TTTC-Letter Writing Assignment

 We have been discussing the “weight” various characters carry during and after their

experiences in the Vietnam War. Although soldiers do carry tangible weight, it is often the

intangible weights that are much harder to cope with. For example, Lt. Cross struggled with his

love for Martha, Tim’s guilt for Kiowa’s death, and all of the soldiers deal with painful memories

of the war. As human beings, we all carry around emotional weight—“things” that cause us

stress and/or emotional pain.

Directions: You will be responsible for writing a letter to someone “back home.” Select

someone with whom you can share this emotional weight. Try to think of someone who either

is the cause of this pain or who is somehow involved in it. If that seems impossible, just

address your letter to someone you trust. Be sure to tell the whole story. Imagine you are Tim

O’Brien writing The Things They Carried. If you need to embellish the story or change names,

or small details, feel free to. It is up to you whether or not you actually send this letter—some

people may decide to as actually sending these letters might be quite cathartic.

Requirements:

• Letters may be handwritten—should be 1-2 pages.

• You need a brainstorm/rough draft and a final draft; there should be noticeable

diferences between the rough and final drafts.

• The letter should fully tell the story (in many ways this is a narrative essay)—remember,

even though this is a personal letter, I will need to read it in order to give you a grade.

• Use appropriate grammar and mechanics. Paragraph when necessary.

• Don’t forget to write this in proper letter format with a greeting, the date, and a

salutation.

The letter will be due on Thursday October 30th in class