On 2/24: Tonight, on one side of the notecard, react to the ending of All My Sons (and to the filmed version we watched). First, simply react – what touched you, angered you, confused you, etc.? Then, make some connections between the play and American culture – what we’ve talked about, what we read in Bryson’s excerpt from Life and Times of the Thunderbird Kid, to the idyllic pictures of the 1950s, Rockwell’s painting, etc. On the other side, explore the topic you explored earlier in the play (women’s roles, American Dream, war, secrets, generation gap, hope) as it plays out in Act 3. Go back over the final act, find specific examples of your topic in action and explore what Miller might have been saying about the topic and its place in the culture of America at the time. Fill each side of the card.
On the snow day (2/13): I want us to be able to watch the end of All My Sons together tomorrow, so please read through page 414 tonight.
Monday (2/10): Examining Rockwell's The Connoisseur: Click on the picture of the art piece below. For 5 minutes in your blue book, describe what you se. Then, bullet a list of ideas about why this is a good representation of the 1950s (5-8 words)
Tuesday (2/11) we've read through 375 in All My Sons. The work for tonight is attached below ("All My Sons topic response"). Choose one of the topics to work with (they are bolded).
Wednesday: Look here to read about Ardelia Ripley Hall, one of the Monuments "Men." The assignment is attachment beweon as "All My Sons+ monument men and women." In class today we read through page 401. We took notes tracing the charges and the judgments placed on Joe and Steve (his partner and Annie's father: pages 381-384) and about Chris' view of the war and the life he's leading after the war (387), about his relationship with his dad and the conflict with Steve (381-384, 400). We also talked about what is at stake for all of them if the trial and the accusations are churned up again.
Friday (2/7) classwork: Situating ourselves in the 1950s. First order of business – describe the photographs on page one of the "1950s photo + Bryson" handout attached below. Describe what you see, the “plot,” the tone, etc (for the two photos together, this should take between 2/3 to one full page). Then, read Bill Bryson’s introduction to his book (pages 3-4 of the handout. You will need to print these in order to read them) . Pay careful attention to his very first sentence. As you read, look for places where Bryson supports that sentence but also where he contradicts it in an effort to see whether his opening is straightforward or ironic. When you finish, return to the blue book and reflect on what you’ve read and Bryson’s view of the 1950s. After you’ve done this, revisit your photographs and examine what new insights Bryson’s opening might have given you. Jot these down (bulleted if you want).