AP Paper

AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION

Marking Period #1 Major Paper 

DUE: Friday October 11, 2011

ANALYSIS ESSAY:  Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried

Requirements:

1. A clear thesis statement and introduction which sets out for your reader the point you wish to make about the stories. 
2. A very brief synopsis of the stories you are discussing. This means writing a sentence or two about each story (no more than one paragraph in total).
3. An analysis supported by examples from the text, properly quoted (or paraphrased) and cited.
4. You are not required to use sources other than O’Brien’s book to support your views; if you do use any outside sources, make sure you properly quote or paraphrase and cite. Note, however, that the use of outside sources for this essay is strongly discouraged!
5. Length: 4-5 pages
6. All drafts must be typed (10 or 12 font), double-spaced, 1" margins. .
7. Must have a title other than the book title.
8. Use MLA format for citing.  You are not required to use a separate sheet of paper for Works Cited.

Possible topics:

1. Storytelling: Fact or Fiction

Like most of the literature of the Vietnam war, ''The Things They Carried'' is shaped by the personal combat experience of the author. O'Brien is adamant, however, that the fiction not be mistaken for factual accounts of events. In an interview with Michael Coffey of Publishers Weekly soon after the book was published, O'Brien claims: ‘‘My own experience has virtually nothing to do with the content of the book.’’ Indeed the title

page of the book announces it as ''a work of fiction.'' The book is dedicated, however, ''to the men of Alpha Company, and in particular to Jimmy Cross, Norman Bowker, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Henry Dobbins, and Kiowa." O'Brien himself was an infantryman in Alpha Company and was stationed in the Quang Ngai province in 1969-70. When asked about this device in an interview with Martin Narparsteck in Contemporary Literature, O'Brien explains: "What I'm saying is that even with that nonfiction-sounding element in the story, everything in the story is fiction, beginning to end. To classify different elements of the story as fact or fiction seems to me artificial. Literature should be looked at not for its literal truth but for its emotional qualities. What matters in literature, I think, are the pretty simple things--whether it moves me or not. Whether it feels true. The actual literal truth should be superfluous."

2. THEME AND CHARACTERIZATION:

What is the role of shame or guilt in the soldier’s lives?  How does it affect their actions?  Does it make them heroic or cowardly? Which stories reflect this theme?

3. CHARACTERIZATION:

What role do women play in the novel—as friends, lovers, daughters, mothers, dancers, warriors, etc.?  This topic covers the entire book, but try to keep your focus

specific to particular stories and examples.

4. THEME:

What is the role of death in the book?  Is it a something to be feared or a perhaps an escape from the nightmare of war?

5. STRUCTURE:

    You may want to focus your analysis on the structure of the novel and how the stories and reflections interconnect to present a larger picture.

6. STYLE:

     You may want to focus your analysis on elements of REALISM and  MAGIC REALISM in the novel,  or perhaps you might want to discuss METAFICTION—how this is a novel about fiction.

7. DICTION:

 Tim O'Brien's writing constantly seeks to give meaning to the events that happened in Vietnam. Create a written portrait of Tim O'Brien using three or four carefully selected passages that describe the narrator's inner thoughts as evidence to support your ideas. What does each reveal about his concerns, hopes, and fears? How do certain word choices reveal the way he sees the world?

8. Your choice: Discuss with Ms. Gamzon

Most Common AP Class Errors

1.     Beginning sentences with “and” or “but”

2.     Fragments and run-ons

-Refer back to Strunk and White

3.     Not adhering to MLA format

-12 pt., Times New Roman Font

-Double Spacing

–Block Quotes: When including quotes four lines or more in length, single space and indent the selection

-Citing an author (Author’s last name (no comma) page #)

-Placing the period within the quotation marks or at the end of a citation

4.     Not using the present tense when talking about a literary piece of work

5.     Not properly using quotes

-Using quotes as filler rather than as support for your ideas

            Using partial quotes can be a good fix for this

-Listing quotes rather than introducing them

            Quotes should not float within your writing; they should tie in

with your argument

                        -Never using quotes and just summarizing the work

6.     Not placing the thesis at the end of the first paragraph

-This is where the reader is expecting to find your thesis

-This guides your reader for what is to come

7.     Improper introductions and conclusions

-Using phrases such as “in conclusion,” “finally,” or “ultimately”

-Not writing a hook for the introduction

            Refer to:

Use a hook:

homeworktips.about.com/od/essaywriting/a/hook.htm