We’ve been introduced to a variety of authors this past week
that help to illustrate the literature of the emerging Modern Era. Writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald and
John Steinbeck, to name a few, have created a new American voice that has
broken away from the British influences on American literature in the
past. Be sure to relate your
favorite parts of the week-long presentation and make suggestions that may have
been considered for additions to the presentation. Choose one of your favorite reading assignments from this
week’s assignments and relate in greater depth, how the story, along with its
author, fits into the Modern era of American literature (you may have to review
some background material too). Good Luck.
The one author that I believe is that depicts the modernist movement the most in his writing is F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald wrote about the Jazz Age, which was a time of prosperity in America. He wrote about what was occurring in America instead of following the Europeans. He branched off of them, and dove into the lives of Americans. Fitzgerald was a brave, he wrote about the risqué behavior that took over the Jazz Age. This behavior was included in his novel This Side of Paradise. This book was very successful, as a matter of fact it was sold out the first day it was published. Fitzgerald wrote this novel in hopes that it would be a success, so he would be rich. Fitzgerald had fallen for Zelda, a wealthy young woman, however Fitzgerald did not have enough money for her. Fortunately for Fitzgerald, his book was very well-received, which allowed him to achieve the American Dream or so he thought. He and Zelda were married. However, they partied heavily, living the American Dream. This in itself had its side effects on their health. Living in the American Dream seemed to have a negative effect on his life, but not his writing. He used his life and the lives of others who are seeking the American Dream. The Great Gatsby is a wonderful depiction of the struggle for the American Dream. Gatsby wants a girl in a higher status than him. He becomes wealthy, but only after Daisy is married. Yet, Gatsby does not lose heart at all really. He believes that he will prevail in the end. He believes that Daisy only really loved him. He assumes all these things. He had the attitude of the American Dream; the attitude where one expects success and riches. Another one of Fitzgerald’s pieces that depicts the American Dream is Winter Dreams. Winter Dreams also includes wealth, women, love, and partying. When life in America changed with the Great Depression Fitzgerald wrote the Tender is the Night. Tender is the Night was another story of the high class, their carelessness, and their irresponsibility. No one wanted to read about the good times because there was not anything good about the Great Depression. Fitzgerald really seemed to have an infatuation with the American Dream, but that is what he knew. He have learned that author’s write about what they know. Fitzgerald knew the American Dream because that is all he ever strove for. He always wanted to be a hero. He tried football, the army, and writing. He was successful with writing, though like many authors his works are more popular now than they were when he was alive. If only his works were part of many curriculums when he was alive; he would have been so proud of himself. He may have been able to rest easy.
ReplyDeleteBlog cont.
ReplyDeleteUnlike Fitzgerald who was never really able to rest easy, you guys are now able to relax. You are all done! All you can do is wait to see your grade. I am sure that your grades will not be bad. Your presentation was good. You enhanced your presentation with multiple videos that related to the topic. You also did those two quizzes which were good ideas. They reinforced what was taught in your power points. There are two areas that I would say needed improvement. The first would be your group cohesiveness, I am sure that you have already heard this from others, but that is because it was so evident. It do not seem like you guys were really even a group at times. I am sure that it was due some to nerves and the fact that it was your first time presenting; just something to work on for next time. The other area that I feel needed improvement was how you did not really elaborate on what was on the slides. I mean Alex did, but sometimes it seemed like she always had to say something. You needed to balance that out as I said (learn when your comments are important). Kristy and Elizabeth I know that you are both very intelligent. Assert your intelligence if you have something to add, do it! We wanted to hear your voice too. Just be confident. To the group as a whole I would just say cohesiveness is what was missing. Other than that I feel that you did a great job this week even with everything going on. Also I really enjoyed your colors and backgrounds for your power points they were intriguing. Enjoy your weekend off from blogging!
Morgan,
DeleteI agree when you say that Fitzgerald was some what infatuated with the American Dream. All of his novels and short stories revolved around the American Dream and the pursuit of wealth and happiness. I think its great that you wrote about all of Fitzgerald's other novels, your blog really allowed me to see the other works that this great man wrote, and how they relate to "Winter Dreams" and "The Great Gatsby". He really dove head first into the ideas of the jazz age and the lifestyle of the rich of that time. I disagree that the group did not work together. I think it was more that they did not divide to the work and discussion evenly among the three members. I think that they could have dug a little deeper into the era and section, like you had mentioned.
Morgan,
DeleteWell your points support your opinion very well, I find myself wondering about your sentence “Living in the American Dream seemed to have a negative effect on his life, but not his writing.” If we think about Fitzgerald’s past, as horrible as it was, it is expressed quite frequently throughout his novels. If we think about it the largest obstacle is Gatsby’s live was that he was unable to support Daisy’s life when they met because he was just a military man. The irony in that is almost comical. Fitzgerald wanted nothing more at one point in his life to be in the military. I remember that he always found himself a failure in that field. Yet Gatsby, whom Fitzgerald was living the American Dream through, had the military and didn’t want it. That got me thinking that they say people write about what they know. In this case I think that it goes the other way. I think that Fitzgerald broke away from the British to live out what he wanted trough his writing. His writing was affected by the American Dream more than his normal life. He wanted it so badly that he even made up a fake world for it. The determination is very respectable.
The Modern Era was truly the beginning of great American literature, in my personal opinion. It depicts the ever changing persona of America and relates it to everyday life, but with an exciting and inspirational twist. Unlike realism ear, the Modern Era tends to have more exciting plots and settings, which makes the reading easier to engage in. I think that F. Scott Fitzgerald really possesses every quality that is the Modern Era. This week one short story we were assigned to read was “Winter Dream” by Fitzgerald. This short story was originally published in the Metropolitan Magazine in December of 1922. Some literature experts have even been quoted on saying that “Winter Dream” was Fitzgerald’s greatest short story. Why is this? Well I believe this to be true because it is what the Great Gatsby was born from. “Winter Dream” contains many of the same themes and plot ideas as The Great Gatsby. In a letter from June 1925 F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote to his editor Max Perkins that “Winter Dreams” was in fact "A sort of first draft of the Gatsby idea." The main plot of the short story revolves around Dexter, a poor boy from Minnesota, wanting to be a part of old money, and his love for a rich girl, Judy. This much reflects The Great Gatsby because Gatsby himself is a poor boy that wants nothing but old money and a rich girl. Both stories include affairs, golf, and war. “Winter Dream” was my favorite assignment from this past week. It fits into the Modern era of American literature beautiful with its wealthy ambitions, complicated affairs, extravagant life styles, and success in WWI.
