Module 4: War and Modernism

War and Modernism

The midterm exam is available February 26 - March 5. Remember that it is a proctored exam, so you must make an appointment at Proctored Test Registration System

OUTCOMES:

Students will be familiar with the major events and movements of the historical period corresponding to the published works of writers studied.
Students will understand the major plot and/or ideas of the assigned works of Robinson, Cather, Frost, Hurston, and Fitzgerald.
Students will explore and analyze the subtle motivations of the characters in the assigned works.
Students will examine and apply the major themes discussed in this unit and be able to explain how these themes are demonstrated in the works assigned.
Students will learn some of the characteristics of modernism and be able to recognize those characteristics in the works of T. S. Eliot and Sandburg.
Students will be familiar with the information in the linked documents on modernism, themes in modern literature, and Sandburg and Eliot.

Assignments include

reading the historical introductory material in the text book,
reading all the documents linked in the module
reading selections from the works of Robinson, Cather, Frost, Hurston, and Fitzgerald.

Assessments include two written assignments and one discussion post.

Assignment 3: Three parts written Due Feb.16

1. Read “American Literature: 1914-1945,” p. 1837+. It's really long, but it is interesting if you pay attention to some of the statistics that compare with today's world. It's also interesting in that many of the issues and themes that begin to occur at that time are things we are still wrestling with today. Of course, this is not a history course, but you must know a little history to be able to put literature into the context in which it was written. You are not, by the way, responsible for remembering any of those statistics unless you'd like to throw them in to one of your discussion questions at midterm; that's always impressive!! Also, do not labor over the details in the head notes. I do not ask specifics from them unless I call attention to in the assignments.

Part 1 : As you read, answer the questions below; the answers are in order in of the reading topics. Submit this list on the same document as the next two parts of Assignment 3.

When did the U. S. enter into World War I, and what new inventions had begun to modernize American life?
What did the Nineteenth Amendment do, and when was it passed? (p. 1838)
When was the NAACP founded, and what did it initially try to get done? (p. 1838)
When was Great Depression, and what were the effects of it? (1839)
What were the dates of World War II, and how was the literature affected? (1840)
Who was Sigmund Freud?
How are women’s lives changed during the first half of the 20th century? (1841)
How are the lives of African Americans during the first half of the 20th century?
Among the many new inventions and increasing technological advancement of the 1940s-50s, why was the car so significant in changing American lives?
After you read over the section discussing modernism (1847+), put in your own words (do NOT copy and paste something from the net) what modernism in literature and art meant or did. Just two or three sentences.

Read over the “texts and contexts” chart on pp. 1855+ to get an idea the timeline of literary development during the first half of the 20^th century.

Not written. Make a mental note of the big issues, changes, and themes dealt with in the literature. One of your discussion questions on the midterm will ask you to take several of these issues/themes and give examples of works and/or characters that demonstrated these issues/themes. Especially look for the ones listed below (this is not an assignment to turn in). Notice that OPPRESSION in America is linked to a document/lecture I wrote for you about this topic. Click on Modernism for some basic characteristics of modern literature, which explains how it is different in style and ideas from realism

Oppression In America
The changing role of women
Racial problems in America
Isolation of the individual
The impact of immigration
Religion in America

Read How To Answer A Discussion Question to help you with the discussion question on these that will appear on the midterm and final exam.

Part 2: Read the head note for E. A. Robinson and all the poems included (1858-1860). For each of the poems, write a sentence that characterizes the person in the poem. Turn this in with the identification as Assignment 3.

Part 3: Read and write a short character sketch of the sculptor “The Sculptor’s Funeral,” pp. 1883+. You will explain what kind of person he was and why he moved away, based on what other characters said about him.

Assignment 4: (three parts written, one discussion)--Due Feb. 23

Robert Frost: Read the head note on Robert Frost (1911), and explain, in one sentence each, what is happening in “Mending Wall,” “Death of a Hired Man,” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Submit this as part of Assignment 4.

Hurston: Read Zora Neale Hurston’s head note (2123) and “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” and "The Gilded Six-Bits.” Here's a story with some heavy symbolism, so think about what the six bits might symbolize. But for your written assignment, write a paragraph explaining how she felt about being “colored” and then how that attitude affected the story in “The Gilded Six-Bits”?

Fitzgerald: Read head note for F. Scott Fitzgerald and “Winter Dreams” (2147). Write a paragraph comparing Dexter in the story with the author himself, at least whatever you can discern about him from the head note. (Fitzgerald’s protagonists often resemble him). What seems to be missing in Dexter’s life?

Submit these three parts as one document through the Assignment 4 link.

Discussion 4: Prufrock Due Feb 26

Sandburg and Eliot—not written: Read Carl Sandburg’s head note and "Chicago," (1947). Note the masculine imagery in the poem. Also, read the head note for T. S. Eliot (2003) and "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and “Journey of the Magi.” Read Eliot And Sandburg and then answer a question on the Discussion Board about Prufrock. (8 points)

Below are lectures about the POEMS studied. You should listen to them and also read the linked documents on the poems to prepare for the midterm.