A Farewell to Arms

By Ernest Hemingway

Reading Schedule
1/23 1/24 1/25 1/26 1/27
Preview Exposition Setting & Character Fictional Portrayal
Media Portrayal Characters Development of Realities of War
HW:
Afghanistan/Iraq
Article HW: p. 3-32 HW: p. 33-61 HW: p. 62-88 HW: p. 88-141
1/30 1/31 2/1 2/2 2/3
Emotional Conditions of War Allusions & Conditions of War: Conditions of War
Disconnect: PTSD Symbolism Return to the Front Joyeux Noel
Media Portrayal Joyeux Noel
Journal Check

HW: p. 142-159 HW: p. 163-193 HW: p. 194-225 HW: p. 226-242 HW: p. 243-285
2/6 2/7 2/8 2/9 2/10
Symbolism& Fig. Conclusions
Language Reading Day & Project Synthesis Essay
Journal Check Character Project Presentations
Finalization
HW: p. 289-311 HW: Rhetorical
Analysis Essay Due Rhetorical
Tomorrow! Analysis Due

Please note that this schedule is definitely subject to change, but is meant to provide you a basic overview of the
readings and discussion topics to come. This means that you are not excused from a reading assignment due to an
absence it is your responsibility to stay on track with the readings and with your dialectical journal.

Unit Overview:

This unit will guide us through Ernest Hemingways A Farewell to Arms, which is a beautifully written depiction of one
soldiers experience with World War I. As your generation has grown up in a time of war/conflict, and has not really
experienced peace time, this novel is incredibly relevant to your understanding of the world around you. The central
project of this unit will invite you to compare your stateside experience with the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq against
that of the soldiers families during WWI. Ultimately, you will come out on the other side with a Rhetorical Analysis of
Hemingways characters, and a synthesis essay that utilizes an eye-opening compilation of artifacts from the WWI era. In
order to be successful at this, you will keep a dialectical journal on the readings. These will help you to engage in a
thoughtful conversation with the text and with your peers, which will lead to the development of sophisticated conclusions
about the text.

For each night of reading, your dialectical journal will need to contain the following:
1-2 questions, connections or clarifications
1-2 reflections or predictions
1 Literary Device and/or word choice
And at least one notation (i.e. evaluate, challenge others may be used) on your character

You should encourage yourself to begin having a conversation with these higher level texts do not simply stare at the
page and call it reading. If you can learn to read like this now, your life will be a LOT easier in college and beyond!!!
 Sample Dialectical Journal Entries
Passages from the text
-they carried like freight trains; they
carried it on their backs and
shoulders-and for all the ambiguities
of Vietnam, all the mysteries and
unknowns, there was at least the
single abiding certainty that they
would never be at a loss for things to
carry (Obrien 2).
In the end the Party would announce
that two and two made five, and you
would have to believe it (Orwell 80).
Big Brother is watching (4).
Comments & Questions
(R) Obrien chooses to end the first section of the novel with this
sentence. He provides excellent visual details of what each solider
in Vietnam would carry for day-to-day fighting. He makes you feel
the physical weight of what soldiers have to carry for simple
survival. When you combine the emotional weight of loved ones at
home, the fear of death, and the responsibility for the men you fight
with, with this physical weight, you start to understand what soldiers
in Vietnam dealt with every day. This quote sums up the confusion
that the men felt about the reasons they were fighting the war, and
how they clung to the only certainty - things they had to carry - in a
confusing world where normal rules were suspended.
(Q) What does it take for a government to get to the point where it
goes this far in exerting its influence? How does a nation get to the
point where they will accept this kind of rule? Is this happening
anywhere right now for real?
(WC) Its strange that Orwell chose Big Brother as the name for the
head of the government. Why isnt there a name? Maybe its to be
vague so the real person can change power without the people
noticing or maybe there is no one really in charge and it is a big
corrupt system that is running the nation. Either way, the choice of
Big Brother seems overly heavy handed/obvious.

[For specifics on what to write in each column, look below]

CHOOSING PASSAGES FROM THE TEXT (LEFT COLUMN):

Look for quotes that seem significant, powerful, thought provoking or puzzling. For example,
you might record:

o Passages that illustrate characteristics of Romanticism

o Passages that illustrate a profound, thoughtful idea or insight
o Effective and/or creative use of stylistic or literary devices
o Passages that remind you of your own life or something youve seen before
o Structural shifts or turns in the plot
o A passage that makes you realize something you hadnt seen before
o Examples of patterns: recurring images, ideas, colors, symbols or motifs.
o Passages with confusing language or unfamiliar vocabulary
o Events you find surprising or confusing
o Passages that illustrate a particular character or setting

RESPONDING TO THE TEXT (RIGHT COLUMN):

You can respond to the text in a variety of ways. The most important thing to remember is
that your observations should be specific and detailed.
You can write as much as you want for each entry with a minimum of four sentences or
questions per entry.
Aim for a variety of interactions with the text. Below are ways you may interact with the
text. As much as you can, label your responses using the following codes:
o (Q) Question Raise questions about the beliefs and values implied in the text or
ask about something in the passage that is unclear
o (C) Connect make a connection to your life, the world, another text, or
something that already happened in the text
o (P) Predict anticipate what will occur based on whats in the passage
o (CL) Clarify answer earlier questions or confirm/disaffirm a prediction
 o (R) Reflect think deeply about what the passage means in a broad sense not
just to the characters in the story. What conclusions can you draw about the
world, about human nature, or just the way things work?
o (E) Evaluate make a judgment about the character(s), their actions, or what the
author is trying to say
o (CH) ChallengeDisagree with a character or what the author does
o (WC) Word Choicenote reoccurring words that seem important or symbolic or
significant words that the author has made up for the world of the text
o (LD) Literary deviceanalyze the text for use of literary devices (metaphor, tone,
structure, style, imagery)