ReplyDeleteI think that this group did an amazing job on the assignment. They really packed in all the information the section covered and gave us a solid background on the authors. The handouts that they distributed followed the power points very nicely and were great to follow along with. (Although, I personally think they should have copied their handouts front to back to avoid multiple papers and staples, just my APES attitude coming out!) This group seemed very organized as well, there was never any time that they had empty and needed to fill. I am a tad disappointed on the lack of group discussion though. With previous groups there were a lot of opinions on the stories and poems, and I felt like this presentation lacked that just a bit. Over all, I think this group did the best so far and they definitely set a very high standard. Bravo Kristy, Alex, and Elizabeth!
Kristin,
DeleteI agree with what you said about literature in this area being very relatable. I think the plot and setting of the "roaring twenties" really does make it more interesting to the reader. I also agree that I think F. Scott Fitzgerald put a lot of himself into his stories. His unfufilled dreams of being a war hero, being poor, everything that you said above. I think that is what makes him a modernist writer, because he took the chance of writing about things like this. Things without happy endings. Things with vulgarity and racy material. I think he was a solid individual, granted he had his struggles, but from that he produced brilliant literature.
Nice blog Krist.
ps. I like that you're being environmentally friendly.
Kristin,
DeleteGreat blog! I can defiantly tell that you did your research for this blog. You had so much information extra about “Winter Dream”. The point that you brought up that I found most interesting was that Fitzgerald actually said that this was a short draft of the Great Gatsby. When I read this story all I could think of was the Great Gatsby and it all makes sense now! But I must say if I was a writer I would probably would not have released a short story that was so similar to a future book. But to me it showed that Fitzgerald had a lot of confidence in the way that he wrote. He knew that if people liked the short story he could use that plot but make it more detailed and better. You also mentioned in your blog that this group coved a lot of material and yes they did. However, I feel like this hindered them a little. I am glad that the covered so much but some days it felt so much like I could not even take it all in because there was so much. Also this made them not be able to have a lot of class discussion because they were on such a tight schedule. And I must agree with you (as a fellow APE) that they should have copied the paper front and back. But other than that they had a great presentation and you had a great blog. See you tomorrow for 14 hours of math!!
Kristin,
DeleteI think you did a great job on the history of "Winter Dreams" and presenting it that way. I thought about those similarities the entire time I was reading the story but I never thought of it as being a first draft to "The Great Gatsby". However, I do disagree with you on one thing. I thought the handouts were monotonous. They were nice, don't get me wrong, but they lacked creativity. However, great blog, I could really tell how you felt about the presentations throughout the week.
Most of you probably could have guess I'm going to pick T.S. Eliot as the person I view relates to the modernist movement the most. I mean, I would marry him if I could just because he wrote my favorite poem of all time. Anyway, I believe he broke through the British literature with one statement: "He does not believe that poetry is a form of self expression."
ReplyDeleteThis differs from my view of what poetry is, but it's an interesting way to look at it. Most British literature at the time was a very simple form, where as T.S. believed that "poetry had to be complex to express the complexities of modern life." T. S. believed that he could "bring the rhythms of his native speech into the mainstream world of literature" (pg 662). I think that makes him a modernist, because he wasn't mainstream. He felt that complexities would be the best way to convey his speech and ideas of what poetry really is. Which, we definitely see in his poem -and an all-time favorite of mine- "The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock."
I love how T.S. starts off with "Let us go then, you and I,." I think that really engages the reader to want to take the journey that the speaker is trying to go on. I love the speech that T.S uses right in the beginning; it's so unique. For example: "Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels/And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:." I think the words like "cheap hotels" and "oyster-shells" really are a different use of vocabulary that most writers of the time were not used to using.
In this poem, the speaker seems to be obsessed with time. Looking back on his life, he realizes all of the chances he didn't take; "Do I dare/ Disturb the universe?" I think that really shows how the speaker in the moment was wondering if that chance would be worth taking, now realizing he should have jumped on the opportunity. He explains that back in time, he thought he had time. "And indeed there will be time/ For the yellow smoke that slides along the street/...There will be time, there will be time/...There will be time to murder and create/...Time for you and time for me,/ And time yet for a hundred indecisions,/ And for a hundred visions and revisions."
I think that really expresses how we as young people think that we have all this time left, but like when the speaker is looking out at the black ocean with his trousers rolled and thinning hair, he realizes that that's not true at all. Life is short. Life is about taking chances. Life is about seizing the moment. I think T.S. does a great job of writing a timeless classic that can still be related to today, which makes him the best of the modernists.
Now for the presenters, amazing job! You had very many authors to cover. My suggestion would be to take more time on each author. Just as I was beginning to fall in love with one, we were onto the next. I didn't feel as though there was enough time to talk about authors more in depth. I realize that a four day presentation is a time crunch, but maybe for improvement you should have all picked maybe three or four authors that you felt were essential to the lesson. Kristy and Elizabeth, you guys did great. I think you guys can voice your opinions more, and I know that may be because sometimes Alex I felt you had a comment for everything and didn't let the other speak, but Kristy and Elizabeth speak up! Let yourselves be heard. All and all, great job. You're finished! It's a great feeling, believe me I've been there ha ha. You guys should be proud... and relieved!
Soph,
DeleteI like that even though you disagree with T.S. Eliot's personal views on poetry, you can still relate to his works and still appreciate him. I think in today's world many people disagree or dislike someone's view point so disregards them completely. Anyhow, like you said, anything that is not mainstream can be considered modern in my opinion as well. Unlike yourself, I was not a huge fan of the poem we read, although if I read it again I would must likely think differently. But, the statement "Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels/And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:." really caught my attention as well. I also think that they should have gone a tad slower and presented only half the work they did.
Great blogging Miss Herzing
Sophie,
DeleteFirst off, I just have to say that after reading your whole blog post and your interpretation and explanation of "The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock", that I really understand the poem now and actually like it. Originally I did not really like the poem nor did I really understand it and even though the presenters did their best job of explaining it I still did not really quite grasp the meaning of it. However, you have truly enlightened me Sophie ha ha. So thank you! I think what really made the poem more difficult for me to understand is that T.S. used as you mentioned in your blog, all those instances of uncommon words and phrases throughout the poem. Those realaly threw me off and made it hard for me to get it. But you have explained it wonderfully so once again thank you!
