Short Story Unit #2Short Story Unit #2

““How to Tell A True War Story”How to Tell A True War Story”

““How to Cheat at Basketball”How to Cheat at Basketball”

““Battle Royal”Battle Royal”

Author #1: Tim O’Brien

• Basics:– Born: October 1, 1946– Birthplace: Minnesota

– Writing: Usually writes about his experiences in the Vietnam war

Vietnam Background:

• The US sent troops to Vietnam in 1960’s to help stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia.

• Before this, Vietnam had fought for freedom against France.

• This split the country into two, those who were friendly with the US (south) and the Viet Cong (communist influence)

Map of Vietnam

Vietnam Background Cont.

• Unfortunately for the US, the governments of South Vietnam were corrupt, unstable and did not have support of the people. The South Vietnamese army was poorly trained. Americans found themselves fighting a guerilla war, of which they had little experience.

Vietnam Background Cont.

• Because of overwhelming American firepower, the Viet Cong relied on ambushes, land mines, and other surprise attacks to confuse and demoralize American troops.

Vietnam Background Cont.

• Instead of established battlefronts, soldiers spent their time marching up and down hillsides, looking through tunnels, burning villages that supported the enemy and trying to avoid ambushes. – Hurt morale because soldiers didn’t feel like

they were accomplishing anything…no beginning, no end.

Vietnam Background: In the United States…

• The war was unpopular in the US. Many didn’t understand why we were there, and were angry that we weren’t winning.

• Drafting men at 19 (youngest of any war)– Caused errors in judgment, inexperienced– Soldiers weren’t appreciated because people

didn’t believe in the war

Vietnam Background: In the United States…

• Many soldiers suffered because they were seen as the enemy and often jeered and humiliated by anti-war protesters…

• Felt that no one understood what they went through

Civilians

Battlefields

Protests in the US

O’Brien cont.

• Served in Vietnam from 1968-1970

• Members of his unit were involved in the famous My Lai Massacre:

• “we all wondered why the place was so hostile. We did not know there had been a massacre there a year earlier. The news only came out later, while we were there…

My Lai Massacre

(March 16, 1968) Mass killing of as many as 500 unarmed villagers by U.S. soldiers in the hamlet of My Lai during the Vietnam War. A company of U.S. soldiers on a search-and-destroy mission against the hamlet found no armed Viet Cong there but nonetheless killed all the elderly men, women, and children they could find; few villagers survived. The incident was initially covered up by high-ranking army officers, but it was later made public by former soldiers. In the ensuing courts-martial, platoon leader Lt. William Calley was accused of directing the killings and was convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to life in prison; but Pres. Richard Nixon intervened on his behalf, and he was paroled after three years. The massacre and other atrocities revealed during the trial divided the U.S. public and contributed to growing disillusionment with the war.

My Lai Massacre

verisimilitude

• Work that is blurred between fiction and reality.

• Question: Do you need to make up details in order for the truth to revealed?

– Can create mood and understanding, so truth can be felt

O’Brien Today

• Won National Book Award in 1979

• Won James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction in 1995 (Lake of the Woods)

“How to Tell A True War Story”

• Chapter in novel The Things They Carried• Written in 1990 (was a finalist for the Pulitzer

Prize)

• Summary: The narrator attempts to show you how a true war story needs to be told as he is telling you various war stories. He tells you what aspects of story telling are needed in order for you to understand what point the story is supposed to make. And sometimes, there is no point.

Themes in “How to Tell A True War Story”:

• Isolation

• Language

• Truth

• Courage

• redemption

Author #2: Ralph Ellison

• Basics: – Born: March 1, 1914– Birthplace: Oklahoma City

– Best known for novel

Invisible Man

Treatment of blacks during 1930’s

• Racism was prevalent throughout the United States during the 1930’s. However, treatment and level of racism differed depending where you lived.

Racism in the South during 1930’s

• Racism prevalent

• Not allowed to use same bathrooms, drinking fountains, restaurants

• Affected socially, economically, politically

• Many experienced harassment from the KKK (lynching, burning of churches/homes)

Racism in the North during the 1930’s

• Racism still evident, but had more economic freedom and political clout

• Able to get better paying jobs

• Able to walk on sidewalks without fear of being harassed

Great Migration

• Many African Americans moved to the North during the 1930’s. It was during the Great Depression, so everyone had it hard. However, there was more employment opportunity and stories of getting treated better started to spread south, making those getting abused want to move North.

Location of most migration

• Harlem

• Chicago

Invisible Man

• Published in 1952

• Explores the theme of an unnamed black man’s search for his identity and place in society in New York City during the 1930’s.

• Explores contrast between racism in north and south and their alienating effects.

“Battle Royal”

• Originally published as a short story in 1947.

• Themes:– Violence– Naiveté– Economic power

“Battle Royal”: Summary

• The story of a nameless narrator who attends a meeting to accept a scholarship awarded to him by the white community members. However, the reader soon learns that he is there as part of the entertainment for the evening, even if the narrator doesn’t see this fact for himself.

Ellison, after Invisible Man

• Won several writing awards

• Taught at Bard College and Rutgers University, University of Chicago and New York University

• Died in April of 1994

Author #3: Bill Cosby

• Basics:– Born: July 12, 1937– Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pa

– Known primarily for comedy and acting, write several short stories and television shows

TV Shows:

• Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids

• The Cosby Show

• The Electric Company

Cosby: growing up

• Grew up in Philadelphia

• 3 brothers

• Played football, basketball and track and field

• Dropped out of school in the 10th grade, but went back 2 years later

• Awarded track and field scholarship (Temple University)

Writing

• Focuses on the humorous aspects of everyday life and growing up

• Awarded Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, 2009

• (Has a Ph. D in Education from University of Mass.)

Writing Cont.

• Author of 7 books

• Writing has been hailed as “Illuminating, witty, and elegant and demonstrates the same deft comedic touch as his TV work”.

Controversy

• Critical of African Americans who put higher priorities on sports, fashion and “acting hard” than on education, self respect, and self improvement

• Made comments about blacks who seem to have forgotten the sacrifices of the Civil Rights Movement.

• Questioned goals of those who don’t help educate and employ their own community.

“How to Cheat at Basketball”

• Written in 1970

• Summary: The story of what it was like to play basketball in local parks without the modern courts, uniforms and equipment players have access to today.

“How to Cheat at Basketball”

• Themes/elements of literature– Poverty– Success

– Wit/humor– Satire– Hyperbole