English 1B - Seminar 2

Walker's Everyday Use and O'Brien's The Things They Carried

Directions:  Choose one question for each story and write a short (2-4 paragraph) response for each.  Use quotes from the story in your response.

Everyday Use

1.  What are some of the symbolic meanings of the quilt?  What does it represent for different characters?

2.  What are some of the conflicts between characters?  What would you say is the central conflict?  Do you think the conflict is resolved at the end? Why or why not?

3.  How is the word "heritage" used in the story?  How does the meaning of the word differ for each of the main characters?

The Things They Carried

1.  How are each of the characters developed?  In other words, what do we know about the characters, and how do we know those things about them?  How does O'Brien reveal to us what the characters are like?
2.  How does O'Brien handle the plot of this story?  How is information revealed to the reader - in a liner fashion, or does O'Brien distort the narrative arc?  Try to think of at least one reason why he might have arranged the plot as he did.

3.  What symbols do you find among the things the men carried?  How do the objects reveal something important about the man who carried them?

Free Choice: create another question for one or both stories, and write a response.

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