Post 3: Deeper Reading p 155

Post #3

The objective of this task is to have students apply examples from modern real life to novels that we read in American Literature. Students had a choice to read either The Awakening or The Red Badge of Courage. Both of these novels were written in the 1890s. The Awakening is set in the 1890s (or 1880s) and The Red Badge is set during the Civil War, but both explore topics and issues that are still very relevant today. The trick is to get students to apply these novels to modern day events.

I used the graphic organizer found on page 155 in Deeper Reading. After some in-class group discussion, I handed out the graphic organizers. Students were first to come up with two issues on their own, and I monitored progress. Students then met in their discussion groups and shared their answers. Each student had to take notes on two other responses that s/he found most insightful. This exercise helps prepare students for the final assessments of this novel, an in-class essay and a power point presentation.

I find this sort of exercise very helpful with older works of literature. I enjoy teaching these two novels because, while they are great examples of realism (and The Awakening is a good example of regionalism, and Red Badge of naturalism), they both also focus on topics that are still highly relevant to our lives today: women’s right and the effects of war. By linking a novel to their own lives, students have both a deeper understanding of the novel and a more personal and emotional connection to it.