Assignment:  

In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, focus on the Chapter The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong. Mary Ann Bell could certainly be said to illustrate a broad theme in the novel.  Write a short essay addressing why that character is central to the book, how and why the character is used by the storyteller.  Clearly show your understanding of the novel, the theme you identify, an how that character works in that theme.

Procedure:

Follow our early discussions to help identify how Bell's character works thematically in the novel.  Reread the chapter and relevant sections or chapters, taking careful notes on how they are presented, what they do, what they say.  Outline the chapter we have concentrated on.  What role does this character play in exemplifying a major theme?

Outline.  Draft your papers.  Use the section from your Little, Brown Reader, “A Reader Writes.

Submitting Via Email: 

You will submit these papers as MS Word documents, as attachments to and email addressed to steelej@wit.edu.  The Subject line of your Email should read English 100.  Papers should be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 22.

Format: 

 These papers will be in MLA format:  One inch margins, completely double-spaced (no more no less), in a standard 12 point font, pages numbered.  I expect these papers to be 900 to 1000 words, carefully proofread and edited.