Tim O'Brien'sThe Things They Carried
Some "Think Questions" about the Film
The World of Charlie Company
by Tom Robertson
“The World of Charlie Company” is an Emmy-award winning documentary produced by CBS News in 1970 that gives the “grunt’s eye view” of what fighting in the jungles of Southeast Asia was like for a collection of U.S. soldiers.
This documentary fits nicely with The Things They Carried by allowing the soldiers of Charlie Company to express many of the same thoughts, fears, hopes and dreams that Tim O’Brien’s characters raise in the book.
To help keep a few thoughts and ideas together, a few “think questions” are provided below. Please feel free to adapt/edit them as you wish.
- What was
it like for the “grunt” in the jungles of Vietnam?
- Can you
see similarities in the experiences of men of Charlie Company and in
the characters of “The Things They Carried?”
- Compare
& contrast the views on killing and death between the men of
Charlie Company and O’Brien’s characters.
- What seem
to be the perceptions of the Vietnamese people held by the soldiers of
Charlie Company and O’Brien’s characters?
- What was
Captain Jackson’s philosophy on military strategy? How well was
it accepted by those under his command? Did it differ from
Captain Rice?
- How smooth
was the transition of leadership from Captain Jackson to Captain
Rice? Were there similar instances in constant personal changes
in “The Things They Carried?”
- What are your thoughts on the refusal of some soldiers to “walk down the road?”