Spare Parts

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

Now You Try: The Marine Corps “Fit @ Home” Challenge

In this activity, students will get a taste of what it is like to be a member of the US Marines, emulating some of the physical tests of endurance that Williams experienced in Spare Parts.

Education is one of the core themes in Spare Parts: At boot camp, Williams learns what it means to be a Marine, and in combat, he learns what it means to fight in a war. These lessons would not be possible without first undergoing intense physical fitness, which the Marines are known for. To strengthen your understanding of Williams’s experience, you will learn more about the physical fitness regime of the Marines and even take part in some of the exercises yourself.

• First, learn about how exercise is good for the brain. Read the article “How Physical Exercise Makes Your Brain Work Better” from The Guardian, then consider how moving your body can sharpen your mind and boost your focus.
• Next, hit the school gym. At the gym, you can opt to start with the Marine’s official Initial Strength Test, as described in the Physical Requirements section of the Marine’s official website. The Initial Strength Test is the bare minimum fitness requirement for all Marines, and it involves three simple tests: pull-ups or push-ups, running, and planks. How did you do? After that, you can pick and choose a circuit on the Marine Corps “Fit @ Home” program and go through 1-2 rounds for beginners and 2-3 rounds for those with an intermediate level of physical fitness.
• Now, write a short 500-word reflection. Did the challenges meet your expectations? How did it feel to reach your physical limit? How does this feeling change your perception of Williams’s experiences?
• Finally, review the text and reflect upon Williams’s experience. Discuss how you felt while completing these exercises, then consider some of the moments where Williams discusses his and his fellow Marines’ exhaustion. Can you imagine how it might feel to stay up for an additional 24 hours or more on top of such intense physical exercise? Did participating in this challenge give you a deeper appreciation for what Williams and his fellow Marines endured?

Teaching Suggestion: If you do not have access to the school gym, you can also clear a section of your classroom to have students perform this activity in-class, or you could have students complete these activities as homework. Alternatively, you can also opt to make this a longer-term project and ask students to participate in the entire 12-week “Fit @Home” program. Note that these are all bodyweight exercises that do not require any special gear. It may be helpful to first consult and defer to your school’s health and safety protocols when it comes to performing physical education in the classroom. You may also want to review the Center for Disease Control’s “Strategies for Classroom Physical Activity in Schools” for guidelines on how to keep your students safe and healthy.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students with physical disabilities or those who have strong negative feelings about exercise, consider adding an alternative research component in which these students study and report on the effects of intense physical exercise on the mind and body. It may be helpful to provide resources about potential health risks and benefits; creating small research groups may also encourage engagement. This activity could develop in the form of a research essay, poster, or slide deck, though presentations may be unnecessary. 

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Throughout training, numerous conflicts emerge among the Marines of Williams’s unit.

• What is the nature of the conflicts that arise in the story? (topic sentence)
• Choose two conflicts that arise during training and two conflicts that arise during war. Explain the effects of these conflicts using specific details from the text.
• In your conclusion, explore how Williams sees these conflicts and how they contribute to his Education.

2. Williams’s civilian life and his Marine life co-exist alongside one another throughout Spare Parts.

• How does Williams’s civilian life clash with his Marine life? (topic sentence)
• Choose two examples from the text that show how his worlds clash. Explore these scenes by providing context and explaining why this conflict occurs.
• In your conclusion, assess how the clash between Williams’s civilian life and Marine life contributes to his Seeking a Sense of Belonging.

3. In Spare Parts, Williams gives an intimate account of what it is like to be a Marine.

• How does Williams exemplify or contradict the stereotypical image of the rough and tough Marine? (topic sentence)
• Choose at least two scenes that support your claim. Explain your reasoning carefully using specific evidence from the text.
• In your conclusion, describe how Williams’s portrayal of the Marines in Spare Parts makes it more authentic.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Throughout the memoir, Williams’s relationship with his brother Lenny’s memory evolves over time. What were some of the major moments that impacted Williams’s life and reminded him of Lenny? How does Lenny, even after his passing, help Williams in Seeking a Sense of Belonging? In your conclusion, explore how Williams’s relationship to his brother is one of the guiding forces throughout his life.

2. Williams says he is glad that most people back home will never know about the torture and other atrocities he saw during the Gulf War. However, at the same time, he describes those atrocities in detail throughout Spare Parts. What is Williams’s purpose in doing this? In your conclusion, describe how exposing the reader to the graphic nature of these atrocities serves to uphold Williams’s mission of Education.

