Technology connection for The Things They Carried

What Do YOU Carry?


"They carried their reputations."
The Things They Carried

Tim discusses at length the idea carrying intangibles, like expectations, pride, and reputation. He also describes the carrying of material objects that have sentimental value. Both of these have a weight to the soldier who bear them. What we carry, our baggage, can slow us down.

This got me thinking -- what do I carry? 

Well, at the moment, I feel like I'm carrying an awful lot. I'm a teacher and a full-time graduate student, so I don't have much time to myself. I'm a relatively new mom and wife, so whenever I'm not in my classroom or doing homework, I feel obligated to spend all of my time with my family. I'm a cradle Catholic, and sometimes I struggle with the guilt of not cultivating as rich a spiritual life as I'd like. As a former college athlete, I consider myself a somewhat serious runner. I also am woman, and societal pressures about my appearance seem to get to me quite a bit.

I'm not a soldier, but like everyone else, I'm fighting a battle. I'm attempting to be myself in a world that is overly concerned with productivity, achievement, and appearance. While almost everything I've discussed is important and fulfilling, like pretty much everyone else, I feel like I've got a lot to juggle!

What kind of battle are you fighting? What burdens are you carrying?

In class today, write a few paragraphs about the conflicts you are struggling with, whether they are internal or external.

Tonight for homework, take a picture of the things you carry -- the things that represent your burdens. Upload it to instagram with the hashtag #mrsjones12thgradeenglish. Tomorrow, you'll share your images with the class and explain why your picked these objects.

Here's my image to help you get started.



Comments

  1. Anya BentApril 24, 2017 at 4:25 PM

    I love this. Another teacher in my high school reads this with her students, and each year she takes pictures of what the students carry with them (what they have in hand, or in their pockets). She creates wall art with all the pictures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownApril 26, 2017 at 6:22 PM

      Thank you, professor! One of my coworkers has a Winnie the Pooh keychain on her lanyard that has a lot of personal significance for her. It got me thinking about what other items might say something about us.

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