracted by his feelings for [M???]. As the soldier sent down to clear the tunnels returns to the surface, [??? Lavender] is unceremoniously shot by a sniper on his way back from relieving himself. The soldiers secure his corpse and load it into a helicopter for [correct terminology goes here]. The survivors chew over the incident for the rest of the day and evening [blah blah stuff goes here] and Lt. [C???] [stuff about emotions]. Then they go burn [Village Name] and kill all its inhabitants. {{citations as relevant}}
And here we start talking about the actual things the soldiers carried. Blah, blah, this will require a lot of names and quotes and will have to wait for tonight. Probably do Lt. [C???] last since he's the one who changes during the story, as symbolized by burning [M???]'s letters. (Note to self: thematic link between burning letters and burning village? Removal of softer emotions because war, etc.? See if you can work that in.)
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Reading responses will begin with a paragraph summary of the the piece in question. The summary will include the "title", the author, and the page numbers of the work in question. The next paragraph(s) will be the answer(s) to the assigned question(s). All answers should be written in detail, using specific examples from the work in question to support and explain your point of view. Don't just tell what you think; explain what you think and why you think it. Be sure to use parenthetical references whenever you summarize, paraphrase, or quote a source. Reading responses will be graded for completion and for the substance of the content.
Reading Response: "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien (468-481)
1. Write a plot summary. (Keep your summary objective and don't forget to cite it.)
2. List and explain how each of the soldiers' personal and military "things" help the reader understand who each of the characters are. Explain. Your answers should be detailed; use quotations and paraphrases. MLA format for parenthetical references and Works Cited is required.
---------------
Tim O'Brien's story "The Things They Carried" (O'Brien, 468-481) follows a company of American soldiers through their everyday lives in the Vietnam war. It is written non-chronologically and focuses on the soldiers' burdens, ranging from the physical weight of weapons and clothes, through the partially metaphorical weight of keepsakes, to the fully intangible weight of memories, emotions, and dreams. [Another sentence goes here because a two-sentence paragraph is ridiculous.]
Insofar as there is a plot to the story, it follows one day in the company's deployment, during which a soldier is killed and the lieutenant in command decides to change his emotional approach to the war. Lt. [C???] begins the story obsessed with his one-sided love for [M???], a girl he knew back in [location]; he carries her letters and rereads them every night. On the day in question, his company receives orders to [thing around Village Name], which requires them to [thing with tunnels]. While they investigate the first set of tunnels, [??? Lavender] leaves the security perimeter to urinate; Lt. [C???] does not notice this because he is so distracted by his feelings for [M???]. As the soldier sent down to clear the tunnels returns to the surface, [??? Lavender] is unceremoniously shot by a sniper on his way back from relieving himself. The soldiers secure his corpse and load it into a helicopter for [correct terminology goes here]. The survivors chew over the incident for the rest of the day and evening [blah blah stuff goes here] and Lt. [C???] [stuff about emotions]. Then they go burn [Village Name] and kill all its inhabitants. {{citations as relevant}}
And here we start talking about the actual things the soldiers carried. Blah, blah, this will require a lot of names and quotes and will have to wait for tonight. Probably do Lt. [C???] last since he's the one who changes during the story, as symbolized by burning [M???]'s letters. (Note to self: thematic link between burning letters and burning village? Removal of softer emotions because war, etc.? See if you can work that in.)
