ABQmom Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 One of the papers she says kids should practice in HS is historical. She then says, "Draw a parallel between something that happened in the writer's lifetime and something that happens in the literary work." What does this mean? Could someone give me an example? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Hopefully, I am on the same track you are on. This year we are using a resource that I really like, Literature Alive by Daniel Dyer. The first topic Dyer covers is the many different contexts of a literary work: biographical, historical, geographical, political, philosophical/religious, sociological/anthropological, and psychological. So to use an example of biographical context, the student would draw a parallel between the fact that Walt Whitman was a nurse during the Civil War and that his collection of poetry published in 1865 includes the poem, "The Wound-Dresser." Joseph Heller, the author of Catch 22, was in the Air Force in World War II. The novel is about bomber pilots during this same time period. Does this help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 In All Quiet in the Western Front the main character's friend dies as he is taking him to the field hospital. He thinks he has a less serious wound, but he also has a head trauma. When he gets him to the hospital the doctors tell him he's dead. The same thing happened to the author in real life during WW I. Christine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Togo Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 (edited) On broader scale. The materialism of the 1920's, and each character's response to materialism in The Great Gatsby. Discuss the historical thread first, and then launch into the novel tie-in. Or, the role of women during Alcott's era. What was the prevalent expectation for young women? Discuss that. Then, look at each of the characters. Who fits the mold and who breaks it? Edited October 5, 2010 by 1Togo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 I'm not the OP, but you ladies are totally amazing. I never fail to be in awe at your vast depth of knowledge. (Adding responses to my homeschool notes) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABQmom Posted October 6, 2010 Author Share Posted October 6, 2010 In All Quiet in the Western Front the main character's friend dies as he is taking him to the field hospital. He thinks he has a less serious wound, but he also has a head trauma. When he gets him to the hospital the doctors tell him he's dead. The same thing happened to the author in real life during WW I. Christine Okay, I think I see from what you all are saying what the parallel is, but in the example above, would the child then discuss the true event of the author in the 1st paragraph, and then talk about how he includes this in his book? Also, how in the world does one go about learning that information in the first place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Okay, I think I see from what you all are saying what the parallel is, but in the example above, would the child then discuss the true event of the author in the 1st paragraph, and then talk about how he includes this in his book? Also, how in the world does one go about learning that information in the first place? I don't know. I haven't listened to those lectures and I've never had a child write a paper like that. We have always just talked about it. AS we discussed All Quiet and WWI in general, the children themselves brought up things in the Lord of the Rings trilogy ( the trees being demolished...mom, could that sort of be like what the battlefields looked like in WWI?) I find that information in my TOG teaching notes, or in Glencoe questions (they always have an article on the author) or in the preface to the novel we are reading. If you have any anthologies, they often have a section on the life of the author before his/her work. I hope that helps. To me, history and English just go together. If you don't know what is going on in the time period, then the book doesn't make nearly as much sense. I've thought that since a little girl. I'm not sure why.... Christine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Togo Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Yes, you would discuss the true event in the author's life and then the novel parallel. However, getting enough information about events in the author's life might be difficult. It will be easier to discuss an historical trend/event that occurred during the author's life and then discuss the novel parallel. Using the example from The Greats Gatsby, the student would research materialism in the 1920's and write a page or so discussing the historical thread - a long opener. Then, they would discuss each character; i.e. Daisy Miller, Jay Gatsby, etc., and their response to materialism with examples from the text. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABQmom Posted October 6, 2010 Author Share Posted October 6, 2010 Okay, I think I get it now. This seems like something that will take practice for me before I have a solid grasp on what to expect, and how to teach this. Thank you everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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