war, literature, and propaganda
In our Realism and Naturalism unit, we touched on the theme of war in literature in our reading of Stephen Crane's short story, "An Episode of War." If you will recall, Crane wanted to portray the realities of war and how it affects real soldiers in their everyday experience without the exaggerations and embellishments that often accompanied other depictions of war in literature around his time. One of the purposes of this was to counteract the effect of war propaganda on the opinions and attitudes of his readers. Like many other authors who were to follow, he forced readers to look more closely at the realities of the actions and events propaganda often oversimplified or distorted. They wanted to depict soldiers not as simply heroes or victims, but as the complex, living individuals that they really are.
Below are links to two stories that we are going to read that deal with the issue of war. As we read them, you should be thinking about the following questions:
1. What attitudes about war do these stories express? Are they pro-war, anti-war, or something in between?
2. Should we consider these stories propaganda, or are they something different? (Remember the definition of propaganda from the beginning of the unit.)
3. Why do these stories succeed in transmitting a certain message about war? Are their techniques at all similar to those used by Crane in "An Episode of War"?
Before starting each story, team up with two other partners and divide the vocabulary list evenly between the three of you. Use internet sources to find a definition for each word, and then write an original sentence using each of the words assigned to you. Then share your definitions and sentences with your group.
Here are the links to the stories, with vocabulary lists:
"The Sniper," by Liam O'Flannery (1923)
Vocabulary (2 per group member): beleaguered, spasmodically, ascetic, parapet, paroxysm, recoil
"The War Prayer," by Mark Twain (1905)
Vocabulary (4 per group member): oratory, fervid, eloquence, tumult, invocation, clarion, supplication, benignant, cataract, desolated, travail, contrite
Below are links to two stories that we are going to read that deal with the issue of war. As we read them, you should be thinking about the following questions:
1. What attitudes about war do these stories express? Are they pro-war, anti-war, or something in between?
2. Should we consider these stories propaganda, or are they something different? (Remember the definition of propaganda from the beginning of the unit.)
3. Why do these stories succeed in transmitting a certain message about war? Are their techniques at all similar to those used by Crane in "An Episode of War"?
Before starting each story, team up with two other partners and divide the vocabulary list evenly between the three of you. Use internet sources to find a definition for each word, and then write an original sentence using each of the words assigned to you. Then share your definitions and sentences with your group.
Here are the links to the stories, with vocabulary lists:
"The Sniper," by Liam O'Flannery (1923)
Vocabulary (2 per group member): beleaguered, spasmodically, ascetic, parapet, paroxysm, recoil
"The War Prayer," by Mark Twain (1905)
Vocabulary (4 per group member): oratory, fervid, eloquence, tumult, invocation, clarion, supplication, benignant, cataract, desolated, travail, contrite