World War I and World War II devastating impact on British culture
World War I and World War II had a devastating impact on British culture. World War One soldiers are often referred to as the Lost Generation because of the large numbers of casualties in Britain and its former colonies (estimated at 1,114,914). Out of this tragic loss of life came some of the most powerful war poems of the twentieth century. Many of the men who wrote these poems later lost their lives during the so-called Great War.
Following World War One, Germany and Italy sought to rebuild themselves as international powers. One of the tools they used was fascism, a form of government in which private property exists at a nominal level and all cultural products (the media and religion in particular) are state-controlled. As fascism gained in political influence and propaganda became an increasingly powerful tool of persuasion during the 1930s, writers such as George Orwell and Aldous Huxley called for greater precision in language to prevent totalitarian control of the masses.
A mere twelve years after the so-called war to end all wars, an even greater global conflict broke out between the Axis Powers and the Allies, which included Great Britain. The atrocities of the Holocaust were exposed not only by Allied soldiers, but also by eyewitnesses such as Anne Frank and Elie Weisel. In this lesson, you will read a selection from Weisel’s Holocaust memoir, Night. The writing is all the more haunting for its recounting in matter-of-fact prose the horrific details of life in Auschwitz. Writings from both wars remain relevant as we struggle to avoid the human carnage of the twentieth century and its two world wars.
Lesson Objectives
• Analyze the use of symbols in literature
• Compare literary texts
• Examine the use of a naïve narrator in short fiction
• Evaluate the use of third–person omniscient versus first-person point-of-view
• Examine and analyze dialogue and dialect in regional works
• Evaluate the dramatic conventions of tragedy
• Evaluate and analyze the use of foreshadowing and flashback in narrative fiction
• Understand setting and mood
Reading Assignments
1. Read the “Literary Analysis Workshop: Literature as Social Criticism, pp. 1216-1217.
2. Read the biographical sketches for Rupert Brooke and Siegfried Sassoon, “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death,” “The Soldier,” and “Dreamers,” pp. 1218-1223.
3. Read the biographical sketch of George Orwell and “Shooting an Elephant,” pp. 1226-1235.
4. Read the biographical sketch of Aldous Huxley and “Words and Behavior,” pp. 1240-1252.
5. Read the biographical sketch of Elie Weisel and the excerpt from Night, pp. 1256-1262.
6. Read the autobiographical sketch by Winston Churchill and “The Speeches, May 19, 1940,” pp. 1264-1270.
Reading Questions
Read the “Literary Analysis Workshop: Literature as Social Criticism, pp. 1216-1217.
1. Read the passage at the bottom of p. 1217. Explain how this passage represents a focus on the individual. Support your response with evidence from the passage.
Read the biographical sketches for Rupert Brooke and Siegfried Sassoon, “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death,” “The Soldier,” and “Dreamers,” pp. 1218-1223.
2. All three poets use repetition and parallelism (the use of similar grammatical structures to express related ideas) for emphasis. Using a chart like the one shown below, find examples of repetition or parallelism in the three poems. Then explain why you think the poet used these techniques.
Title of Poem Repetition Parallelism
”An Irish Airman”
“The Soldier”
“Dreamers”
3. Describe the tone of each of the following passages. What imagery and phrases help create the tone of each passage?
• Lines 13-16 of “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death”
• Lines 12-14 of “The Soldier”
• Lines 9-14 of “Dreamers”
4. What message about war or patriotism is expressed in each of the three poems?
Read the biographical sketch of George Orwell and “Shooting an Elephant,” pp. 1226-1235.
5. Orwell says that the incident with the elephant proved enlightening “in a roundabout way.” What did he learn about himself and about imperialism through this incident?
6. Orwell depicts several conflicts that developed between British colonists and native Burmese. Describe how each of the following conflicts is reflected in his essay, and explain Orwell’s position on the conflict:
• Occupation versus freedom
• Industrial society versus pre-industrial society
• Tribal justice versus legal justice
7. In lines 129-130, Orwell writes, “I perceived in this moment that when the white man turns tyrant, it is his own freedom that he destroys.” Why is this statement ironic? How does it reflect Orwell’s feeling about British imperialism?
