Mia Tambellini

Greater New Orleans Writing Project Teacher Consultant

English II
L.W. Higgins High School
mbtambellini@gmail.com

What Are You Carrying?

Finding Students’ Voice

“You have to listen to what resonates within your gut. You find your direction there. Your voice comes out.” – Kathy Mattea

Introduction:

The following letters were written by the same student for the same assignment: to write about an emotion
or feeling that she carries with her. The first letter is a typical note that gets passed along between students
every day. The second letter is much different. It’s unique, heartfelt and deeply moving. What sets apart the
two letters is that the second piece contains a strong voice, the personal stamp of this particular student
that comes through in each word and sentence. It’s the type of writing that I hope to release in every
student through this lesson.

Letter 1:

Dear Mary,

Hey, girly! Your sis at heart talking. My English teacher gave us this assignment, so here goes. The thing I
carry really isn’t a burden, more a gift or presence. It is something you should know very well.

Hyperactivity.

You know, that sugar rush you get after drinking a Monster. It’s that feeling you get in your stomach and
you start to shake. And the only thing in your mind is: jump, jump, jump, jump! And then we both yell JUMP!
at the same time. Then we charge out of my house to go on the trampoline.

I love being hyper, and I carry it because I love sugary foods.

Because you are my best friend, I know you can sympathize with me because the aftershock of being
hyper sucks.

Love forever,

Amy B.

Letter 2:

Dear Grandma,

I want to talk to you about something that has been bothering me. I always feel so lonely.

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It’s like no one ever wants to be around me. No one talks to me at home unless it’s to yell at me or to tell
me that I need to do something.

I feel so lonely when my parents are fighting because no one in my house seems to understand how it’s
affecting me.

I feel lonely so often lately, especially when my “friends” leave me out completely or make plans and I’m
not invited. I feel lonely and unloved so often at school when I see people standing around their friends in
big groups having fun, while I stand there quiet and lonely.

I always wish that someone would notice me and make me feel better.

I’m writing to you because I know that you get lonely wherever you are in the heavens. So thanks.

Love,

Amy B.

Rationale:

It always amazes me to read the first essay of the year. Students who are perfectly capable of telling an
amazing story orally sometimes run into difficulty translating that same story onto paper. Somehow through
the process, students have difficulty connecting to the individual voice within. Teaching students to write
with their own “voice” has always been a challenge, and I have been particularly successful using a lesson
based on excerpts from Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried.

Voice is the author’s style; it’s what makes his or her writing unique and reflects attitude, personality and
character through the writing. Authors each have a distinctive voice, and there are many exercises for
students to try and recreate the author’s voice in their own work. That is not the focus of this demonstration.
The goal of this lesson is for students to find their own personal voice.

Students need to develop their voice in order to become better writers. It’s easy to teach the process of
writing through topic sentences and supporting details, but that doesn’t show students how to write with
their heart. Once students are able release their voice, that’s when they become real writers. As a 10 th
grade English teacher in Louisiana, I am aware that writing with voice is important for students to standout
on the GEE essay, as well as a crucial skill as they go on to write essays for college applications. Teachers
need to trust that students should be allowed and encouraged to write to highlight their own distinct
personality, rather than force feed them standard formulaic writing, which will only cause to diminish their
voice as they rely on the formulas and ignore what resonates within them.

Stream of Curriculum:

Students need to be comfortable with me as their teacher and their own writing before this lesson should
occur. The topic is very personal, and students need to be able to trust that they can confide in me. This

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would not be the first writing assignment of the year; however, I teach this early in the course because I
think it’s important to establish as soon as possible that students need to write with voice. The reading
doesn’t require extensive background preparation, although again, O’Brien is a powerful writer and I would
not want this to be the first reading assignment of the class. The English II curriculum begins the year with
a short story unit, and this could be effective within the unit or as a transition into the novel unit. Following
this lesson, students will also draft, conference, and edit their writing before they begin their final product.

Theoretical Foundations:

“Voice is the imprint of ourselves on our writing. It is that part of the self that pushes the writing ahead, the
dynamo in the process. Take the voice away and the writing collapses of its own weight. There is no writing,
just word following word.” (Graves 81).