Sophie,
DeleteOr should I say Mrs. Eliot. I’m going to be completely honest and say I hated his poem. A lot. I was shocked that someone such as yourself who is so good at poetry could like it. But I don’t think I found the real meaning in it. The fact that you included his reasons for his own poetry, made me think. After reading your little analysis on the poem, I slightly didn’t hate it as much. However, I did go back and read it and think it has potential, I like the meaning you got from it and hope that some time we could get into a very in depth discussion about it, maybe in Chem sometime. I agree with your critique and think that you picked your words wisely as they say. Good blog!
Laura,
DeleteOh, we will discuss it in Chem! Ha ha, I'm glad I could help.
Congratulations guys!!! Only two more groups are left, I believe. Alex, Elizabeth, and Kristy congratulations on finishing your presentation.
ReplyDeleteI actually was disappointed that we did not cover “Fire and Ice”, by the brilliant author Robert Frost. Robert Frost lived during the Modern Era which is a time when they are truly breaking away from the British literature. There is also so much going on in this time period such as the Great Depression, the World Wars, and prohibition. Robert Frost was a modern poet but there were things that made him a tad different than the other modernists. Frost still wrote about problems in the modern world but his poems I think took a more dark approach and dealt with the loneliness that he had. He also uses a lot of symbolism especially in one poem called, “The road not taken.”
“ Nothing Gold can Stay” is one of the poems that we did go over by him. I really enjoy this poem because I believe that it has a lot of truth in it. The poem ends with the lines, “So dawn goes down to day, Nothing gold can stay.” (This also rhymes for those who like the rhyme [Ryan]). This reminds me sort of like a child and their innocence. No matter how hard a person tries the day will end and they will grow older. Children are kept in the dark, they don’t know the cruel reality of the world yet and their biggest worry should be what to play at recess or which Barbie doll gets to end up with Ken. You can’t stay a child forever. However I also think it can just be interpreted as nothing good can last forever. The moment happens but then it is gone. You go to the beach and then you leave. The days end and the gold goes along with it.
I really enjoy Robert Frost’s poetry and always have. I find him brilliant. We did not cover my favorites by him but perhaps that was a good thing because it gave me a chance to read some different ones by him. Now it’s time for the critique. I think that overall you guys all had good eye contact and volume however I felt as though a lot of information was shoved into my brain at a really fast pace. I think that rather covering as much information as we did, you should of went more in depth into each subject. I liked the handout for the power point for maybe one of the days, not all of them. What happened to me was that the handout followed the power point exactly and I really didn’t have to write anything. I had all the information. This caused my brain to wander. I think that the handout like that would have been okay for one or two of the days but not every day. I am sorry that I missed two of the days this week during your presentation!! Despite my critique I think that you guys did do a good job though! I learned a lot and we covered one of my favorite poems. Congratulations and thanks for the Dairy Queen, Chocolate cookie dough blizzard… here I come!!!
Here also is Fire and Ice if anyone would like to read it!!!
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Laira,
DeleteFirst of all, that is exactly what I got with my prize. You have good taste! Secondly I agree with everything you said. The group did a good job, and I did learn a lot. However, like you said, I did not have to take many notes and my mind wondered sometimes. I felt like that handouts lacked creativity. Also, I like how you included "Fire and Ice" at the end, if we didn't cover it in class, I really did not have time to pay attention to everything else in the book. However, I did find that poem enjoyable and it was nice that you show a real interest in that author. I think your critique was really honest and fair.
Laira,
DeleteI am really glad I got to read your blog this week . I usually never get to comment on yours. But I must say you have a great blog. I agree with you that Robert Frost’s poems were the best parts of the presentations. I am ashamed to admit that I have never read any of Robert Frost’s works but when I read them this week I really enjoyed them. As we all know I am horrible at poetry but I could actually understand to some degree what Frost was trying to say. In your blog you talked about “Nothing Gold Can Stay” When I read this poem I got the same feeling. Sometimes people get so caught up in the past in “golden days” but everyone must realize that things change nothing gold can stay. But my favorite part about your blog was how you compared the child hood days to what Barbie gets to be with Ken. Cause it is so true that used to be my biggest decision and now I am trying to decide what to do for the rest of my life. I also agree with your critique of how you said it gave your mind more time to wonder by giving us the notes. I too thing they should have given us more like fill in the blanks or other types of worksheets. Great blog!
Laira,
DeleteI really agree with what you had to say about Frost's poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay". What you said about it basically meaning that good things come and then like all else they go. I found myself thinking this exact thing when we covered the poem. However, this also relates to the bad. Both good and bad things and times in our lives occur but as the gold in the poem, they cannot and do not stay forever. I think that in this poem Frost was really trying to get people to better appreciate the good things in their lives and to cherish them more while they have them, because they won't stay forever.
On what you said about you really liking Frost, I honestly never before read much of his poetry and writings so I really never knew just how great he is. However, after this week's presentation I have to say I really like Frost's poetry. By the way I like how you included his poem "Fire and Ice".
First of all, great job guys! I felt the presentation was a great one that flowed really well. Next thing is my favorite reading assignment for the week. I would have to pick “Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. After reading “The Great Gatsby” (I know that is not formatted correctly, but I don’t know how to italicize) I have become a personal fan of his. I think his writing is really good and it is successful because it is relatable. I know I want to one day grow rich and find the love of my life. I know some people think his writing is almost predictable, and I agree that it is. However, it is all very well written, because he had personal experience with some of the things he was writing.
ReplyDeleteThe story and the author both fit into the Modern Era quite well. Fitzgerald wrote about what he knew. He struggled to be a wealthy man and find happiness, which I’m not sure he ever found in his real life. Also his story is about trying to find the wealth and pretending to be happy along the way. I feel like that is how people lived in that era. I know for me, my Grandma Kopp used to tell me stories all of the time about her childhood. She was born in June of 1929 and she used to tell me all about growing up after the stock market crash and how she was too little to remember it actually happening but she does remember some of the aftermath. She was the seventh of ten children in her family and she used to tell me about watching her dad try to find work and that her mom used to stay home taking care of her and her brothers and sisters, even though they didn’t have much. Even in a small town like St. Marys, people were looking for wealth and pretended to be happy. That is why the story really is important to the Modern Era.