3. Williams points out the negative feelings active-duty Marines have toward “spare parts.” How does Williams perceive this issue by the end of the memoir? How does working with the young Marines and embracing Education of future Marines help him reconcile his place in the Marines’ universe? In your conclusion, explore Williams’s Sense of Belonging with active-duty Marines at the conclusion of the memoir.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What is the cause of Williams’s father’s death in 1987?

A) Cancer

B) Car accident

C) Drowning

D) Shooting

2. What movie does Williams quote when Drill Instructor Talley asks Williams why he joined the Marines?

A) A Few Good Men

B) Jarhead

C) Good Morning, Vietnam

D) Full Metal Jacket

3. Why do the drill instructors put the platoon through so much physical and emotional discomfort, according to Charlie?

A) Because they want them to be the best of the best.

B) Because they need to train them to kill.

C) Because they know it is good for their spirit.

D) Because they want them to suffer.

4. What lesson does Williams learn about the Marines after the mistake of “hanging” the mortar round almost hurts him?

A) Egos can get in the way of Marine training.

B) Drill sergeants are not to be trusted.

C) Competition among platoon members is dangerous.

D) Mortar should never be handled without a partner.

5. Which one of the following moments in the text best describes the theme of Williams’s Seeking a Sense of Belonging in Chapters 3-4?

A) Williams does everything in his power to gain approval from Moss.

B) Once back from boot camp, Williams feels out of place in the civilian world.

C) In the blowing snow, Williams reflects upon the death of his comrade, Hurst.

D) Williams’s mother tells him that Lenny would be thrilled to see him in his uniform.

6. What causes Williams to almost freeze to death on patrol in Chapter 4?

A) He is locked out of the shelter and left in the cold.

B) He falls into a near-frozen lake and is unable to pull himself out.

C) He does not wear his cold weather gear in the snow, per Nagel’s instruction.

D) He does not properly wear his cold weather gear.

7. What excuse does Williams tell his lieutenant in Chapter 4 to get out of drills?

A) He has a broken toe.

B) He has the stomach flu.

C) He has a family emergency.

D) He has an old injury flaring up.

8. In Chapter 5, which of his fellow corporals does Williams study hard to beat?

A) Corporal Chin

B) Corporal Edsar

C) Corporal Frye

D) Corporal Dougherty

9. What racism does Williams notice in his Marine training?

A) Black Marines are often given less desirable roles.

B) Edsar and Frye make fun of Asian Americans with their kung-fu theater.

C) Black Marines are subject to more physically demanding trials in training.

D) Frye uses racial slurs to describe the citizens of Kuwait.

10. What is one example of the divide between active-duty Marines and reservists?

A) While marching to chow, active-duty Marines jeer at Williams’s platoon.

B) Active-duty Marines get first pick of the rations.

C) Reservists are forced to use threadbare blankets and bedding in their barracks.

D) Active-duty Marines are given preferential treatment by the commanders.

11. In Chapter 7, what inspires Williams to reflect upon his mortality, and thus propose to Gina in a letter?

A) There is general talk about dog tags and identifying dead bodies.

B) He sees a young Iraqi woman shot and killed on her way to the market.

C) One of his platoon members is struck by a grenade and dies instantly.

D) Sgt. Rodriguez makes each platoon member consider what it will feel like to die in battle.

12. What happens in Chapter 8 that causes Captain Cruz to threaten Sgt. Moss with a demotion?

A) He mistakenly shoots a fellow Marine in the foot.

B) He fires an A-10 Warthog prematurely and wastes precious ammunition.

C) He abandons his post early to get a few moments of rest in the barracks.

D) He falls asleep at his post, and an enemy truck gets through their lines.

13. How is Edsar killed, as described in Chapter 9?

A) He trips on a grenade while collecting trophies.

B) An enemy soldier slashes his throat.

C) He crashes an LAV into a brick wall.

D) He is struck by an airborne enemy missile en route to chow.

14. Which of the following is not an activity that Williams does with elementary schools in his area, as a way of coping with the PTSD over his war experiences in Saudi Arabia?

A) He presents lectures to students on the Middle East.

B) He begins addressing the functional needs of students with disabilities.

C) He institutes a “boot camp” at schools.

D) He creates a presentation on the heroism of Marines.

15. When Williams’s toddler daughter was learning to talk, what were her third and fourth words?

A) "Semper fi”

B) “Ooh rah”

C) “Be brave”

D) “Daddy’s sad”

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Early in the book, how does Williams establish his strong commitment to family?

2. How does Williams learn about the nature of war in Spare Parts?