This assignment allows students to chose a subject that is close to their heart. If students aren’t given a
choice in their topic, they won’t invest in their writing, and they will have a greater difficulty finding their own
voice. If they are allowed to select their subjects, it will allow their voice to shine through and the writing
itself will improve. A strong voice inevitably leads to stronger writing. Students who find their voice will also
be more motivated to put in the effort necessary to draft and redraft, a somewhat tedious part of the writing
process (Graves 81 – 82).

At the center of the assignment is the opportunity for students to freewrite, which is an important
component in finding our voice. Freewriting lets writers empty their mind and soul on paper, without
worrying about coherence, rules or conventions. This allows writers to develop a “sincere, simple style,”
(Sebranek 87).

Students have been programmed to write following formulas of topic and supporting sentences or elaborate
graphic organizers, but that doesn’t teach to them how to write from their own heart. A formula may assist a
student to get a passing grade on the GEE essay with an Approaching Basic, but the Advanced is reserved
for the skilled writers who can prove that they have mastered and understand the concept of writing to
showcase their unique personality (Lane and Bernabei 4).

Grade Level Expectations (10 th grade):

18. Develop complex compositions on student- or teacher-selected topics that are suited
to an identified audience and purpose and that include the following:
a. word choices appropriate to the identified audience and/or purpose
b. vocabulary selected to clarify meaning, create images, and set a tone
c. information/ideas selected to engage the interest of the reader
d. clear voice (individual personality) (ELA-2-H2)

23. Develop individual writing style that includes the following:

a. a variety of sentence structures (e.g., parallel or repetitive) and lengths
b. diction selected to create a tone and set a mood
c. selected vocabulary and phrasing that reflect the character and temperament (voice) of the writer (ELA-
2-H5)

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19. Develop complex compositions using writing processes, including:
b. determining purpose and audience
c. prewriting (e.g., brainstorming, clustering, outlining, generating main idea/thesis statements)
d. drafting

10. Identify and explain in oral and written responses the ways in which particular genres
reflect life experiences, for example:
a. an essay expresses a point of view
b. a legend chronicles the life of a cultural hero
c. a short story or novel provides a vicarious life experience (ELA-6-H4)

Objective:

Students will brainstorm, prewrite and begin the first draft of a letter to someone in their lives that describes
an emotional burden they carry. The goal of the composition is to encourage students to write in a clear
voice, to focus on writing to reflect their individual personalities.

Procedure:

1. The students will read the following paragraph from O’Brien’s novel The Things They Carried. Before we
read, I make sure students have prior knowledge of the Vietnam War. I’ll ask who has learned about the
war and what students know about it. I will make sure we discuss the soldiers and the draft. I always ask for
a volunteer to read out loud for the group. Each student will have a copy of the excerpt.

“The things they carried were largely determined by necessity. Among the necessity or near-necessities were P-38
can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes,
salt tablets, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates, C rations, and two or
three canteens of water. Together, these items weighted between 15 and 20 pounds, depending upon a man’s habits
or rate of metabolism. Henry Dobbins, who was a big man, carried extra rations; he was especially fond of canned
peaches in heavy syrup over pound cake. Dave Jensen, who practiced field hygiene, carried a toothbrush, dental
floss, and several hotel-sized bars of soap he’d stolen on R&R in Sydney, Australia. Ted Lavender, who was scared,
carried tranquilizers until he was shot in the head outside the village of Than Khe in mid-April. By necessity, and
because it was SOP, they all carried steel helmets that weighted 5 pounds including the liner and camouflage cover.
They carried the standard fatigue jackets and trousers. Very few carried underwear. On their feet they carried jungle
boots – 2.1 pounds – and Dave Jensen carried three pairs of socks and a can of Dr. Scholl’s foot powder as a
precaution against trench foot. Until he was shot, Ted Lavender carried 6 or 7 ounces of premium dope, which for
him was a necessity. Mitchell Sanders, the RTO, carried condoms. Norman Bowker carried a diary. Rat Killey
carried comic books. Kiowa, a devout Baptist, carried an illustrated New Testament that had been presented to him
by his father, who taught Sunday school in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. As a hedge against bad times, however, Kiowa
also carried his grandmother’s distrust of the white man, his grandfather’s old hunting hatchet. Necessity dictated.
Because the land was mined and booby-trapped, it was SOP for each man to carry a steel-centered, nylon-covered
flak jacket, which weighted 6.7 pounds, but which seemed much heavier. Because you could die so quickly, each
man carried at least one large compress bandage, usually in the helmet band for easy access. Because the nights
were cold, and because the monsoons were wet, each carried a green plastic poncho that could be used as a
raincoat or groundsheet or makeshift tent. With its quilted liner, the poncho weighted almost 2 pounds, but it was
worth every ounce. In April, for instance, when Ted Lavender was shot, they used his poncho to wrap him up, then to
carry him across the paddy, then to lift him into the chopper that took him away” (O’Brien 2 – 3).

