“The Things They Carried” Writing Assignment



“The Things They Carried” Writing Assignment

Tim O’Brien’s story “The Things They Carried” describes the tangible things that the soldiers carried, why the soldiers carried those things, and the intangible impact that those things have on their lives. Write an essay that describes the tangible things that you carry, why you carry those things, and the intangible impact that those things have on your life. You may include the things that your classmates and friends carry, and the impact that those things have on their lives.

Read again O’Brien’s paragraphs about the things the soldiers carried. Notice the structure – names, objects, weights, causes, and reasons. Imitate the structure in your essay. Write in third person. Refer to yourself in third person. Weigh the things that you carry and write those weights in your paper. Write the reasons why you (and others) carry those things. Write some of your sentences as O’Brien writes his, using appositives, adjective phrases, relative clauses, commas, and dashes.

Write a smooth transition to shift from the tangible to the intangible. Read the story again to see how O’Brien does it, and imitate him.

Be honest and take risks.

Go way beyond what all students and teens carry – backpacks, heavy books, cell phones, burden of homework.

The essay should be approximately 500 – 750 words in length, double-spaced, and typed. Type your papers in 12-point font.

Give your essay an original title.

Type your name and class period in the upper-right corner.

Essay is worth 100 points.

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