Spanish-American War

As we continue to dip our toes in the 20th century (finally!)...

• Howard Zinn (from People's History of the United States): Empire and the People, an examination of the Spanish-American War, as well as the conflict in the Philippines (a direct result of the war).
• Rudyard Kipling: "White Man's Burden," a response to U.S. Imperialism (and some other "Burden" poems.
• "Burden" poem protocol

Progressive Movement

After exploring many of the ills of society in The Gilded Age, we move on to how to remedy them. The Progressive Movement focuses on the many social reforms put in place to "progress" the country forward.

Among the numerous people/concepts we will cover, is Upton Sinclair's influential novel The Jungle, about the meat packing industry in Chicago. The story focuses on an immigrant family from Lithuania that is desperately trying to achieve that elusive "American Dream." What they find, however, is the American Nightmare. Some of the issues we will discuss as we read excerpts from the novel include the immigrant experience, industrialization, environmental issues, unsafe labor practices, food safety, consumerism, and capitalism. Here are some pre-reading discussion questions.

We will read the following chapters:

• Chapter 2 (and questions)
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 5 (and questions)
• Chapter 14

Chopin: Literary Analysis

What is a common theme in Kate Chopin's work?

• Working from a central thesis about theme, explain how literary elements are used to convey that theme. The assignment is here.
• Here is a worksheet to help you work out your evidence.
• Some choice quotes that we discussed in class...

Mini-Research Paper: Gilded Age

TOPICS!

ASSIGNMENT!

LIB GUIDE!

Native American Experience Assessment

Essay question:

• How and why have Native Americans struggled with their cultural identity?
• You need three sources, one of which is Sherman Alexie's book. Cite correctly! Check out the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University for reference on how to cite correctly.
• Follow the organizational structure:
• M--Main idea/topic sentence
• E--Evidence--quote/citation (don't forget to integrate those quotes fluently)
• A--Analysis--relate your example to your thesis
• E--Evidence
• A--Analysis
• L--Last line/transition to next paragraph

Contemporary Articles

Discussion groups again (follow the protocol):

• "The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn't Flash Red Anymore"
• Within the context of the story (and beyond), what does it mean to be a “warrior”? How does that fit into oral tradition and storytelling?
• "Indian Education"
• How has the weight of history affected the Native American experience?

HOMEWORK:

• Let’s read an article together
• Here is a summary that integrates quotes from the article: 
• Then go to our article resource page.
• Read two articles 
• Summarize (paragraph for each), integrating at least ONE quote in your summary, citing correctly 
• Do a Works Cited right after your paragraphs 

Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven

• Small group discussion today on "Every Little Hurricane" and "A Drug Called Tradition." See the discussion protocol and questions here.
• Here are some of my own "notes & quotes" from the stories: "Hurricane" and "Drug Called Tradition"
• For tomorrow (homework): "The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn't Flash Red Anymore" and "Indian Education."