Post-War, Pre-War, and Modern Story

Project (1865 – 1939)

• The Civil War - April 12, 1861 – April 9, 1865• WWI – July 28, 1914 – November 11, 1918• “Contemporary American Literature” – 1940 to Present

So Many Stories…So Little Time

In the time period from the end of the Civil War to 1939, American Literature saw so many brilliant examples of writing that we can’t

possibly cover them all…

OR CAN WE???

15…No…3 Stories• I have selected 15 great short stories that will

represent American Literature from 1865-1939 to us.

• Your job will be to choose 3 of those 15 stories which you will read and complete assignments on in the next two weeks.

• You will use those 3 stories to complete 3 assignments.

3 Assignments

1. A Google document in which you will answer 6 questions about one of the three stories you have chosen.

2. A book jacket which will contain specific information about one of the three stories you have chosen.

3. A Google slide presentation, at least 5 slides long, which you MAY be presenting to the class.

LET’S BREAK THIS DOWN A

BIT…SHALL WE???

Assignment 1 – The Google Document• After reading your first story, you will use the Google

Document titled “Story Questions” (the link is on my webpage) and answer the 6 questions found there.

• Those questions will ask you to discuss:– Setting– Characters– Figurative Language– Author’s choices– Theme– A summary of the story

• You will make a copy of the Google document, answer the questions, share and submit it through my webpage.

Assignment 2 – The Book Jacket• After reading your second story, you will

create a book jacket (on the paper provided).• Your book jacket will include:– A Front Cover: Title, Author, and Illustration– Inside Pages: Character descriptions and

importance; a paragraph on theme; and a plot map showing elements of the rising action, climax, falling action and resolution of the story.

– A Back Cover: One paragraph summary of the story and a short “review” of the story.

Assignment 3 – The Google Slide Presentation

• For your third chosen story, you will create a Google slide presentation.

• Your presentation will include:– A title/author slide with an illustration– A story summary slide (one paragraph summary)– A Story theme slide (one paragraph on theme)– A character slide – Discussion of the main character (or one of

the main characters), their entrance into the story, and their importance to the story

– A Figurative Language Slide – At least 2 examples of figurative language from the story and your analysis of it (meaning and purpose).

YOU MAY BE CHOSEN (BY RANDOM SELECTION) TO PRESENT YOUR SLIDESHOW TO THE CLASS!

Timeline• All 3 assignments are due no later than

Wednesday March 11th, so that they can be graded in time for 3rd Quarter grades.

• Thursday (3/12) and Friday (3/13) will be presentation days.

• You will have class time for the next week and a half to read stories and work on your assignments.

15 Stories• All 15 of the stories will available to you on

my webpage. You may read them on the computer or, if you prefer, print them at home or in the Library and read them on paper.

• You will choose your stories TODAY based only on the brief synopsis provided.

• Only 7 people may choose any one story. Once 7 have chosen, you will have to choose something else.

Story Synopses• The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark

Twain (1865)– The story of Jim Smiley and his famous frog, who could supposedly

outjump any other frog in the county is told by Simon Wheeler; a man who loves to talk...and talk...and talk.

• The Luck of Roaring Camp by Bret Harte (1868)– The story of a gold mining camp in California. Once the roughest,

rowdiest camp around, everything changes when a baby boy is born in camp and needs to be cared for.

• A Point At Issue by Kate Chopin (1889)– The story of a young married couple, Charles and Eleanor, who

refuse to be bound by the traditional rules of marriage. They withstand the pressure of traditional gender roles as they navigate their new marriage.

Story Synopses• An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce

(1890)– The story of the hanging of Civil War era southern gentleman,

Peyton Farquhar. The tale reveals how he came to be standing at Owl Creek Bridge with a noose around his neck.

• The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry (1907)– Two small-time criminals, Bill and Sam, kidnap Johnny, the red-

haired son of an important citizen named Ebenezer Dorset, and hold him for ransom.

• To Build a Fire by Jack London (1908)– An adventure story of a man’s attempt to travel across ten miles

of Yukon wilderness in temperatures dropping to seventy-five degrees below zero.

Story Synopses• The Lost Phoebe by Theodore Dreiser (1915)– The touching and emotional story of Henry Reifsneider

who can’t seem to let go of his love for his wife, Phoebe, when she passes away.

• A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner (1920)– The mysterious story of Emily Grierson, a southern lady

whose behavior is a mystery to the people in her town, which begins and ends at her funeral.

• Spunk by Zora Neale Hurston (1925)– A story of love, betrayal, and revenge as Spunk Banks steals

Joe Kanty’s wife, and Joe gets his revenge...after death.

Story Synopses• The Battler by Ernest Hemingway (1925)

– Another chapter in the story of Nick Adams, a character that has been in many of Hemingway’s stories, and his encounter with a “not quite right” former boxing champion.

• The Leader of the People by John Steinbeck (1933)– The story of Jody Tiflin and his Grandfather, who once led a

wagon train across the plains. Jody learns from him what it means to be a leader.

