American+Literature

Here is an explanation of the creation of folders that you will need for American literature.

Here are some links to American Literature websites that contains a variety of infomation. [|American Literature]

[|American Literature II]

Here is a link to the series **//American Passages//**, which includes videos, printed materials (including activities) for 16 units that we will use in American literature class [|American Passages].

Here is an outline of notes for Unit 1 Part 1 that you need to complete. You then need to save your completed notes in your Unit 1 notesfolder that is a part of your American lIterature folder.



Here is a list of terms for Unit 1, Part 1 that you need to know the definitions of and be able to give examples of. You then ned to save your completed definitions and examples in your Unit 1 Terms folder that is part of your American literature folder.





Your tests will usually include an essay question. Learning how to write a response to an essay is crucial in order to do well on a test. Here is an example of a writing prompt that might be used as a test essay question and an example of a well-written response to the essay.





After reading Arthur Miller's play //The Crucible// and watching the movie based on the play, you will be writing a character analysis of a character of your choice from the play. Here is a sample of a character analysis of Forrest Gump from the movie //Forrest Gump//.



Here is a template that you may want to use to help you organize your character analysis.



Here is a link to the ABC News Special "Children of the Plains" hosted by Diane Sawyer and filmed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

[|Children of the Plains]



Here is a video clip of Martin Luther King, Jrs. visit to the KELO-land studios in 1961. [|Video Clip of Martin Luther King, Jr.]

Here are Parts 1 and 2 of Martin Luther King, Jr's. famous "I Have A Dream" speech [|"I Have A Dream" Part 1]

[|"I Have A Dream" Part 2]

Here is the worksheet to complete after viewing the Martin Luther KIng, Jr. and Malcolm X video clips. [|Video Clip of Malcolm X Speech]





Here is a recording of Washington Irving's short story "The Devil and Tom Walker." The recording lasts 34 minutes. [|Audio Recording of The Devil and Tom Walker]

Here is a recording of part of Henry David Thoreau's book //Civil Disobedience//. The recording lasts 42 minutes.

[|Audio Recording of Civil Disobedience]

Here is a recording of part of Henry David Thoreaus' book //Walden.// //Walden// by Henry David Thoreau is one of the best-known non-fiction books written by an American. Published in 1854, it details Thoreau’s life for two years, two months, and two days around the shores of Walden Pond. Walden is neither a novel nor a true autobiography, but a social critique of the Western World, with each chapter heralding some aspect of humanity that needed to be either renounced or praised. Along with his critique of the civilized world, Thoreau examines other issues afflicting man in society, ranging from economy and reading to solitude and higher laws. He also takes time to talk about the experience at Walden Pond itself, commenting on the animals and the way people treated him for living there, using those experiences to bring out his philosophical positions. This extended commentary on nature has often been interpreted as a strong statement to the natural religion that transcendentalists like Thoreau and Emerson were preaching. (Description amended from Wikipedia).

Here is a video clip explaining the expansion of cotton and slavery, leading to the tension between the North and South.

[|America Divided]



Here is a recording of Edgar Allan Poe's famous story, "The Fall of the House of Usher." Note that there are four segments that make up the whole recording.Poe is best known for his tales of mystery, horror and sheer terror, at least for the Victorian Age of the mid-1800s, which was his early audience. ( Read more on Wikipedia. ) "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a tale of an old man, Roderick Usher, who is being driven mad after his sister died and was entombed in a vault in the basement. Over the course of the story the unraveling of a terrible atrocity comes to light and threatens to avenge everyone dwelling in the House of Usher.

[|The Fall of the House of Usher]



Here is the form that you will need to complete as your test grade over improving sentence language and style (Chapters 13-17 in your grammar textbook.) You will fill it out in conjunction with the literary interpretation that you will be assigned to write.



Here is an example of a literary interpretation I wrote as a model for you to use. The poem my interpretation is based on is "The Balllad of Birmingham," which is found on page 619 in your textbook.

Here is a link to a slide show about the civil rights movements. It was produced by the New York Times. It includes some slides that show photos of the the bombing of the church, the funeral of the four girls killed, and the man convicted for the killings that the poem "The Ballad of Birmingha" is based on.

[|Civil Rights Movement video]

Here is a link to an audio recording of a speech Martin Luther King, Jr. gave in Selma, Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement. It lasts 3 1/2 minutes.

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