My favorite part of the week was definitely the quiz and receiving a blizzard coupon. I used it right after school, I was so excited. So thank you for that! Also I liked your use of videos. Some were of the authors themselves speaking, while others had no words at all, just pictures. You really found a wide variety of videos and that definitely helped add to your presentation. You all also had really good volume and eye contact consistently throughout the week. Congratulations on that because that is a tough thing to do.
However, now I must be critical, because remember this is a critique. My first thing was your handouts. Every single handout was the same. There was no variety or any creativity at all to them. Yes, they were nice because that stopped me from having to take a lot of notes. However, I felt that they were a last second thought. Also, because I didn’t have to take notes, I didn’t pay attention like I should have. My next complaint is the amount of talking. Now, I am especially being critical of Alex here. You bring up some really good points and sometimes I would like to hear those things, however there is a fine line before talking too much. I think in the first day or so of the presentation, you definitely crossed that line. Some things were unnecessary to say and you guys had me worried you wouldn’t finish your presentation at first. My third complaint is the material covered. I know when we read “His Father’s Earth” I was so confused and then in class the next day, there was only one slide on it. That kind of left me even more confused. Also, we were asked a question in class about a story we weren’t told to read. I know I had no idea what that question even meant. If you are going to cover something, tell us to read it.
Even with that big paragraph of complaints, I think you guys did a great job overall. Take a big sigh of relief, you’re done!
Steph, I agree with you when you said some of the reading was not discussed the next day in class very thoroughly. Some of the poems and stories were hard to understand, and I was looking forward to seeing what they really meant after I read them. I was confused especially on Winter Dreams and His Fathers Earth, and wanted more information on them. I wanted to see what everyone thought of them, but there was only a few slides that concerned the stories, and they did not tell me anything I didn’t already guess. Most of the poem information was good, just some of the longer stories needed more.
DeleteCongrats Alex, Elizabeth, and Kristy for finishing your presentation and for doing it in a great way. I really enjoyed the Modern Era. No offense to previous groups but the stories from this presentation were my favorite so far. These stories are so relatable, when I read these stories I didn’t have the urge to fall asleep. During the modern era writers were slowly starting to break away from the British literature and creating their own type of writing that defined the United States. This is why I think that I liked reading these stories so much more. These stories and writers are the ones who influenced how many modern day writers that I read write. Everything is so relatable. When I read the “Winter Dream” even though I am not involved with so many people and I am not that worried about wealth I feel like the underlying meaning really stuck out. If you let things slip by you may never get them back, but if you have to change your whole life just so they do not slip away they may not be worth holding onto.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I really like “Winter Dream” my favorite read from this presentation was “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” This is a great poem. I might actually say so far it is my favorite poem. I love nature and the great out doors and the way that Frost relates everything to nature. Many people say that this poem means that everything can not last forever and that all good things must come to an end. And I do see that point but I think that there is another way to look at this poem too. Yes everything must come to end but it must come to an end because something new has to start. Just like nature one season must end just so the next season can come in and although some seasons (like summer) may be liked more than other (like winter). But just because one is not liked that does not meant that it is not important. Everything works together in a delicate balance in nature and every season is needed. That is the same as in life. You may have a great day one day and another day it might be horrible but your might learn the most form that horrible day that could come in handy from the horrible day. Because the Modern Era was breaking away from British literature Frost could have been referring to the end of that age of Golden Era but the American literature would be just as Golden.
This group did a very good job with their presentation but there was some room for improvement. First I will start off with what I enjoyed most. I loved how you gave us the power points. It saved my so much writing and I now have all the notes and dates accurately. I was also able to take extra notes on the side. But the one thing that there is room for improvement would be that you guys had so much in your presentation but I feel like you needed to elaborate more on certain subjects. You covered so many authors which caused some of their works to get lost in the shuffle. But over all you had a great presentation that kept me very interested. However, I am disappointed I didn’t get DQ haha! Great Job guys.
Taylor, I really liked your interpretations of “Winter Dreams” and “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” It seemed in discussions we were all focusing on the darker half of the poems (i.e. the Great Depression). Now hearing you optimistic yet truthful views on the poems makes them so much more relatable and enjoyable. I feel the same way you do about the seasons and proper balance. When we do icebreakers for Family Honor we divide up by our birthdays, favorite sports, and seasons of the year. I can never pick one season because I find them all necessary and if we had just one all year we would be sick of it in no time. What you said about everything coming to an end so something new can start reminded me of a quote by Flavia Weedn. “There are no endings, only new beginnings.”
DeleteTaylor, I liked how you looked at the Frost poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” in a different light. To be honest, I did not understand that poem at all when I first read it, and had to be talked through the whole meaning. After reading what you wrote though I have a better understanding and respect for it. You said that it is not necessarily what is ending that the poem is talking about, but what we should look forward to. I know that some of the best days that I have had started off as the worst, but they gradually got better and better and soon they were on the top of my list. That “ending” of the bad had to occur before the starting of the good. So when we think of an ending, we should not be so pessimistic and always think of the bad. The end can actually be good sometimes.
DeleteTaylor,
DeleteI agree with you in the fact that these stories were more interesting than those of the previous sections (include my own). I personally feel that the closer the story is to modern times, the more interesting it is to read. Although there is good literature from early in American history, more modern era literature is easier to follow and relate to. I have to agree and disagree that your statement about how when something comes to an end, something new begins. Although you proved a point, I still feel that the poem is not discussing those new beginnings. During that time, there were many people that felt a new start could not be achieve due to all of the poverty of the era. There was war and a depression and sadness. It is good to know that something new could start and a happy new start with that.
Thanks for the feedback, i enjoy hearing what people have to say about the presentation. We really did keep the class attention span and bordem level in mind when we came up with certain aspects of it. the handouts were there mainly to save some writing and waiting on slides, so we could keep things going smoothly and finish. we had so much to cover so we did not go into too much depth. but, i do not believe we could have eliminated anymore authors than we already did. we also did not do so much group discussion because we did not have much extra time. i congradulate you guys for asking questions and paying attention and participating, it really helps when your the presenter and people ANSWER you. Thanks everyone for their opinions, and good luck to next week's presenters!
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I would like to say is congratulations on a fine presentation this past week, Alex, Kristy, and Elizabeth! You did a wonderful job presenting the very interesting era of literature, The Moderns.
