Hemingway, cont. Lit Analysis Essay intro

Read "Big Two-Hearted River: Part II" and then answer the following questions.

1. How is “Big Two-Hearted River: Part One” different from Part Two? Why did Hemingway write them separately? 
2. How is Nick Adams (Hemingway Hero) a good example of characteristics of Modernism? 
3. What traits of Romanticism/Transcendentalism are also present in this story? 
4. How does the setting establish the atmosphere? How is the atmosphere of Part I different from Part II? 
5. Metaphor: (select one of the sections listed below) 

• Write a brief summary 
• Identify what Hemingway might be using as a metaphor in your section

Sections of "Big Two-Hearted River: Part II"

• Preparing to fish—p. 145-p. 147, par 3
• Fishing, scene 1—p. 147, par 4-p. 149, par 3
• Fishing, scene 2—p. 147, par 5-p. 151, par 1
• Fishing, scene 3—p. 151, par 2-p. 152, par 4
• Fishing, scene 4—p. 152, par 5-p. 154, par 4
• Conclusion—p. 154, par 5-end

Hemingway Literary Analysis Essay

Assignment: Write an essay in which you explain how Nick Adams is a typical Hemingway Hero and, as such, is a representative of the ideas of Modernism.  Refer to class handouts/questions and include examples from the short stories to support your answer. Use specific examples from at least three short stories, including quotations and page numbers.

Tips for writing your essay:

• Quotations should not float as their own, separate sentences. Embed them into your sentences.
• Follow this format for punctuation around parenthetical citations:

Hemingway shows the disillusionment of Modernism in the setting of “Big Two-Hearted River.” When Nick arrives at the town of Seney, he finds “no town, nothing but the rails and the burned-over country” (133).

• Write in PRESENT TENSE, not past. (See the quotation example above)
• Refer to the author by his full name or last name only. You may refer to characters within the text by first name only.
•  Do not use first-person (I, me, we, us) or second-person (you) pronouns in your essay. Use only third-person pronouns (he, she, they, one).

Essay must be submitted to turnitin.com by 11:59:59pm on Wednesday, Jan. 8.

Structure of the Essay:

I. Introduction

• Attention-getter. (Hook the reader, reel them in. See what I did there? It’s a fishing metaphor)
• Thesis. Include the author’s full name and the title of the book.

Example: In his collection of short stories In Our Time, Ernest Hemingway develops Nick Adams as the typical Hemingway Hero.

• Preview (Three) Main Points.

II. Body of Essay

• Paragraph 2 – First Characteristic of Hemingway Hero
• Explain the characteristic AND how it reflects ideas of Modernism.
• Example from one story (including quotation and page number)
• Example from second story (including quotation and page number)
• Paragraph 3 – Second Characteristic of Hemingway Hero
• Explain the characteristic AND how it reflects ideas of Modernism.
• Example from one story (including quotation and page number)
• Example from second story (including quotation and page number)
• Paragraph 4 – Third Characteristic of Hemingway Hero
• Explain the characteristic AND how it reflects ideas of Modernism.
• Example from one story (including quotation and page number)
• Example from second story (including quotation and page number)

III. Conclusion

• Restate thesis (in different words), including recap of three main points.
• Final thought (connecting Nick Adams to Modernism, or the Hemingway Hero to Modernism, or Hemingway to Modernism).

Hemingway, cont.

Finish describing Nick Adams as Hemingway Hero from yesterday.

Remember, for each of the seven characteristics listed, you need to include two examples--from two different stories--with page numbers. Each story must be used once in the answers.

Settings: Hemingway also uses setting to indicate something about the characters or the events of each of his stories. For example, look at the opening of "The End of Something" from In Our Time.