2. Once we are completed reading the selection, I ask the students to tell me what the paragraph was
about and why is it important. In the reading, students focus on the tangible “things” that the soldiers

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brought with them during the war. The class lists the items, each of which adds physical weight that the
soldiers must carry. Through discussion, we examine the soldier’s personality that is reflected in each item.

3. I show a slideshow from Time magazine that portrays a number of soldiers in Iraq and the item that each
carries with them. Along with the literature, a visual helps to strengthen the impact.

4. Then, I ask students to ponder what things are their own “necessities or near-necessities.” They identify
those items that they need with them, which are usually the things they have in their pockets, purses, and
backpacks at all times. I ask students to list all the tangibles they carry with them. (a T chart is effective)
Cell phones. Money. A special piece of jewelry. Make-up. Photos. Many rummage through their pockets and
purses to list each item.

5. I pass out a page with a second paragraph, and we read the next excerpt from the novel. Before we
read, I ask students to look for differences in the two selections.

“They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing – these were intangibles,
but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight. They carried shameful
memories. They carried the common secret of cowardice barely restrained, the instinct to run or freeze or hide, and in
many respects this was the heaviest burden of all, for it could never be put down, it required perfect balance and
perfect posture. They carried their reputations. They carried the soldier’s greatest fear, which was the fear of
blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. It was what had brought them to the war in
the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor. They died so as not
to die of embarrassment. They crawled into tunnels and walked point and advanced under fire. Each morning,
despite the unknowns, they made their legs move. They endured. They kept humping. They did not submit to the
obvious alternative, which was simply to close the eyes and fall. So easy, really. Go limp and tumble to the ground
and let the muscles unwind and not speak and not budge until your buddies picked you up and lifted you into the
chopper that would roar and dip its nose and carry you off to the world. A mere matter of falling, yet no one ever fell. It
was not courage, exactly; the object was not valor. Rather they were too frightened to be cowards” (O’Brien 21 – 22).

6. Students contrast these things that the soldiers carried with them to the items in the previous paragraph.
They discover that these things are emotions, memories, and thoughts – all intangibles. We discuss the
meaning of this word, intangible, and note that many of these are still a burden to the soldiers, and that
intangible items can have a physical weight within us.

7. Then, students list the intangibles they carry with them. Fear. Sadness. Memories. Pride. It is incredible
and heart-breaking to observe what kind of emotional baggage students carry with them each day. They
can even estimate the weight that each item adds.

8. Once students are finished, they look for possible links between the tangible and intangible items.
Perhaps money, or lack of money, can be linked to stress or depression. Possibly a photo connects to
love. It helps to deepen the connection and adds for further contemplation.

9. The final and most significant step is that students will select an intangible item to write about. I simply
ask them to write about one intangible thing that they carry with them. Too often, we are wrapped up in our
tangibles, or lack of tangibles. I want the focus to be their emotions.

