The+Things+They+Carried 

// The Things They Carried // : A New Voice =Template: Make a copy, share with your partner and teacher. =

=Part I: "The Lives of the Dead" =

5 points
In the last chapter of //The Things They Carried//, titled “The Lives of the Dead,” the speaker states: “But this too is true: stories can save us” (O’Brien 225).

He goes on to say: The thing about a story is that you dream it as you tell it, hoping that others might then dream along with you, and in this way memory and imagination and language combine to make spirits in the head…You make the dead talk…in a story [you] can steal [a person’s] soul. [You] can revive, at least briefly, that which is absolute and unchanging. In a story, miracles can happen. (O’Brien 230, 231, 236).

You will create a piece of metafiction utilizing O’Brien’s method of storytelling; but first, you need to review the last chapter of the novel and our work from throughout the book to answer two questions on your group document.

1. What are the characteristics of metafiction as used by Tim O'Brien in //The Things They Carried//? 2. What are the characteristics of any good war story?

5 points
Read and take notes  on Lisa Stark's article titled, “[|Medal of Honor: A Modern Memorial to Those who Gave Their All for This Country]” from ABC News May 21, 2012 paper by clicking the link.

When you have finished, answer the question posed on your group document.

Part III: A New Voice
After reading the article, visit the[| Wall of Honor] and <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0000ff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">c <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #001cff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">hoose one soldier to analyze more closely <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">. The soldier can be from any branch of the military or any war that you are interested in. Utilizing what you know about the genre of metafiction, and the characteristics of a good war story <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #001cff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">create a creative work in the form of a letter home from your selected soldier <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">. Your letter should be creative, but you should ground it in the facts of your soldier’s life. For ideas, closely examine the art of storytelling and retelling as O’Brien presents it in the chapters we read from //The Things They Carried.//

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">After you write your letter, <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #001cff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">post it to your group document <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">. Make sure to fill in the background information section on the Google doc for your soldier as well.

Letter Rubric
 * Criteria || Score ||
 * The letter meets or exceeds the following guidelines:
 * Is at least two paragraphs in length
 * Includes a link to a real soldier
 * Includes the pertinent background information
 * Follows standard rules of spelling, mechanics, and grammar || /10 ||
 * The letter is a work of metafiction that clearly demonstrates the student’s creative writing abilities and his or her understanding of the novel The Things They Carried. || /10 ||
 * ** Total ** || ** /20 ** ||