“Ambush” & “Birds in Formation”
Agenda
1 - Starter #15
2 - TTTC Vignette #5 Assignment
Reading: “Ambush” from The Things They Carried
Reading: “Birds in Formation” from Other Moons: Vietnamese Short Stories of the American War and Its Aftermath
3 - TTTC Vignette #5 Writing Response
Directions: Select one (1) prompt from below to respond to. Each response must contain one quote from “Ambush” and one quote from “Birds in Formation”.
Prompt #1: How do “Ambush” and “Birds in Formation” show that a story can still be “true” even when memories are uncertain, or facts are unclear?
In your answer, explain what truth means in each text and use one quotation from each story to support your explanation.
Prompt #2: What do “Ambush” and “Birds in Formation” suggest about the difference between factual truth and emotional truth?
Write a short paragraph explaining this difference and support your ideas with one piece of textual evidence from each work.
Prompt #3: Why do the authors of “Ambush” and “Birds in Formation” focus on memory and emotion instead of clear facts?
Answer the question by explaining how each text presents truth and include one quote from each story.
Prompt #4: How do the characters’ memories in “Ambush” and “Birds in Formation” shape what the reader understands as the “truth” of the war?
Support your response with one detail or quotation from each text.
