Ian Johnson
Dr. Warner
December 5, 2007
Masters
of War: History and History Makers Unit Plan
"It is just as much a matter of
chance that I am still
alive as that I might have been hit [�]
No soldier
outlives a thousand chances. But every
soldier believes
in Chance and trusts his luck."
(from All Quiet on the Western Front)
I chose the unit on History and
History Makers: Of People and Places focusing on the topic of war because I
feel that it is vital for students to understand the horrors and triumphs
people experience in war. Because of our wartime climate, high school and
college campuses throughout the country are being flooded with military
recruiters who hope to enlist students. Some students may see the military as
their only option for a future with promises to pay for education after their
active duty. I feel it is important for students to understand that they do
have options before they make their decision. Giving them a modern and
realistic perspective on war and it�s affects not only on soldiers but
civilians, will give them a more thorough perspective of the pros and cons of
being in the military.
Students may or not have an interest in topics about war, but I feel through the literature of this unit they will begin to create an opinion, become better informed, and spark an interest in human history, current events, and how war affects and shapes the global population with the travesty and damage it can cause. Ken Burns� recent War documentary about World War II reignited my personal disgust for war and reflections upon the current state of affairs between the United States and the Middle East. As a high school teacher, I feel that it is important to present material to educate the students to the realities of war so they can make an educated decision when confronted by military recruiters offering bright futures.
I also hope to inform students that as an American citizen they have the right to become a conscientious objector. They need to know they can voice their opinions by writing letters to their representatives and should become aware of the political process so they are informed when they are able to vote. They need to understand their voice and choices do affect the outcome of their future. Their choices and the image they broadcast has a rippling affect through our entire society and global community.
Under a War torn Sky published in
2001 by Laura M. Elliott is my centerpiece novel. This historical fiction novel
concerns a young American man flying a plane in World War II. When the enemy
destroys his plane, he is forced to land behind enemy lines and attend to the
unknown. Trapped, he is surprised to find help from kind and generous people
who help him escape and get back home. The novel, filled with action and
realistic situations, allow the reader�s imagination to understand what
fighting in Europe during World War II was like.
It
also gives a human face to the enemy and the civilians during wartime.
Under a War torn Sky by Laura M.
Elliott Meets the standards for a good historical novel. The setting of the
novel is integral to the story and displays an authentic rendition of time,
place, and people. Evidence that across great time spans, people do share
similar emotions. References to well-known events or people or clues through
which the reader can place the happenings in their correct framework are within
the novel. Readers can come away feeling they know the time and place better as
if they had lived in it a few hours.
I hope this topic opens up interesting
conversations within the classroom and gives the students a greater sense of
empowerment in a time when chaos seems to rule the world.
Launching
the Unit/Activities:
1a) Before
reading Under a War torn Sky by Laura M. Elliott, have students write a
one-page essay about how they feel about war with an emphasis on World War II.
2a) After
reading Under a War torn Sky by Laura M. Elliott, have the students
write a one-page paper reflecting on incidents within the book and how it
changed their perspective on
World War II.
3a) Have the
students compare and contrast papers one and two in a one-page analysis.
4a) Find three
quotes or passages in the novel Under a War torn Sky by Laura M. Elliott
that moved you (i.e.- did you laugh, cry, were you horrified or grossed out?)
5a) Class
discussion about the novel and the topic of war.
Choose one of
the following topics for a 1-2 page essay.
1b) Write an
essay about your opinions on whether or not the draft should be reinstated.
Cite at least
three sources (one must be a reference other than a web site) and at least one
quote from the text Under a War torn Sky by Laura M. Elliott.
2b) Research the
three criteria required in the United States to be classified as a
conscientious objector and why you agree or disagree with this. Cite at least
three sources (1 must be a reference other than a web sites) and at least one
quote from the text Under a War torn Sky by Laura M. Elliott.
3b) How do you
feel about the current American war versus your understanding of past American
wars? Cite at least three sources (1 must be a reference other than a web
sites) and at least one quote from the text Under a War torn Sky by
Laura M. Elliott.
1c) Watch Red
Badge of Courage and have a short discussion after the movie.
1d) What issues
that are in the news concern you. Have a class discussion. With the intention
of writing the President, your Congressman, and your Senator about your issue,
collect newspaper clippings and Internet information to formulate your facts
and opinions on your topic.
Visit
www.congress.org for information on your representatives.
1) All Quiet
on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.
All Quiet on
the Western Front is the most famous novel dealing with World
War I. The book starts in 1917 after a battle, in which half of Paul B�umer's
company has been killed. B�umer is mostly the narrator and Remarque goes
through his life in flashbacks. Lewis Milestone's film (1930), based on the
novel, is a landmark of American cinema. One of the best scenes is when Paul
(Lew Ayres) returns to his school and tells new students the truth. "When
it comes to dying for your country, it's better not to die at all." The
film was denounced by Goebbels as anti-German, but the Poles banned it for
being pro-German. In France it was prohibited until 1962. Plot summary from http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/remarque.htm
2) "War is
Kind" poem by Stephen Crane (1899)
This poem has a
morbid sarcasm illustrating the horror and sadness the poet feels about war and
those who live through it.
