Welcome FHS Honors Comm 9 -- Honors American Studies Students!

Visit this site often to share your views and to respond to your peers' comments! Please feel free to ask questions here regarding any aspects of our summer reading requirements.  We look forward to our journey together!
 

We hope you’re enjoying your summer in Fairview – this area’s premier season for us! Love the beaches, warm weather, and the freedom to enjoy these glorious days!

Don’t forget your obligation to respond to our blog six times over the summer, reacting to considerations we’ve posted and / or to comments made by your peers. Check the FHS Summer Reading posting for more details and specific requirements!

Mrs. Hurt and Mrs.Nelson

In the Beginning...

Do not neglect McCarthy’s Prologue, pp. 1-3! Providing significant background on Florida’s similarities and differences with other Southern states, this overview notes the state’s unique economy, geography & landscape, population, and reputation – all pivotal in its history and important in Reesa’s story.

Before proceeding to Chapter 1, visit the following site (“What Was Jim Crow?”)
http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/what.htm  To gain more insight to McCarthy’s opening, review the text and check out the pictures by clicking on “More Pictures.”

Your task:
From the prologue through chapter 8, identify and comment on aspects of Florida’s economy, geography, population, and reputation that prove Reesa’s father was prophetic when he commented ‘“It’s (Florida) the social equivalent of a Molotov cocktail”’(p. 2). Clarify your responses by including quotes and /or paraphrase, and page references!

Literary Traditions and Techniques

As you’re reading Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands, exercise your literary insights! The book is filled with literary techniques that add meaning and depth to your reading…IF you’re aware! Be on the lookout for examples of foreshadowing, metaphor / simile, personification, symbolism, irony, and other literary techniques. Share and EXPLAIN 1 or 2 examples for this post, quoting (if short) or paraphrasing, and citing page references. Feel free to comment on and extend peers’ original posts!

The Novel's Realities

Since Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands is a fictionalized account of real experiences, many of the characters and events can be researched to heighten our understanding of this work. Be observant as you read! Check people, places, and events on the web and share background you discover from reliable sources (Please no Wikipedia!). Share information in your own words (do not plagiarize) and include website visited. In follow-up posts, peers are welcome to extend original post information.