Post date: May 03, 2020 8:17:6 PM
If you are taking the A.P. Lit. exam, please be sure you have reviewed the format and all the information regarding testing procedures, etc. Remember that I have posted several prompts over the past couple of weeks. If you plan to get feedback from me, please send your essay(s) to me by the end of this week.
For this week: The American South was a hotbed of literary talent in the middle of the 20th century. Last week I shared a story by Georgia's own Flannery O'Connor. This week, turn two states to our west to Mississippi's remarkable William Faulkner.
Here's a short video about Faulkner, as an introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuQIZ7V9C7U
It's hard to pick just one Faulkner story to share, but I am going to go with one of my favorites, "Barn Burning." I've attached it below.
As you read it, keep these things in mind:
What does this story have to say to us about the past?
What does it have to say to us about family?
What does the story show us about the post-Reconstruction South?
How is Sarty's complicated relationship with his father developed in the story?
How do you interpret events at the end of the story?
Is this ultimately a story of hope or despair?
And, if you 're interested, here's a pretty decent film adaptation of "Barn Burning." This comes from a series of short films of classic American short stories and features a young Tommy Lee Jones (Men in Black, No Country for Old Men) as Abner Snopes. I do, however, have some issues with the ending.