Welcome to the Class of 2009

Your orientation program for next year has begun. We are beginning with Tim O'Brien's beautifully constructed novel, In the Lake of the Woods. The main protagonist, John Wade is a complex and disturbing character whose wife, Kathy, is missing. O'Brien presents us with many hypotheses as to what may have happened to her. Thus the story is, in part, a mystery.

John Wade experiences an unfortunate childhood. He later becomes a soldier in the Vietnam War before returning to marry Kathy and pursue a career in politics. John Wade's involvement in the Vietnam War scars his psyche and has tragic consequences for the remainder of his adult life. Tim O'Brien is himself a Vietnam Veteran who has openly talked about his own post-traumatic stress disorder.

When we meet John Wade at the beginning of the novel he and Kathy are alone in a cabin at The Lake of the Woods on the U.S/Canadian border devastated by the end of John's political career and the events that have led them to this point.

You will read this novel and complete chapter summaries over the summer break. Due to the non-linear structure of the novel, we want you to have each chapter summarised on a separate page so later on we pull out the different types of chapters, eg "The Nature of", "Evidence", "Hypothesis" chapters to study in depth.

Our job for now is to research the background to the novel - in particular the Vietnam War and the tragic events that occurred at My Lai on March 16, 1968. We are also interested in the cover-up, the conviction of William Calley and what these things tell us about American politics.

Use the links on this site to help you answer the following questions:

1. How did the Vietnam War begin? (eg. end of French Colonialism, Dien’s assassination)
2. Why was the U.S involved? What was their motivation? (eg. The Cold War, communism, domino theory, Gulf of Tonkin)
3. What was Australia’s involvement?
4. What happened at My Lai on March 16, 1968?
5. Describe Charlie company – Who were they? How were they feeling prior to My Lai? Was there any history of brutality?
6. Describe America’s position in the Vietnam War just before My Lai?
7. Who was William Calley and why was he the only one convicted?
8. Were Calley and his men purely following orders?
9. Why was there a cover-up?
10 How did the American public react to the news of My Lai and the subsequent cover-up?
11. What was the role of the media in the Vietnam War?
12. Why was this war described as a war unlike any other in America’s history?

Below is the first part of the documentary "Four Hours in My Lai". There is a link to the other sections of the documentary on YouTube if you need to watch the whole thing again to help you answer the questions. What was your response to the documentary, "Four Hours in My Lai"?