ReplyDeleteIt is actually pretty hard for me to choose what author you girls covered this past week is my favorite because I really enjoyed several. You covered F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, Robert Frost and so many others however, for the sake of this blog assignment I must choose one. So I choose F. Scott Fitzgerald because I really like “The Great Gatsby” and his other story you covered during your presentation “Winter Dreams” was not as good in my opinion but still good. I believe what makes me and so many others like Fitzgerald’s works so much is that they are so real and lifelike and relatable. Fitzgerald is to me, simply a master. He is so good at creating characters and putting them into such lifelike situations that anyone and everyone can really relate too. He shows us “real” people trying to succeed in their lives and trying to achieve the American dream. However, as we can see from reading “The Great Gatsby” especially, many people do not achieve that dream. Take Gatsby for example; sure he achieved financial success which is widely considered a major part of the American dream, but he never achieved romantic success because he was stuck living in the past. Gatsby is just an example of someone trying to achieve the American dream, but never truly succeeding, partly I believe because he always wanted more. That is how it is today with so many people. They get something but all they want is more, more, and more. These people are never truly satisfied, which leads to their downfall, just like Gatsby. Fitzgerald is so well capable of portraying these people in his literature and I think this is because he himself was like one of these people. He always wanted more. He wanted to be a more successful writer; he wanted to have Zelda, but then when Zelda became ill he wanted more and had an affair. Fitzgerald puts so much of himself into his writings that almost everyone can find it so easy to read and relate to and really know how and what and why characters in his works do what they do. I think that so many people today have probably reached the American dream, but they do not even realize it because they are so unaware of just how much they have in their lives. They get so caught up in wanting more and more just like Fitzgerald and Gatsby that they lose sight of what they really wanted in the first place. People need to take a long, hard look in the mirror so to speak, and really assess just how “rich and successful” they have become in their constant efforts to achieve the American dream.
Blog continued...
ReplyDeleteNow onto you girls’ presentation. I think that you all did a great job with your presentation. It was well thought out, planned, and executed with just few minor issues. Here are those issues: First off, Alex, I know that you are a very intelligent, outspoken person who does have some very key input but I believe that many times during your presentation you talked way too much. Take a little breather sometimes and let your fellow group members get their say in! On that same note, Kristy and Elizabeth, do not be afraid to speak up and voice your opinions and thoughts and do not be afraid to say something to your other group member when you think they are talking too much! Elizabeth, I think that during this presentation you really came out of your shell and did very well. Personally, I always found you to be a very quiet, somewhat shy person but you really came out strong in your presentation with a loud, clear voice. Kristy, as always you had a good, clear, loud voice. The only other issue I had with your presentation was that when you gave the class the questions to answer on looseleaf you read them wayyyy too fast and did not repeat them enough if at all. This especially perturbed me because at the end of the week there were five or six questions that I had no clue what the question even was so I could not put an answer down and I had gotten 11 correct out of the questions I did have so I could have won one of the Dairy Queen coupons so that made me pretty mad. Now onto the good. You all did very well almost all of the time with speaking clearly and loudly. Your powerpoints went along very nicely with the handouts, which I liked because I did not have to take barely any notes. Also, your videos were very cool, especially the one with the one actual author speaking. Overall, great job girls and congratulations on being done!
Dearest Scott,
DeleteI liked how you pointed out some key points about Scott Fitzgerald himself. How his life is possibly in his stories. I also liked how you brought up Zelda however I really don’t think you covered the story itself. You talked more about the “Great Gatsby” than “Winter Dreams”. There is some parallelism but you didn’t mention anything about “Winter Dreams.” Despite that I agree with how people get caught up in things and need to step and realize what they have. Sometimes I think that people get so caught up in getting what they want that they forget who they really are and why they wanted in the first place. I think Elizabeth really did a good job with speaking up loud and clear! I forgot to mention that, sorry Elizabeth!! I disagree with thinking the handouts were a good thing. I often think hearing it and writing it down allows the individual to remember it more than just hearing it.
Congratulations Alex, Kristy and Elizabeth! You all did very well and I’m sure you’re all glad to be done too. Personally I must say that I really actually liked the Modern era and you all did a good job teaching it. I understood a lot of the material since I’m part of the second half.
ReplyDeleteWell I thoroughly enjoyed the Fitzgerald’s “Winter Dream” I felt them all very similar to the Great Gatsby. I really like the Great Gatsby but a person can only read the same story so many times before it gets old. This reminded me of the thought that a lot of us share. When a person reads a book then watches the movie the movie almost always disappoints. Vice versa when a person watches a movie then reads the book the character descriptions don’t match up. So for me when I was reading “Winter Dream” I struggled not to compare characters or be reminded of Daisy and Nick. I can definitely say that Fitzgerald’s work was quality but not for me. I found that Robert Frost had most certainly won my vote for favorite work that we covered this week.
Picking through his poems I would say that “Design” and “Nothing Gold Can Stay” are tied for the best but for different reasons. “Design” has a very beautiful way of being written. The way Frost compared spiders and moths to satin and flowers. I mean how many people can say “ingredients of a witches’ broth” and make it work. The symbolism of the poem really came through to me. Since all poetry can be interpreted differently it took me a while to find which one I liked most but I settled on bitter sweetness. “Design” starts out bitter and finishes sweet. The negatives of nature are more prevalent than the positives. However Frost finishes with the positives reminding us not to forget that with all death and ugly comes life and beauty. Life isn’t going to stop for the rest the world to catch up. The last line reminds me, at least, that enjoying the little things helps us to get by. In “Nothing Gold Can Stay” I find the same principal to come through the meaning. “Design” just barely tops “Nothing Gold Can Stay” for me. As a person who hated all poetry for years, Frost’s poetry is some of my favorite. It breaks away from the norm and the boring like the British and comes through strong and still stands today.
If I had to critique I only have two things to say. Firstly, I felt that the group was slightly divided just by means of the group leader, if I am right is Alex? I just saw more of her leadership than in Elizabeth and Kristy’s. Secondly, I really liked the handouts you gave us, they are extremely helpful. But by no means did I find the need to pay attention once I had it, I tied to incase something else comes along but daydreaming is a horrible distractor. All in all I sincerely think you were wonderful and I did learn.
