The last writing assignment for our American Literature Course, came after our previously unplanned reading of Ben Hur. Throughout the story, we often discussed the role of Esther. The poor girl! What was she doing all the time as she served her father and waited to see what would become of Ben Hur? Therefore,…
Tag: Literature Course I
Life on the Mississippi
This part of Diane’s Literature Course I Series I didn’t get time to read Mark Twain’s Life on the Mississippi before I had to decide on my Literature Course I syllabus this past school year. I did get through the first couple of chapters, which are full of the geography and history of the Mississippi River….
My Ántonia
This is part of Diane’s Literature Course I Series My Ántonia By Willa Cather My girls have kept up an admirable pace this year. My Ántonia is the last book in their Literature Course I syllabus. Though I had some titles in reserve for just-in-case, I hadn’t dreamed we’d get through the list with two months…
The Virginian
This is part of Diane’s Literature Course I Series Owen Wister’s The Virginian Oh, that old thing? Why, yes, it’s been one of my favorites for many years. I noticed, though, while doing research for our American literature class, that it seems to be going out of style. Too trite and formulaic, perhaps? Wait! Please note…
Ramona
This is part of Diane’s Literature Course I Series The first time I read Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson (not Beverly Cleary), was with my beloved book group in Colorado Springs. The person who chose the book for group perusal chose it partly because of Jackson’s Colorado Springs ties. As I’ve read more about her, I…
1860s American Literature
This is part of Diane’s Literature Course I Series This is a good time of year for the load to lighten a bit. Not knowing for sure what kind of progress we might be able to make through the list, I couldn’t have planned it this way, but our 1860s selections have fallen quite nicely between…
The Song of Hiawatha
This is part of Diane’s Literature Course I Series My grandpa was born in 1906. He went to school in the ancient days of America when memorization was considered a good way to, well, remember things. When I was a child, he could still recite large chunks of Longfellow’s Evangeline. I believe I first heard from…
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
This is part of Diane’s Literature Course I Series It wasn’t easy to read Uncle Tom’s Cabin again. I knew how it was going to end. It has been about a quarter of a century since I read it the first time, so I didn’t remember details, but it came back to me as I got…
Literature Course I
In my review of The Last of the Mohicans, I mentioned that I was reading it for an American Literature class I’m teaching this year. My students are four homeschooled girls, ages 13, 14, 15, and 16. We meet once a week for two hours. We devote the majority of our first hour to the…