Consistent throughout this story is O'Brien's struggle in presenting and accepting the truth. Place this statement on an overhead and present it to the class. Then have a massive brainstorming activity on the word "truth," helping students to recall everything the class has addressed over the past two or three weeks, beginning with lesson one, the exploration of fact and fiction through published examples, and culminating with lesson Seven. This will take time and require lots of room; for this activity get a paper roll and stretch it around the front, or the entire room. Then give each student a marker and have him/her begin writing ideas they associate with the word "truth," be it examples, definitions, quotes, and philosophies. Also have them recall characters, authors, events, and lessons from the entire unit. Then have the students sit down and look at their writing, and the massive quantity of their ideas they have about truth including textual support. Assess the students on exercises one through eight, not only, through their writing but also through their participation. Throughout the year return to this question of truth in literature. Remind students that the New Journalist's of the 1950's like Truman Capote and non-narrative fiction writers of today such as O'Brien attempt to most accurately present the truth, even though it means narrowing the gap between fiction and fact.