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DeleteLaura, I think you did a beautiful job talking about “Design.” That poem was my second favorite frost poem we covered. When I read it I pictured a black backdrop with this white flower, white spider, and white moth all illuminated by a spot light. Do not ask me the reason behind the spotlight, my imagination is a very interesting place to visit, but one can easily find they are lost upon entrance. I agree with you comment on it being a bittersweet poem. It speaks about death in an alluring and captivating manor. I also agree that the information on the handouts should have been different from the information on the slide show. Possibly fill in the blanks or something of that manor.
DeleteLaura,
DeleteYou did a wonderful job with your blog this week! I really think you put some thought into your blog. You can definitely tell that you put thought into your analysis of the poem. I too, like the poem. When I read the poem all I could picture was black and white. The way he used imagery to help get his point across was very effective, I do not know if he meant to do this through his words, but that is what happened when I read the poem. Frost was a great poet. That is proven by the fact that his works are still popular today. Laura, I also agree that it helped since we are doing the second section of the Moderns. I knew that the authors in the section would be a little different than the other authors that we have been studying since authors at this time were breaking away from British literature; this resulted in an original type of literature in America. So I am glad that we were able to use the information that we have learned in our section to help us understand information in the first part of the moderns. I do agree that the leader of the group was very evident, however when Kristy and Elizabeth spoke they did a good job! Its my turn soon I hope that moderns part 2 can do as good as moderns part 1.
Laura,
DeleteMentioned in your blog was F. Scott Fitzgerald. He is unequivocally a superb author that deserves our utmost respect. I think we can all relate to that after reading "The Great Gatsby". I'm a skeptic so I had to bring this up. Was he really as great an author as portrayed if most of his writing was near identical in theme? I would think that someone of that stature would have a plethora of ideas to communicate. Authors write what we knew and Fitzgerald most certainly did know about wealth and the perilous pursuit of the American Dream. With his genius, I would expect something else out of him.
Also, I'm happy to see that you enjoyed the poems. They still need to grow on me a bit. I'm sure that will come with time. Maybe after reviewing your deep appreciation, I'll go back on further critically analyze them. Quite an astute interpretation of the poems, I might add.
Laura,
ReplyDeleteI love that you pointed out "Design." I love the way it was written, comparing very intricate things with something so big. I think the wording was also very nice. I like your idea of Frost always ending with positives, even if they start out "bitter" like you said. I think even the title of "Nothing Gold Can Stay" sound very negative, but in the end it makes total sense. I love that Frost turned you on to poetry!
I also agree with you that Alex seemed like a leader in the group. I loved the handouts also. They will help so much when it comes to the test!
Nice blog Laura!
Congrats Elizabeth, Kristy, and Alex, you’re all finished! Over all, your group did a good job. I enjoyed your little video clips, like “Life in 1920.” However, in the videos where we listened to poems it would have been better if your group could have chosen some that were easier to comprehend. I was personally struggling to understand what the readers were saying, let alone comprehend the meaning of the poem. Some of the audios sounded like old men mumbling to each other while driving down the rumble strips on a highway. I also think some of the commentary was a little drawn out. At times it seemed more like a gab session than a lesson. Maybe if the entire group would have allowed just the person presenting the slide to talk the presentation could have gone a little smoother. I do think that the idea of giving us a test at the beginning and end of the presentation was a great idea (even though I have not gotten to make mine up yet). It is a great way to prove how much knowledge we unknowingly retain.
ReplyDeleteRobert Frost was my favorite author we covered in The Moderns section. He has always been one of my favorite poets, second only to Edgar Allen Poe. However, I cannot honestly say whether or not Frost really was a modernist writer. He remained true to his era and refused to follow the changes other poets were making towards the end of the modernist time period. He was a modernist to his time and his time alone; which separated him from the other modernist poets of the times. Before this presentation my favorite piece by Frost was “The Road Not Taken,” now I can say my favorite poem by Frost is “Neither Out Far Nor In Deep.” The first time I read through it, this poem reminded me of my numerous vacations to the ocean. My family refers to me as “the fish” on account of my history of swimming and love for water. Reading this made me think of the hours one can spend just walking along and staring at the water in the late evening. Looking at it now, the poem was published in 1934 which would be during the Great Depression. “The people along the sand / All turn and look one way. / They turn their back on the land. / They look at the sea all day.” This line now makes me think of the American people of the 1930s. How they were broken, shocked, and did not know what to think. They turned their backs on government and society. They daydreamed, as we do when we are at the ocean, and speculated on thoughts of what could have been. Even in present day, we find ourselves looking back on the past, thinking about what could have been and what will be.
Dearest Maura,
DeleteGlad to know that someone else likes Robert Frost’s poems before coming to class! “The Road Not Taken” is actually my dad, Rich’s, favorite poem. The thing I love about poetry is that to everyone it means something different, you can find something personal in your life to relate it to whether it’s a memory or moment or something graspable. I know that you have a deep passion for swimming like I do for tennis and I like how you related it to your passion. I liked how you said they turned their back on government and society. I did not think of that but it is hard times with the Great Depression and things like that. People were afraid. When looking at the ocean and its vast water that goes on for days, it gives me a sort of tranquility. No one ever wants to leave the beach.
Maura,
DeleteI am glad that you used your own life to relate yourself to the poem. I feel that when people relate their lives to something it shows that they are truly interested and care. I do agree with your statement about the videos. Some of the videos were difficult to understand. I do not think that the content was that difficult to comprehend if I could have heard it easier. Many times the speaker was mumbling as you said. It was a good idea to get a recording of the actual author. When the author reads the poem you may get the understanding of the poem that he or she actually wanted to portray. The poet knows where to pause and what words to put emphasis on. I think the group had the right idea, but better clarity would have been greatly appreciated. Since, you mentioned that “Neither Out Far Nor in Deep” was written during the Great Depression the poem becomes so much clearer. I think that you are correct when you said that “they daydreamed”. When people are facing desperate times they look into the future and think of better times. Sometimes when life gets tough we imagine totally unrealistic things. I think that it is good that we have imaginations in order to move out of reality sometimes because if we were always stuck in reality we might go crazy. Great insight with the fact that the poem was written during the Great Depression because I think that the time period is very important to the poem itself. Good job on the blog this week Maura!
Maura,
DeleteI also enjoyed the videos. I found it extremely interesting Alex, when I thought there was going to be technical difficulties, you just with a few clicks of a mouse had it up and running perfectly. However Maura I also agree some videos could have been changed so that they were easier to understand, or the group could have printed out the poem and we could have read it like when we read The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, because that was a good idea. Also Maura, you made a good point when referring to how the poem relates to those people of the 1930s and how it relates to the great depression. I feel that the line “they look at the sea all day” refers to the people wanting something better. Oceans are a beauty to look at, and if something beautiful were to be seen during this depressing time in history, I would want to look at it all day too!
