Honors American Literature

Earth and Sky Theme

For the past three years the entire school has worked on school- wide themes. The past themes have included community and the river. The theme this year is “Earth & Sky”. American Literature offers a great opportunity to discuss this theme. I would like our class to begin thinking about how the novels, essays, plays, and poems that we have read might connect to this idea. As time goes on we might be able to modify the ideas that I have outlined below. The projects will be graded and displayed on March 27^th during Report Night. The projects are due on March 25^th.

Project description:

I would like our class to break up into three groups of three.

Each group will be responsible for specific titles that will be decided as a class.

Each group will create a mural/poster/collage that connects the books to the theme Earth & Sky.

The mural/poster/collage should include:

Visual connection to the books

Quotes from the material that we have read that connects to the theme

Explanation of how the material that we have read connects to the theme

Original poetry that each group will write and display on the mural

You are not limited to the above- you can include anything you would like. Songs might make an interesting connection.

Things to think about:

Native American connection to the earth and sky

The Puritan view of heaven

Hawthorne’s connection to nature

Steinbeck’s connection to land –American Dream

Transcendental view of nature

Africans being taken from their land

Slaves relying on the stars to escape

Celie praying to God

Olinka tribe losing their land

Material that should be covered:

1. Black Elk Speaks

2. The Crucible/Salem Witch Trials

3. Sherman Alexie short stories

4. The Scarlet Letter

5. Hawthorne short stories

The Birthmark

Rap’s. Daughter

Dr. H. Exp.

6. Of Mice and Men

7. Transcendental writing

Emerson and Thoreau essays

8. Slavery information

Frederick Douglas

Harriet Jacobs

9. Red Badge of Courage

10. Walt Whitman poetry

11. Emily Dickinson poetry

12. The Color Purple