• Cora Unashamed by Langston Hughes (1934)– The story of Cora Jenkins, a young black woman who works

as a servant for a white family and how she stands strong against the hatred and indifference of her environment.

Story Synopses• Roman Fever by Edith Wharton (1934)

– The story of Grace Ansley and Alida Slade on a trip to Rome, and a long kept secret deception that is revealed along the way.

• The Jilting of Granny Weatherall by Katherine Anne Porter (1939)– A story of Granny Weatherall and the memories, thoughts,

and feelings that she experiences as her life is fading away.

• The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber (1939)– The story of mild-mannered, hen-pecked husband, Walter

Mitty, and the adventures he goes on in his imagination as he tries to escape his unhappy life.

Choosing Stories• I will be calling groups, by random draw, to

come up and select their stories.• If a story you want already has 7 names

under it when you get your turn, you will have to choose another one.

• Make sure you make note of the 3 stories you chose on your Story Synopses page, so you don’t forget by Monday.

A STRONG SUGGESTION

You all know I don’t usually give weekend homework, BUT…

You have your stories now. I STRONGLY SUGGEST you take some time this weekend and

at least read the stories you have chosen, so you can get right to work on the assignments

on Monday!

Paragraphs on Theme• The theme of a story is what the author is trying

to convey — in other words, the central idea of the story.

• Short stories often have just one theme, whereas novels usually have multiple themes.

• The theme of a story is woven all the way through the story, and the characters' actions, interactions, and motivations all reflect the story's theme.

• The events of the story illustrate the theme, and the lesson that you learn relates directly to the theme.

Theme Paragraph Example“The Devil and Tom Walker”

This story focuses largely on a theme of greed and its negative effects. Tom Walker is known throughout the Charles Bay for his greed, and it is this greed that leads him to sell his soul to the devil in exchange for money. This theme is also shown through Tom’s wife and her uncertain ending. Tom's, and his wife’s, plight is meant to warn readers not to let greed blind them, for, as is the case in "The Devil and Tom Walker," it can have disastrous consequences.

Theme Paragraph Example“A Mystery of Heroism”

The theme of "A Mystery of Heroism" is the foolishness and pointlessness of war. Through his use of symbolism, Crane shows how war costs a very high price to accomplish its trivial goal. Collins’ motivation of pride is parallel to the fact that many wars are initiated because of foolish pride. The desires of thousands of men at war to be heroes and their confusion about whether or not they actually are heroes, is represented by Collins’ consideration of heroism. Crane’s description of a beautiful meadow being destroyed through severe shelling parallels how war destroys innocent beauty. The hopelessness and pointlessness of war is made clear by Crane’s use of the symbol water. Collins’ journey involves risking his life for water, which represents life. The spilling of the water at the end symbolizes the blood of thousands of soldiers that has been carelessly spilled on the battlefield.

Summary Paragraphs• A summary is a shortened, condensed

version of a story.• The purpose of a summary is to share the key

ideas from the item with your reader. • Summaries keep the same tone as the

original piece and do not contain opinion. • Summaries do not have a formal conclusion.

Summary Paragraph Example

“The Devil and Tom Walker”“The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving is about Tom Walker who lives a poor life, and is also in a horrible marriage. One day Tom comes across the devil and eventually strikes a bargain with him in order to become rich. After getting everything he hoped for, Tom Walker tries to cheat the devil by becoming a church man but the devil gets him in the end.

Plot Map• A plot map should include important details

that drive the plot of a story; the conflict, climax, and resolution.– Rising Action – This is the conflict in the story that

drives it to its climax. Do not include things that don’t push the story forward.

– Climax – This is the pivotal turning point in the story. It is in this moment that everything changes.

– Falling Action – What happens after the climax that carries a story to its resolution.

– Resolution – The ending of the story. There are usually no unanswered questions left after this.

Plot Map Example

Climax – Collins runs out across the field To get water from the well.

Rising Action 1 –Collins says he isThirsty and notices the well.

RA2 – Collins’ buddies tease him Into actually going after the water

RA3 – The commanding officers give CollinsPermission to go after the water.

Falling Action 1 – Collins getsTo the well and gets the water.

FA2 – Collins stops and gives a Drink to the dying officer.

Resolution - The two idiots are playing around and spill the bucket.

“A Mystery of Heroism”

Discussion of Characters• Description – Can include a BRIEF physical

description but should focus on personality and character traits.

• Entrance into the story – When and how does the character enter the story? Why you think the author chose that method and time to introduce him/her.

• Importance – Why was this character important to the story? What is it about their personality or traits that contributes to the story’s plot or theme?

• Character Arch - Does the character change over the course of the story? If so, why and how? If not, how was it important to the story that they not change?

Figurative Language• Giving Examples – metaphors, similes,

symbolism, imagery, personification, slang or vernacular, etc.

• Meaning – What does the author mean by this example? What does the metaphor/simile/symbol represent? Why that particular image?

• Adding to the Story – How does it add to the story? If it were not there, how would the story be different? What is its effect on the reader?