The response I get from the assignment always amazes me. Every student will find something to write
about. While students may not have an extensive background knowledge about the Vietnam War, they can
all relate to O’Brien’s touching portrayal of the soldiers. They understand the soldiers’ need to continue
through battle just to save face. Many go through similar battles at home and at school. Students know all

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too well the feeling of not wanting to “submit to the obvious alternative, which was simply to close the eyes
and fall.” I always get powerful and moving paragraphs, and many enthusiastic students can fill several
pages on a single intangible in their lives. As they go back and read their writing, I want them to see the
unique voice within them that enables them to create a piece that nobody else could duplicate. All students
are able to open up their hearts and share their intangible, the personal thing that they probably don’t
discuss with many others.
Here are a couple of examples:

“Anger is always heavy on my shoulders. I’m angry for some many reasons. I’m angry when my dad yells and says harsh things.
I’m angry when my mom just won’t listen. And I’m especially angry when my brother and sister do something irritating and mean.
I’m always angry when I see people getting bullied. And I’m angry when that certain boy makes me jealous. Sometimes I wish I
could just take my anger and put it in a trash can. To be that happy person I once was. But I guess only I can help myself.”

- Amy B., 9th grade

“I carry embarrassment around with me all the time. I’m not embarrassed about myself, but I am embarrassed of my family. I am
one of the few people in my family that doesn’t hate my entire family or people I don’t know. My family is always asking for help
from their friends and people they don’t know, they can’t or won’t keep jobs, and they always bring up personal events, secrets,
or information to strangers. My family doesn’t know how to walk around a store to find their toddlers, children, or teenagers;
instead, they yell out their child’s name until they find out where he or she is. My entire family acts like they are insane.”

- Brandy P., 10th grade

“I go back and think about how my life was, all the memories. About the good times, the bad times, and the times in between. I
remember always having a smile on my face when I was with my friends, joking around and acting crazy, and that warm feeling
in my heart. I also think back to when my Pawpaw was alive, wishing I could go back in time just for a moment and give him one
last hug and let him know how much I miss him. I think about how today will be a memory to come and I will look back on now
and all the memories.”

- Jasmine P., 10th grade.

10. This initial piece of writing will become the basis of a letter. Students will write to a person in their life
that will discuss the intangible that they carry. It needs to be someone that the student feels can share that
weight. Because of the extensive preparation, students have a starting point for their writing and those who
usually waste time staring at a blank sheet of paper have no excuse that they don’t know how to begin.

Students should include:

- a vivid description of the “thing you carry”

- an idea of the weight of the “thing you carry”
- a sense of whether this weight is a negative burden or a positive pleasure
- an explanation of why he or she carries this thing
- a story/stories involving the “thing you carry”
- a clear sense of whom the letter is written to (and how he/she is connected to the “thing you carry”)

Materials:

Writing paper
Pens/pencils

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Copies of the two excerpts from O’Brien’s novel
Overhead projector, Whiteboard or chalkboard
Media Projector

Alternatives:

- Students could create a poem based on the “thing you carry”

- Students could perform a multi-media presentation on the “thing you carry”
- Students could create a visual representation (art, recording, video) of the “thing you carry”
- This could be a piece of a unit of O’Brien and the Vietnam War: A study of his novel and other
works; reading of other works about a similar era; research of his career and exploration of his
experience in the war; comparison of Vietnam and other wars, including the Iraq War; an editorial
piece on war and its effects.

Bibliography:

Bernabei, Gretchen and Barry Lane. Why We Must Run with Scissors. Shoreham, VT: Discover Writing
Press, 2001.

Graves, Donald H. A Fresh Look at Writing. Ontario, Canada: Irwin Publishing, 1994.

Kemper, Dave and Verne Meyer and Patrick Sebranke. Writers Inc. Great Source Education Group, 2001.

O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. New York: Penguin, 1991.

Rubenstein, Susanne. “Worth Its Weight: Letter Writing with The Things They Carried.” International
Reading Association. ReadWriteThink. 2002. 21 June 2008.
< http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1061>.

Rubenstein, Susanne. “Shared Weight: Tim O’Brien’s ‘The Things They Carried.’” Short Stories in the
Classroom. Eds. Carole L. Hamilton and Peter Kratzke. (Urbana, IL: NCTE, 1999): 5-9.
< http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson1061/03995chap01%20.pdf>.

“The Things They Carry.” Time Magazine. 13 Nov. 2006. 21 June 2008.
<http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1558328,00.html>.