The Things You Carry

Think about yourself as an individual or as a member of a group (student, daughter/son, team member, member of your family, etc.).  If you are thinking of yourself as part of a group, you may highlight what other members of the group carry as well. Then think of the following:

- What do you carry? Make a list both literal and figurative (emotions, experiences, responsibilities).

You may consider

What do you carry every day in school?

What do you have to bring to work or to practice?

What things do you carry that are very visible to the world?

What things are more hidden?

What things are totally invisible, that is, abstract or symbolic?

What do others make you carry?

What things do you carry that you'd like to put down?
What specific memories do you have that are associated with this role in your life?

For example, I might think of my role as a mother. Then, I will think about the physical things I carry in this role and the emotional/figurative/symbolic things I carry (like sleep deprivation, responsibility for someone else's life, shameful memories that involve accidentally letting my son role off a bed, etc.)

Using Chapter 1 of TTTC as a model, write a 1-2 page essay in which you articulate the things you carry. You may choose to write in the third person (he/she/or they if you are thinking of yourself as part of a group). Your essay should have a mix of the literal and figurative. All items should have a clear purpose. Think of the rhetorical strategies O'Brien uses in his writing and try to emulate these strategies. Consider how you will begin and end your piece. Examine how he begins and ends certain sections of this chapter as a guide.

Due date: Tuesday, 3/7 on turnitin.com for period 2
Wednesday, 3/8 on turnitin.com for period 4