The Things They Carried Research & Context

“And in the end, of course, a true war story is never about war. It's about sunlight. It's about the special way that dawn spreads out on a river when you know you must cross the river and march into the mountains and do things you are afraid to do. It's about love and memory. It's about sorrow. It's about sisters who never write back and people who never listen.” - from The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

Let's build some context about the backdrop of our next novel, The Things They Carried by a masterful writer and storyteller, Tim O'Brien. 

While you could read and appreciate this text without the historical context, it will punch harder by learner the severity and social context of the Vietnam War. 

That's what this work is about: learn what you can about Vietnam -- why we were there, why it was controversial, and what America was like. 

Your task: Research the Vietnam War to build background knowledge and context. 

Directions: 

1. Research the Vietnam War. Consider timeline of events, impact of war in America, the draft, controversy surrounding war, political consequences, lasting effects of war, and so on. 

2. Provide 3 interesting and meaningful facts about this event by commenting on this blog post. Take care to use a reliable source and cite it in your comment. No Wikipedia and no "answers" sights. 

**The catch? No repeats! Let's gather up as much information as we can to help create the backdrop for this truly inventive and moving novel.