Randall Jarrell: WWII Representative
Project Overview
Randall Jarrell (1914-1965) was a noted critic, teacher, and poet. After living his early
years in California, he moved to Tennessee. He taught English at many universities
before spending time in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. Much of his
writings cover these experiences. His last teaching post was at the Women’s College of
the University of North Carolina (modern day University of North Carolina at
Greensboro).
Students will investigate World War II, its impact on Jarrell’s writings, and its impact on
the America of that time period.
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Student Learning Objectives
For this RWLO, the student will be able to appreciate the importance of historical
research using available online primary sources.

Use first-hand accounts of living during this time period garnered through
interviews with the “man on the street” approach.

View the technology that was available for warfare during World War II.

Appreciate the impact war has on the men and women who are involved
directly in warfare.
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Procedure
Time: Approximately 30 minutes
Materials: Student Directions and computers with Internet access
Prerequisites: Read the introductory section to the literature of the late twentieth
century, the introductory section on Jarrell, and poetry selections from Jarrell in
our textbook. Jarrell is one of the earlier authors in this literary section (our third).
Implementation: This RWLO can be used in the classroom to help students
visualize the aircraft from this time period and to hear first-hand accounts to help
their conceptualization of the time period. It is recommended, however, that
students approach this assignment at their discretion in order to hear as many
first-hand accounts as might interest them.
Steps:
1. Provide access to the Student Directions via classroom Blackboard site.
All of these materials will be made available in the Assignments section of
the course.
2. Assign the reading of the introductory section on Jarrell and poetry
selections from Jarrell in our textbook.
3. Open online interviews with former aviators from WWII in order to
enlighten students with their experiences.
4. Using a series of questions available in the assessment section of this
RWLO, students should apply these other experiences to Jarrell’s poetry
and life as well.
5. Publish personal responses (using questions as a guide) in our class
Blackboard site’s Assignment section as either poetry (to emulate Jarrell)
or journal format (as many of the responses from this time period were
given as journals.
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Content Material
Student Directions:
 Read the information in our textbook regarding Randall Jarrell. There is
an introductory section found on pages 1734-35. Also, there are four
poems by Jarrell found on pages 1735-40.
 Read the notes found on Randall Jarrell in our Blackboard site under
Course Documents, “outlines for sections”, “literature of twentieth century
America” and “Randall Jarrell”.
 Read the entry found on the Academy of American Poets website at
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/9
 Read the information regarding the “Man on the Street” recordings found
on http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afcphhtml/afcphhome.html
 Choose a recording by browsing using “subject”. Choose a subject that
has an interest to you. Also choose a recording by browsing using
“geographic locations”. Choose the closest response to your current
geographic location. Choose at least two responses in each category to
review. You can either listen to these interviews using one of three
different available free media options, or you can read the transcript
provided for you. Answer the associated questions (found in the
assessment section of this RWLO) that go along with your listening
experiences.
 Access the Randall Jarrell Collection housed at his last teaching post
(UNC-G) with web availability at http://www.uncg.edu/lib/arch/jarrell/
 Choose the link Access the Randall Jarrell Collection. Once in this
source, go under folder 35 (“Siegfried”) and follow his process for creation
of a poem. Answer the associated questions (found in the assessment
section of this RWLO) that go along with this poem’s creation.
 Using your recent questions as a guide, create either a poem or
paragraph response covering your thoughts on Jarrell as an individual,
reaction to his poetry’s creation and WWII involvement, and post it on the
Discussion Board on our Blackboard site entitled “Randall Jarrell
Postings”.
Referenced URLs:
 http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/9
 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afcphhtml/afcphhome.html
 http://www.uncg.edu/lib/arch/jarrell/
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Supplementary Materials
Handouts
 Read the student handout on Randall Jarrell posted on our Blackboard
site under “People”. You may wish to print out a copy of that source to
utilize as you are completing the assignment.
 Read the notes for the “Literature of the Late Twentieth Century” that I
provided for you as we started this chapter. It is available on Blackboard
under “Course Documents” under “Outline for Sections”. Pay specific
information to the notes regarding World War II.
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Assessment

Answer the following questions that go along with your listening
experiences.
1)Who was your speaker in the listening activity?
2)When was this speaker’s response recorded?
3)Where did this speaker live?
4)What did this “person on the street” have to say?
5)Does this individual’s response match what you would have deemed
important in light of the country’s situation at that time?

Answer the associated questions that go along with this poem’s creation.
1)Describe the author’s handwriting.
2)What progression do you notice between the six provided drafts?
3)What references do you see to the body of the plane?
4)Who is “Siegfried”?
5)What similarities do you see between the “person on the street”
response you read earlier and this poem? What differences?

Using your recent questions as a guide, create either a poem or
paragraph response covering your thoughts on Jarrell as an individual,
reaction to his poetry’s creation and WWII involvement, and post it on the
Discussion Board on our Blackboard site entitled “Randall Jarrell
Postings”.
Each of the question sections is worth 25% of your assignment’s grade. The
final poem or paragraph response will be worth 50% of this assignment’s grade.
This assignment counts as one of our participation activities for the semester.
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Links to Course Competencies
This RWLO could be applied in English 232 (American Literature II). Specifically,
this RWLO meets the following course competencies:



To recognize and discuss in writing the principal contributions of each of
the writers studied to the development of American literature.
To describe the impact of relevant cultural, historical, socioeconomic, and
intellectual factors as forces shaping modern American literature and
American life.
To identify and write about varied aspects of American life and culture as
reflected in individual works.
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Recommendations
Recommendations for Integration:
I would recommend integrating this activity during the second part of
American literature during one’s coverage of the time period from 19001945.
This activity could also be integrated in an American history course during
that same time period.
Due to the computer usage required, I might suggest making this activity
as one option opposite a more traditional participation activity. It might
also be an extra credit opportunity. Due to the limited nature of computer
access as an English class on most campuses, it might be wisest to make
this an out-of-class assignment.
Back-up:
Two of the materials noted, student handout and section outline handout
could easily be printed out and brought to class and distributed to
students. The “person in the street” interviews can be found in various
formats available on tape and CD, which again might be brought to class.
However, their availability will be cost-prohibitive. Also, the Randall Jarrell
drafts could be made into overhead transparencies as a back-up. They
will be somewhat difficult for students to read from a distance, but they
should be able to still understand the process a writer goes through with
creation.
Overall, this RWLO would work best as an online activity due to its costprohibitive and visibility considerations.
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