Reading Response 1:

The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien

Why is it important to specify the weight of the equipment each man is carrying?

Why does the lieutenant burn the letters he is carrying?

What is the attitude of the soldiers towards the war they are fighting?

Soldiers from both sides are fighting the war, but the author tells us only about the men from one side. Why doesn't he describe the North Vietnamese soldiers?

"Drown", Junot Diaz

Why is the story called "Drown"?

Why imply that the event is similar to or like drowning?

The relationship between the narrator and his friend Beto is at the center of the story. What is the nature of their relationship?

When Beto initiates a sexual encounter with the narrator, does this become a story of sexual assault or sexual awakening?

What's left unsaid in "Drown"?

Do you think they are hiding stories of sexual abuse, or from their sexual identities as gay men?