Read the biographical sketch of Aldous Huxley and “Words and Behavior,” pp. 1240-1252.
8. Huxley uses repetition throughout his essay to emphasize ideas. For each example that follows, explain how the repetition enhances his argument.
• “ignorance” and “stupidity”
• “force”
• “Brown, Jones, and Robinson”
9. In your opinion, how well-reasoned and persuasive is Huxley’s argument? Cite examples from the text to support your answer.
10. Huxley wrote “Words and Behavior” in 1939 in reaction to developments in Nazi Germany and other European nations. In his essay, he warns against the manipulation of language—both by political leaders and ordinary citizens—to justify war. To what extent do you think his observations are true today? Explain your answer.
Read the biographical sketch of Elie Weisel and the excerpt from Night, pp. 1256-1262.
11. When a character expects one thing to happen but something else actually happens, it is referred to as situational irony. Identify an example of situational irony in this excerpt from Night.
12. Judging from the excerpt you read, what might be the significance of the title Night?
13. Mrs. Schächter is the most powerfully drawn character in this excerpt. Why do you think Weisel dedicated so much space to describing Mrs. Schächter and her behavior?
Read the autobiographical sketch by Winston Churchill and “The Speeches, May 19, 1940,” pp. 1264-1270.
14. Churchill relies heavily on loaded language and emotional appeals in this speech. Which of these persuasive techniques did you find most effective? Cite specific examples to illustrate your answer.
15. In this speech, Churchill tried to create a sense of unity among the British people for the sake of the war effort. Imagine you were listening to this speech in May of 1940. How would you describe Churchill as a leader based on this speech? Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.
16. Recall Aldous Huxley’s discussion about how language is used in times of war in his essay “Words and Behavior.” In his speech, Churchill warns his people about impending German attacks on Britain. To what extent does Huxley’s criticism apply to Churchill’s speech? Cite examples of what Huxley would consider “falsifying” language in your response. After reading Churchill’s speech, and in light of its historical context, have your opinions about language manipulation changed to any degree? Explain.
Vocabulary in Context
Complete the Vocabulary Practice on p. 1272.
Look for context clues to help you decide which vocabulary word best completes each sentence. Use each word only once.
1. He displayed ____ persistence in clinging to his ideals.
2. A bully often tries to ____ smaller children.
3. Cataloguing all the books in America would be a(n) ____ task.
4. Our ____ team captain never gives up, even against daunting odds.
5. The new weapons are so powerful that those who carry them feel ____.
Word List
Animate
Dogged
Formidable
Indomitable
Intimidate
Invincible
Complete the Vocabulary Strategy: Idioms on p. 1272.
Complete each sentence with the idiom from the list below that makes the most sense. Use your knowledge of dog behavior to help you choose the correct idiom. When you are done, try to define each idiom you used.
1. The possessive child clutched the toy ____.
2. I tried showing my grandfather how to use the computer, but you can’t ____.
3. The combat flier had a ____ with an enemy pilot.
4. Service was bad last time, but now it has really ____.
5. Stop raking up the past; it’s better to ____.
Idiom list – Dog
Teach an old dog new tricks
Gone to the dogs
Let sleeping dogs lie
Dogfight
Like a dog with a bone
Conducting Independent Research
In this lesson, we’ll continue looking at crucial skills for conducting independent research. Your assignment for Lesson 33 is to read:
“Becoming a Critical Researcher,” pp. 1389-1391
“Writer’s Roadmap,” p. 1392
“Analyze a student model,” pp. 1393-1398
Main Assignment
Suppose that a military pilot has been recently shot down and killed in battle. In the spirit of Yeats’s “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death,” write a 1-2 page eulogy for him. Invent a history for the pilot and include details that convey his personality and outlook on life.
An effective eulogy will:
• Have a clear focus and provide specific details
• Maintain a consistent tone and point-of-view
• Use repetition and parallelism
For further tips on writing eulogies, go to:
http://dying.about.com/od/funeralsandmemorials/ht/write_a_eulogy.htm
http://www.eulogyspeech.net/
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