Important Note to Students

The HAMLIT assignment page is a convenience but not something to be dependent on. When possible, homework and reading assignments will be posted here, but you are expected to complete all assignments that are announced in class on time, regardless of whether they are posted online. If you are absent, or do not remember if there is an assignment, you will need to contact another member of class to verify what the assignment is. Neither I nor the site are responsible for your failure to complete this responsibility.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Extra Credit Clarification

Although it should probably go without saying, please make sure to write thoughtful responses for all of the extra credit questions related to your Dos Passos reading. Remember, the more thoughtful, the greater the chances of receiving the full extra credit bonus. Also, typing them would be splendid.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

The Extra Credit passages are IN!

Due Wednesday the day of your final at the beginning of 6th period (or before):

1. Obtain and read the Dos Passos passage after reading my preface:

Preface:

John Dos Passos was an influential Modern writer at the same time as Hemingway, Faulkner, and Fitzgerald. Like Hemingway, his experiences in World War I contributed greatly to his writing. One of his most famous works, the U.S.A. trilogy, traces the lives of several characters in the years preceding, during, and following World War I. In addition to telling the stories of these characters’ lives, he includes several “biography” sections in this work, in most cases of famous Americans. The biography he presents in this section is of a different sort. Read this section carefully and answer the following questions in detail using specific quotations from the text. The excerpt is challenging, so you may find that you need to read it more than once. (And yes, I have done a bit of editing on the text.)


2. Think about and read the following questions:


1. Identify several instances in which Dos Passos uses language/structure in a unique way. What overall effects does this use of language have on the piece?
2. What insight does this piece give into society of this time period in regards to racial relations?
3. How is war depicted in this passage?
4. What are some ironies that this excerpt addresses?
5. What role does repetition play in this passage?
6. How does this passage’s style and content compare to the writings of Hemingway, Faulkner, and Fitzgerald? (Be sure to address all three.)
7. What is your personal opinion of this passage? (Reactions, thoughts, comments, etc.)