"In the old days Hortons Bay was a lumbering town. No one who lived in it was out of sound of the big saws in the mill by the lake. Then one year there were no more logs to make lumber. The lumber schooners came into the bay and were loaded with the cut of the mill that stood stacked in the yard. All the piles of lumber were carried away. The big mill building had all its machinery that was removable taken out and hoisted on board one of the schooners by the men who had worked in the mill. The schooner moved out of the bay toward the open lake carrying the two great saws, the travelling carriage that hurled the logs against the revolving, circular deep load of lumber. Its open hold covered with canvas and lashed tight, the sails of the schooner filled and it moved out into the open lake, carrying with it everything that had made the mill a mill and Hortons Bay a town. 

The one-story bunk houses, the eating-house, the company store, the mill offices, and the big mill itself stood deserted in the acres of sawdust that covered the swampy meadow by the shore of the bay. 

Ten years later there was nothing of the mill left except the broken white limestone of its foundations showing through the swampy second growth as Nick and Marjorie rowed along the shore." (31)

How does Hemingway mirror the later events in the story with this opening description of Hortons Bay?


Pay special attention to both the characteristics of the Hemingway Hero and the setting as you read "Big Two-Hearted River: Part I" today (133).

Hemingway, cont.

“Indian Camp” (15-19)

“The Doctor and the Doctor’s Wife” (23-27)

“The End of Something” (31-35)

“The Three-Day Blow” (39-49)

“The Battler” (53-62)

Nick Adams is the typical Hemingway Hero.  Use these five short stories to give examples of each of the Hero’s characteristics. You need two examples for each question from two different stories. Reference specific story titles and events with page numbers in your answer, and you must refer to each story at least once.

1.       Physically or emotionally wounded.

2.       Alienated from traditional beliefs, values, and  relationships; a loner

3.       Believes world is filled with tragedy and irony (pain, loss, violence, death)

4.       Forced into heroic roles, does not volunteer, does not see self as heroic

5.       Master of sport, soldiering, and traditional male pursuits; finds beauty and solace in sport and its rituals; finds reward in having done a job well

6.       Ultimate goal:  show “grace under pressure,” face danger or death without cracking, complete the job capably

7.       Common metaphors symbolizing the hero’s quest: fishing, hunting, bullfighting

Ernest Hemingway Intro

Review the Elements of Modernism from the textbook (639)--these should be in your notes.

Add to your notes characteristics of the Hemingway Hero from the PowerPoint in class.

Read "Soldier's Home" and "Indian Camp" in In Our Time. Answer the following questions:

1. How does Harold Krebs demonstrate the characteristics of the Hemingway Hero?
2. What is the theme of "Soldier's Home"? What effect does the war have on young soldiers?
3. How does Nick Adams demonstrate the characteristics of the Hemingway Hero (or how do you think he will in the future, based on the events in "Indian Camp")?

Realism Skills Review

Complete the Realism Skills Review in the textbook on pp. 624-29.

Read the Modernism Intro. in the textbook.

Answer the following questions:

• How does the text define the American Dream?
• What happened to the American Dream during the Modern Era?
• How did art and literature change in the period of Modernism?

Realism Review

Read and answer the following questions from the story/poems:
“A Pair of Silk Stockings” by Kate Chopin (570)

Contemporary Connection: “Now and Then, America” by Pat Mora (576)
“Douglass” by Paul L. Dunbar (598)
“We Wear the Mask” by Paul L. Dunbar (599)

1.       Dunbar and Chopin both present admirable characters in “Douglass” and “A Pair of Silk Stockings” What similarities do you see between Mrs. Sommers and Frederick Douglass?

2.      A feminist critic might say “A Pair of Silk Stockings” is about a woman who is striving to gain personal freedom and identity. A Marxist critic might say it is about the class struggle. The critic Barbara C. Ewell writes, “The power of money to enhance self-esteem and confidence is the core of this poignant tale.” Which critic do you agree with, if any?

3.      Both Chopin and Pat Mora write about escape, freedom, identity, and individuality. Compare and contrast the two writers’ attitudes toward these themes. What kinds of images do they use to convey their messages? What comment on life is each making?