Good job to our presenters - Elizabeth, Kristy and Alex. I know it is hard to think of new ideas keep the attention of the class, and you did that very well. I especially liked the handouts, as they helped me follow along better during class. As many have already mentioned, the distribution of “talking time” was a little uneven, so I won’t mention any more. I liked the idea of asking a few questions at the end of class, and having a reward at the very end. The people that didn’t try, or didn’t listen to the questions got burned, and the ones who paid attention got Dairy Queen (great idea on the prize by the way Elizabeth).
ReplyDeleteThe story that I picked was Soldier’s Home, by Ernest Hemmingway. In it, a soldier comes home from the war, and cannot find the motivation to do anything in life. There seems to be something bothering him, that he can’t focus on anything and is just floating through life. He can’t find a job, and he tries to talk himself into thinking that he “doesn’t need a girl.” He only talks when he has to, and gives only minimalist responses. I think that this is a great example of the modern movement, because it shows the corruption of the society at the time. The acceptable behavior in social situations was plunging, and some of the old - fashioned people were not ready to accept this. The behavior of the soldier is enough to demonstrate it. He is very selfish, just trying to please himself in whatever way he can, without putting out too much effort. He doesn’t try to please his parents, and lies to them, again and again.
Linnea,
DeleteI love love love that story. I found myself wanting more when it was over. It was definitely my favorite story we read (not including poems of course). Krebs was not the normal american hero figure, but the more realistic version of what happens to some soldiers when they come home from the wars. This is another example of an american dream gone wrong that was portrayed so much in this time period.
Linnea,
DeleteI think Hemingway's work could be considered the definition of Realism. He tells of the life of a returning soldier, struggling with the emotions that accompany something of that magnitude. Hemingway's new sense of a hero was most certainly expressed through Krebs. He didn't care, was lazy, and was in utter confusion. He wanted his life to go smoothly, after an abrupt wake-up call from his mother. I think we can all learn something from this character, Krebs. Your blog opened my eyes to the story that I had not thought of earlier. You stressed "doesn't need a girl." That's interesting because Hemingway dedicates much of the story on that. Possibly, his experiences in Europe could have skewed that.
Kristy, Elizabeth, and Alex,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, Congratulations your presentation is over, and you can now relax!
I really liked many aspects of your presentation. Taking notes was easy in that most of the notes were already printed out. Any extra notes that were given, I wrote on the paper, which was extremely helpful. I thought this was a very good idea on this group’s part and I am sure the rest of the class appreciated being able to keep up with every slide easily. There seemed to be a lot of work put into each day’s presentations. I also felt the worksheet given at the beginning and end was a good idea to see how much we learned from the presentation. The reading check’s prize of Dairy Queen was a good idea since it just re-opened. I am quite jealous of the winners!
In all you did a very good job, I just have a few criticisms. All three of you are very creative girls, and I know that a little more creativity could have been put into your PowerPoints and presentation in total. They were somewhat dry. Also, we really did not have to read the material assigned for homework because very little of it was gone over during class. I know the first day or so Alex spoke a great deal, and it almost overpowered Kristy and Elizabeth. When she started to say less, Kristy and Elizabeth still did not say any more. It would have been nice for a little more input from you two.
You presented a great amount of information, and covered some very important authors from the 1900s-1950s period. If I had to pick a favorite, the author and works were that of F. Scott Fitzgerald are a personal favorite of mine. Although Winter Dreams and the Great Gatsby were similar in various ways, I enjoy the way that Fitzgerald reveals how Americans Act, or would act in society through these novels. Such as, the parties in the Great Gatsby and how many Americans like to throw parties and have a good time. Also, golf is a regular past time of many Americans, and this idea was portrayed in both stories. I also like the fact that Fitzgerald really relayed lines that went on during his life, such as the theme of “false happiness”. Although Fitzgerald found love and was an author, his life was never really complete making this false happiness in his stories relatable to actual life and the life of the author. Learning about Fitzgerald in his background material was interesting due to the fact that we knew most of the information from the YouTube videos we watched a few weeks ago.
All in all ladies, good job!
Abby,
DeleteI agree that the notes were really easy to follow along with, that should really help all of us on the next quiz. Fitzgerald is a great writer and I can read his writings without having to force myself to pay attention. Winter Dreams was definitely close to the top of my list even though it wasn't number one. Fitzgerald really fits in to this era because so many of his stories contain the element of a distorted american dream and that was one of the main focuses of the period.
Abby,
DeleteI think all of your criticisms of the presentation are fair and legitimate, and I think your comments will help the presenters learn from their mistakes. I agree that a little more creativity in the presentation would have been nice, but I have made this point for every presentation so far yet I have not gave my presentation with my group so ours may be dry as well. In which case it would be unfair for me to have gave the "boring" criticism. I also agree with your comments about F. Scott Fitzgerald because I think his writings really encompass the American dream lifestyle, and therefor the Modern movement!
My favorite reading assignment this week was Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost. By blogging about this particular poem and author, I am taking a different approach in comparing him to the modern era because he was very in favor of the traditional methods of writing. In my opinion there has to be someone against every movement that takes place because there is always people with their own opinions. Robert Frost fits into the modern era just as much as F. Scott Fitzgerald did because there is two sides of every story, and Frost was just on the other side. Robert Frost stated that “writing poetry in free verse is like playing tennis without the net.” He was saying that free verse does not have a consistent pattern or rhyme as meter does. He wrote in meter because there were guidelines, it was safe and organized, and it was tradition.
ReplyDeleteAmerican was considered the new Eden, meaning a land of beauty and majesty. In Frost’s poem he says that “”Eden sank to grief.” This poem can be interpreted a number of different ways, but after reading about this author and the modern era I believe he is making a reference to the uproar of modernism. He was stubborn and believed that traditional forms of poetry were best. My interpretation is Nothing Gold Can Stay; this line in particular, is that during this modernism movement America sank to grief. In the eyes of Frost, the modernism was chaos and American poetry, or Eden, sank to grief because of the disorderly free verse and experiments.