4) "Masters
of War" song by Bob Dylan (1963)
Dylan�s haunting assault
on the military-industrial complex illustrates the anger he and many have
towards war and concern for the casualties of civilians. It is an adaptation,
with new words by Dylan, of �Nottamun Town.�
6) The Quiet
American by Graham Green (1955)
Set in the early 1950s in
Saigon, Vietnam at the end of the First Indochina War. The Quiet American is a love story about the triangle that
develops between a British journalist in his fifties, a young American
idealist, and a beautiful Vietnamese girl. On another level it is also about
the political turmoil and growing American involvement that led to the Vietnam
War.
This would be more
appropriate for an AP class.
7) The Red
Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane (1895)
An impressionistic
novel narrated by the fictional Henry Fleming, a recruit in the American Civil
War, is about the meaning of courage. Although Crane was born after the war and
had never seen battle himself, the novel is one of the most influential
American war stories ever written. Crane met and spoke with a number of
veterans as a student and he created what is widely regarded as an unusually
realistic depiction of a young man in battle.
Synopsis
from ALAN Review, Winter 2005 by Kaplan, Jeffrey
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4063/is_200501/ai_n13486814/pg_1.
8) Almost
Forever by Maria Testa (2007)
A lyrical novel told
from the six-year-old daughter's perspective. It is the moving story of one
family's experience when the father is sent to Vietnam for a year during the
Vietnam War. The young girl believes her father shouldn't have gone to war
because he is a doctor and doctors don't fight, they heal. She fears that her
father will simply disappear from her life, especially when the letters stop
coming.
9) An
American Hero: The True Story of Charles A. Lindberg by Barry Denenberg
(1996)
"Lucky Lindy" was many things--aviator, grieving
parent, fighter pilot, and Nazi sympathizer. Here all aspects of this complex
man's life are presented with a fair, even hand.
10) Or Give
Me Death: A Novel of Patrick Henry's Family by Ann Rinaldi (2003)
A historical
novel about the family members of Revolutionary War hero, Patrick Henry, who
must wrestle with a host of family problems as they struggle to bring a new
nation to the birthplace of freedom. Central to the novel is the potential
strength of the human spirit to conquer all odds. Though historical fiction, it
is based on true information and reads like the biography of the family of
Patrick Henry.
Works
Cited
Crane, Stephen.
"War is Kind." War Is Kind and Other Poems. New York: Dover,
1991. 27.
Denenberg, Barry. An American Hero : The True Story of Charles A. Lindberg. New York: Scholastic, 1996.
Dylan, Bob.
"Masters of War." BobDylan.com. 2007. Sony BMG Music
Entertainment,
22 October 2007.
<http://bobdylan.com/moderntimes/songs/masters.html>.
Elliott, Laura. Under
a War Torn Sky. New York: Hyperion Paperback for Children, 2001.
Greene, Graham. The
Quiet American. London: Penguin Books, 1973.
Joyce, Robert
Dwyer. "The Wind That Shakes the Barley." The Celtic Lyrics
Collection. 2007. 22 October 2007
<http://celtic-lyrics.com/forum/index.php?autocom=tclc&code=lyrics&id=129>.
Remarque, Erich
Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. Trans. A.W. Wheen. New York:
Fawcett Crest, 1929.
Rinaldi, Ann. Or
Give Me Death: A Novel of Patnck Henry's Family. New York: Harcourt Books,
2003.
Testa, Maria. Almost
Forever. New York: Candlewick Press, 2002.
Photos:
Anonymous. Belfast
Graffiti. 2007. flikr.com. 22 November 2007
< http://photos23.flickr.com/33797800_a9ab147008_b.jpg>.
O�Shea, Patrick.
Midleton. 2007. Irelandscape.com. 3 December 2007
<
http://www.irelandscape.com/photos/cork/ireland-1130273103-Barley%20Field%2C%20Midleton%202.jpg
>.
Picasso, Pablo. Guernica.
1937. National Museum �Centro de Arte Reina Sofia.� 22 November 2007 <
http://www.spanisharts.com/reinasofia/picasso.htm# >.
�t, Huỳnh
C�ng. Vietnam Napalm. 1972. Associated Press. 22 November 2007
<http://www.gallerym.com/artist.cfm?ID=28>.
Music:
Dylan, Bob.
�Masters of War.� The Freewheelin� Bob Dylan. Columbia, 1963.
Dead Can Dance.
�Wind That Shakes the Barley.� Into the Labyrinth. 4AD, 1993.
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"Shifting Targets: The Administration's plan for Iran," The New
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http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3097&id=&t=4&id=11740-5206230-paho70&t=5
2.
"US ex-generals reject Iran strike," BBC News, February 4, 2007.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6328801.stm
3.
"Cheney urging strikes on Iran," McClatchy News Service, August 9, 2007.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/18834.html
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