War and Alienation in a Changing America
The modern mind is in complete disarray. Knowledge has stretched itself to the point
where neither the world nor our intelligence can find any foot-hold. It is a fact that we
are suffering from nihilism.*
— Albert Camus
* Nihilism is a philosophy which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value
TIME
LINE
1840 to 1860s
1855 to 1900s
1900 to 1945
1950 to today
Dark Romanticism/Anti-Transcendentalism
Realism, Naturalism and Regionalism
Modernism
Postmodernism
Essential Questions:

How does the philosophical,
political, religious, ethical, and
social climate of a historical
period influence the writings of
the period?

How did the economic, social
and war issues of the early
twentieth century affect the
literature written during this era?

How does postwar
disillusionment, Freudian
psychology, the modern world
and modern art affect American
writers and writings?
Essential Concepts & Objectives:






Analyze and infer what America’s literature suggests about how America comes to terms with the
challenges of a changing world
Understand how the historical events influence the style and themes of each literary period
Examine pieces of art, literature, music, history and science from a time period to form a complete
understanding of the historical events and psychological/sociological attitudes. Synthesize and make
connections between the ideas of various works and modes of expression.
Literary Focus – Dark Romanticism:

Symbolism and Archetypes

Imagery and Mood

The Gothic and Poe’s Unity of Effect

Historical influence of Industrial Revolution
Literary Focus – Realism, Regionalism, Naturalism

Objectivity, Irony, and Ambiguity

Local Color and Dialect

Conflict: man vs. society, nature and self

Historical influence of Civil War
Literary Focus – Modernism and Postmodernism::

Fragmentation – fragmented point of view and plot

Stream of Consciousness

Historical influence of World War I and II
UPCOMING DATES TO NOTE
2.27
2.28
2.29
3.1
3.2
READ and ANNOTATE
Catcher in the Rye, chapters 1-5
by Friday
READ Hawthorne’s
“The Birthmark”
DISCUSS Hawthorne’s
“The Birthmark”
READ Poe’s
“The Black Cat”
QUIZ and
DISCUSSION GROUPS
Catcher, Ch. 1-5 (p. 1-39)
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.8
3.9
READ Poe’s
“The Black Cat” and
“The Raven”
DISCUSS Poe’s
“The Black Cat” and
“The Raven”
QUIZ Dark Romanticism
VOCAB QUIZ Unit 8
READ Bierce’s “Occurrence
at Owl Creek Bridge”
READ Bierce’s “Occurrence
at Owl Creek Bridge”
QUIZ and
DISCUSSION GROUPS
Catcher, Ch. 6-11 (p. 40-80)
3.12
3.13
3.14
3.15
3.16
READ Crane’s
“Episode of War”
READ Crane’s
“Episode of War”
DISCUSS Bierce’s
“Occurrence at Owl Creek
Bridge” and Crane’s
“Episode of War”
QUIZ Realism
READ Hemingway’s
“A Soldier’s Home”
QUIZ and
DISCUSSION GROUPS
Catcher, Ch. 12-16 (p. 81-141)
3.19
3.20
3.21
3.22
3.23
READ Hemingway’s
“A Soldier’s Home,”
Jarrell’s “Death of a Ball
Turret Gunner”
READ Eliot’s
“Love Song of J. Alfred
Prufrock”
READ continue Prufrock
VOCAB QUIZ Unit 9
QUIZ and
DISCUSSION GROUPS
Catcher, Ch. 19-23 (p 142-214).
3.26
3.27
3.28
3.29
3.30
Project
QUIZ Modernism
Work on synthesis assignment
computers available all week
PROJECT Work on
Synthesis assignment
PROJECT Work on
Synthesis assignment
PROJECT Work on
Synthesis assignment
PROJECT Synthesis
assignment due
READ “Ambush”
Synthesis project pre-plan
This calendar is an estimate of our class progress. Dates are subject to change as needed.
Annotation Assignment – The Catcher in the Rye
To better understand what J.D. Salinger suggests about life in the 1950s, we need to carefully consider how Holden deals with the world. To this
end, make careful notes as you read about what Holden thinks of other people and events. In your book, highlight and note your observations of
the following ideas (use post-it notes as needed instead of marking your book)

Phonies – highlight and note what it is that Holden finds phony: what type of people, events, and experiences. In the margins comment
about why these “phonies” bother Holden and how they affect his behavior and emotional state.

Relationships – note how Holden’s relationships with others reveal his views of the world. With whom does he have a true connection?
With whom does he simply tolerate or actively dislike? What do these relationships reveal about Holden?

Alienation – note which points in the novel Holden seems the most alone and note what seems to cause his alienation – is it caused by
external reasons from others, or does Holden effect his own alienation? Why doesn’t Holden fit in?

Innocence and Experience – note the points when Holden yearns to be a kid again or to be around kids. His revulsion for the corruption
of adulthood makes him see childhood as a perfect time. Is his view of childhood accurate?

Growing Up: Sex and Alcohol – pay attention to how Holden desperately tries to seem older, yet he also shrinks away from actual physical
connection. How does his fear of sex show his emotional alienation and his reluctance/fear to grow up?

Madness and Depression – what does Holden mean when he refers to himself or his behavior as mad or crazy? How does his use of these
terms change throughout the novel?
In the front of your book, record the page numbers every time you read one of the following symbols, and make notes in the margin that explain
what the symbol reveals about Holden’s mental and emotional state –



Red hunting cap – note how Holden feels when he wears the cap, note how he wears it
Ducks in Central Park – what is he worried will happen to the ducks? What do the ducks represent?
Carousel in Central Park/ Natural History Museum – what do these places mean to Holden? Why does he return to them?
Synthesis Project – Unit Assessment
For your unit assessment, you will look at one theme addressing alienation of the modern world by exploring the idea across literature, art,
music, history and nonfiction (about history, psychology, science, etc.)
Your synthesis will explore this unifying idea across multiple modes of expression to better explain this time period. You will research,
synthesize and analyze the message and style of the following works:

two pieces of literature from the unit

an additional piece of literature of your choosing (from your textbook or elsewhere)

a piece of art and music that relates to the literature

historical research that explains how the time period relates to the literature

a nonfiction article that relates to the literature
You will work in groups of no more than three people to produce one of the following projects.
Note that your maximum grade increases based upon the complexity/difficulty of the assignment
MAX
GRADE
C
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
Handout, brochure, or poster which includes the following:






B
PowerPoint presentation which includes the following:






A
a visual representation and a verbal explanation of the key idea or theme
minimum of two quotes with commentary from each piece of literature
description of the music and picture of the piece of art with explanation
summary of the article’s main idea with supporting quotes that link it to the key idea or theme
one-page typed double-spaced explanation and analysis of the ideas you explored with evidence from each piece
MLA formatted works cited page that documents all source material
a visual representation and a verbal explanation of the key idea or theme begins the presentation
minimum of two quotes with commentary from each of the pieces of literature
music and images embedded in PowerPoint with explanation about how each supports the key idea or theme
summary of the article’s main idea with supporting quotes that link it to the key idea or theme
one-page typed double-spaced explanation and analysis of the ideas you explored with evidence from each piece
MLA formatted works cited page that documents all source material
Music video, documentary or short film which includes the following:






unifying concept which asserts a key idea or theme determines stylistic choices
music, color and images selected support the idea of the theme
minimum of two quotes with commentary from each piece of literature
details from the nonfiction article and historical research enrich the concept of the piece
one-page typed double-spaced explanation and analysis of the ideas you explored with evidence from each piece
MLA formatted works cited page that documents all source material