4.      In his poems “Douglass” and “We Wear the Mask,” Dunbar focuses on the struggles of African Americans to achieve equality.  What is Dunbar saying about the prospects for African Americans to be treated fairly?

5.      How do these three works reflect the elements of Realism (see list on p. 457)? Your answer should include the short story and examples from each poem.

Beginning English 11B

Syllabus excerpts:

Course Description

            In English 11, the major focus is American Literature, but aspects of both literature and composition will be covered.  Students will develop their writing skills by using a writing process to complete multi-paragraph essays that attend to purpose, audience, development, structure, and style.  Students will also continue to refine their research, documentation, and persuasion skills. Students will use their knowledge and understanding of literary techniques and rhetorical devices to comprehend, respond to, interpret, and evaluate fiction and non-fiction selections.  

In addition to the history of American Literature and the traditional canon that expresses the shifts in our culture, the Grade 11 curriculum provides a clear presentation of the importance of marginalized cultures.  As a way to help students identify with all dimensions of the American literary culture, the curriculum will begin with an initial assignment to explore the dreams Americans possess by examining some important values in contemporary America.  After initial work with contemporary culture, each of the collections will include work which asks students to explore the “dreams” of members of the primary literary movement and those of members of marginalized cultures of the period as demonstrated in their writings.

Units of Study:

Tri B

• The Moderns:  1914-1939
• Contemporary Literature:  1939-Present
• Research Writing; Research; MLA style/citation; Synthesis; On-Demand Writing

Course Outcomes:

Literary Skills:  Students will be able to identify and analyze the elements of literature, style, figurative language, and rhetorical devices; they will understand and apply techniques of persuasion; they will identify and analyze several genres of literature; and they will identify and interpret elements of poetry and poetic sound techniques.

Critical Lenses:  Students will use the Reader Response, Historical/Biographical, and Cultural lenses (among others) to respond to, evaluate, and interpret literature.

Writing Skills:  Students will use a writing process including multiple drafts, revision, and editing skills to reach a final product; they will write and speak in a variety of genres and for multiple purposes; they will use an expanded research process to find and analyze sources, work with online libraries and search engines, create a hierarchy of ideas, and refine a thesis; students will use appropriate support and evidence, create coherence through effective organization and transitions, effectively use reflection, and will meet specific criteria of MLA format in style and citations.

Speaking Skills: Students through seminar, will learn to have thoughtful interchanges with classmates. Students will respectfully listen to the thoughts of others and effectively share their own interpretations of complex texts to better understand the complexities of fiction and non-fiction and gather meaning. Students will also utilize effective delivery during their speeches.

Grammar/Vocabulary Skills:  Students will learn and appropriately apply (or avoid) parallel structure, passive voice, antecedents, subordinating conjunctions, sentence combining, and subordinate clauses.  Vocabulary instruction will be combined with literature.

Introductory Writing Assignment:

Choose one of the following topics:

1. Write about an object owned and valued by you or by some member of your family. Your mother may own a wicker basket brought from Hungary by her grandmother in 1822. Your brother might think his arrowhead collection is the most magical thing in his life. Your father may have saved a battered trumpet he played in a high school marching band. Your job is to look at the object, perceive it physically (sight, smell, touch, taste, sound), and to write about its special history or meaning. Lead the reader toward an insight or understanding of its emotional or personal significance.
2. Recall a particularly good or bad experience in your life caused by a single event (perhaps the night you went camping in Oregon or the summer afternoon you spent shopping with your Italian aunt). Look in detail at all the sensory elements that return to your memory. Re-create the experience in such a way that the reader can see, hear, and feel the whole of it. At the end, reflect on the significance of the experience today (which might be different than how you felt about it at the time).

This essay must be submitted by class time on Monday, Dec. 9. Submit all essays online to turnitin.com.