He was a writer that stuck with tradition, order, and the past. Even though he was not for modernism, he played a big part in this era because he was one of the main authors that stuck to tradition. Even though he did not go wild and experiment with his writing, he had a unique voice that was recognized for years after his death. He was against the modernist trend but nonetheless, a part of the modern era.
I enjoyed the discussion we had over Robert Frost's poems, I am a big fan of him and it was interested to hear everyone's opinions. Great job to all of you!
Maria,
DeleteWow I am really impressed by how you interpreted this line of the poem!I am not really an expert on the writing style of Robert Frost, but if he was really as glued to the traditional styles of British Literature as you say he was then I really think you might be on to something with your opinion on what he means by saying and "Eden sank to grief." I guess I make the connection in my head on how much it bothers me that all of the things that we used to manufacture here in the united states are now being shipped over seas, I hate it, but it is the way of the new era. Some people such as business men, and greedy company owners I'm sure believe it is a great idea to send our business over seas, but I think it is plain stupid. This could be how Frost felt as everybody around him was starting to experiment with new forms of poetry and free verse, while he wanted to be strictly traditional. I guess on these two topics me and Front have similar stand points, so Frost would have continued to write in his orderly ways, and I will have to continue playing with Leggos.. haha
I really enjoyed learning about the Modern Era for a couple reasons. First of all I like this Era in the Literature timeline because it is when authors from America finally started to branch out from the British style of writing that had been dragging on for so long. I almost feel a sense of pride in writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck because they created styles of writing that we as Americans can call ours. This is a huge movement that laid the foundation and paved the way for many other authors that would create great stories in the new “vibe” of modern Literature. A second reason of why I enjoyed this lesson so much is because of John Steinbeck who is one of my favorite authors. Something about the way that Steinbeck wrote with his use of “regionalism,” as we learned about in the previous lesson, just makes it so easy for me to become engaged in the story. I think that because of the way he wrote in my mind Steinbeck is the perfect example of the branching away from the overbearing influences of British Literature. I think that Steinbeck wrote in a way that had never been experienced before, and too this day I don’t think he has quite been matched. His unique style is a great example of a separation from the past literature.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite piece of literature covered in this chapter would have to be “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” This short little poem connects nature to the most obvious facts of life. To me saying that nothing gold can stay is just another way of saying the phrase that “all good things must come to an end. What better way to describe that all good things must come to an end than to compare everything to nature. Think of the summers you have had in the past, those perfect sunny days that you would spend on the pool deck with your friends listening to music and breathing the fresh air and life should get no better. Then you notice that the leaves on the trees are starting to change color and fall and now you need a jacket to leave the house, the “gold” summer has come to an end as it always will. This is a good way of comparing nature to the phrase. The poem states, “So dawn goes down to day.” This on my opinion relates to how when you look outside in the morning and the sun is rising over the distant horizon casting an array of different colors across the landscape, then you look away just for a minute and when you look back outside the sin has risen and it is just another normal sunny day. Nothing gold can stay, and it usually doesn’t stay for long, as the poem stats “Hear early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour.” This poem really is interesting to think about, and it does a great job of connecting nature to a fact of everyday life.
I think that the presentation went very smoothly and the group was very prepared and confident with their presentations, which made it easy to learn from. Though, the presentation might have went a little too smoothly. What I mean by this is that the group would have benefitted themselves by slowing down! Much of the information was spit out much too fast and I could barely keep up with it all! I also think it would have been better to pick a couple of authors out and really take time to focus on their background and their works of literature. I think the group did a great job of teaching about all of the authors that they did, but if they would have focused on a few then we could have had much deeper conversations on how their lives influenced their work. I think individually they all did a great job. Alex did a lot of the talking, though when the others talked it was confident, loud, and presented very well. Congratulations to the group for getting their presentation out of the way and doing a really great job with it!
Ernest Hemingway wrote with a conviction of heroism that had never been seen before. America needed a new kind of hero, and he provided one. His embodiment of a hero is not one that we might readily imagine. His portrayal does not include some Superman or Indiana Jones. Their attributes do not comply with realistic qualities that Hemingway was so well known for. Hemingway’s heroes cannot fly, deflect bullets with his body, or search for relics such as the Holy Grail. His heroes blended a harsh sense of reality with their place in the society of the 1910s. One of his characters, Harold Krebs, accepted life as it came, with a sentiment of ‘graceful stoicism’. It included a willingness to accept life’s few moments of pleasure while taking refuge from life’s inevitable roadblocks.
ReplyDeleteThis tough, rugged sense of ‘machismo’ brought about inspiration for many writers to come. This was different from British literature. This optimistic patriotism is something that Americans, under the influence of Great Britain, had never seen before. The Great War (WWI) influenced not only Hemmingway, but also other authors. Hemingway’s war novels were based off his experiences in Italy as a wounded soldier. Later in life, he traveled much and was truly an interesting man. Another man writing of his own experiences was later seen in another modernist, F. Scott Fitzgerald. It’s interesting because they collaborated together in France. Their evocation of the deeper feelings inside of them provided for very good reading, even to this day.
In “Soldier’s Home”, Hemingway introduced the obvious new hero but also some novel feelings. Krebs could be interpreted to having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. During the war, emotions bounced around his head causing unique experiences. From his fellow soldiers, to battle, to the nice French and German women, Krebs’ mind seemed corrupt. Once back at home, his apathy towards continuing normal life was evident. His opinion on courting a woman had changed dramatically, causing him despair. Hemingway’s new, realistic hero beings to unfold. Krebs at points cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. The rest of his life seems like a constant stream of disarray. Krebs then receives a talk from his beloved mother and that sense of optimism, that Hemmingway is accredited to, becomes clear. At the culmination of the short story, he decides to find a job in Kansas City and to watch his favorite sister play ball. Life, as one of Hemingway’s sane heroes, continues on.
This week’s presentation was different, but in a good way of course. I felt like I was living in the Roaring Twenties through our discussion. The stories came to life with crisp facts and creative interpretations. After reading “Soldier’s Home”, I sort of fell in love with Hemingway’s works. I look forward to reading him in the future, including his Pulitzer Prize winning “The Old Man and The Sea.” I think this group was lucky to get this special time of American literature to study. I hope that they have learned much, because I surely did. It’s always very cool to listen to readings of the poems. Also, I was pleasantly surprised with the unique style that we read T.S. Eliot’s work. I would have liked a bit more discussion, but all in all, marvelous work in covering the Moderns!