Name 1: __________________________ Name 2: ___________________________ Pd: ___

Crate in the Attic

You and your partner will be developing a vision of the home life of _______________________.
Using clues from the text, you will compile a packet of artifacts that gives us some insight into not only the character
him/herself, but also into their hometown and family.
**Your packet of artifacts will include:

_____/10 A letter exchange between your character and someone from home. There should be 2
letters from your character, and 2 from their loved one at home. You are welcome to make this to/from 2
different people.
_____/10 An article from your characters hometown newspaper about an event that takes place
in the novel. The article should reflect the language and perspective of the time and location, and should
be no less than 500 words.
_____/10 Three photographs or other visuals that your character might carry with them on the
front. These might include photos of people, property, animals, etc. and should contain an explanation of
who/what they are and why they are significant to the character.
_____/20 A rhetorical analysis of the characters development utilizing 3-5 citations from the
novel. These might include direct quotations of the character, or scenes that involve them.
_____/50 Total
You will be presenting these artifacts to the class. So, please be sure to make these visually appealing!!!

Name 1: __________________________ Name 2: ___________________________ Pd: ___

Crate in the Attic

You and your partner will be developing a vision of the home life of _______________________.
Using clues from the text, you will compile a packet of artifacts that gives us some insight into not only the character
him/herself, but also into their hometown and family.
**Your packet of artifacts will include:

_____/10 A letter exchange between your character and someone from home. There should be 2
letters from your character, and 2 from their loved one at home. You are welcome to make this to/from 2
different people.
_____/10 An article from your characters hometown newspaper about an event that takes place
in the novel. The article should reflect the language and perspective of the time and location, and should
be no less than 500 words.
_____/10 Three photographs or other visuals that your character might carry with them on the
front. These might include photos of people, property, animals, etc. and should contain an explanation of
who/what they are and why they are significant to the character.
_____/20 A rhetorical analysis of the characters development utilizing 3-5 citations from the
novel. These might include direct quotations of the character, or scenes that involve them.
_____/50 Total
You will be presenting these artifacts to the class. So, please be sure to make these visually appealing!!!

The following pages were posted online for student review at any time.
General Progression

1/23 WWI Front Load

Homework: Preview Novel
Bring in sample of contemporary propaganda with page write-up of why you consider this to
be propaganda

1/24 Media Portrayal of War/Conflict

- Students present their news articles in small groups and answer a series of questions
- As a large group, students will consider how conflict is portrayed in print media
- As a large group, students will read the first 1-2 chapters of FTA discussing rhetoric & exposition
Homework: p. 3-32 no dialectical journal yet

1/25 Warm-Up Prompt: Hemingway is acclaimed as being one of, if not the greatest American writer.
What might set him apart from other American authors that you have read?

Discuss: Exposition and character introductions

Group: Students will select partners and create character profiles for each of our central
characters:
Lt. Fred Henry
Catherine
Rinaldi
The Priest
Students will be introduced to the guiding project for this unit.
Homework: p. 33-61 w/ dialectical journal focus on writing techniques & character development

1/26 Warm-Up Prompt: 1. What instructions does Lt. Henry give to the injured/ill soldier on the road?
2. What does this tell you about the conditions of war? What effect does this
have on the readers understanding of the situation?
3. Consider the moments leading up to the explosion. What effect does this
sequence of events have on the actual moment of impact for you as a reader?

Discuss: Students will evaluate the questions asked, and be introduced to next weeks task of becoming the
quiz writers.
Trench warfare; Conditions as they are presented thus far
Students will read a selection of poetry from WWI that depicts some of the realities
of trench warfare, versus a selection of media portrayals.

Homework: Read p. 62-88 w/ dialectical journal focus on the mirrored chapters: Priest:Rinaldi
1/27 Warm-Up Prompt: Evaluate the effect of the mirrored chapters (Priest:Rinaldi). What message does the
intertwining of these two visits have on our understanding of the situation? What does this
combination do to the tone of the section? What specific examples demonstrate your claim? (you
do not need to cite the text, but you do need to demonstrate your familiarity with the chapters by
leading your writing to specific points in the text). What do these chapters tell us about the
conditions in which these soldiers live, even in the hospital?

Discuss: Students will clarify the 3 mirrored chapters and consider the effect on the situation
and our understanding of the characters. Also, there is a significant amount of chain-of-
thinking writing. This is a huge style choice on the part of Hemingway. Revert
back to their original writing prompt.

Group: With remaining time, students may work on character profiles for partner project.

Homework: Read p. 88-141 w/ dialectical journal. Focus on military rank and formalities.

1/30 Warm-Up (5 mins): Students submit their quiz question

Partners (10 mins): Get together with partner to evaluate Vietnam letter, and decide what their letter exchange
will consist of. (Switch quiz questions during this time)
Questions to answer:
1. To whom will this letter be written?
2. What would you like the letter to be about? (You may want to pick a specific event at this
point, or you may want to wait until weve read more)
3. What things would you definitely include, and what things would you definitely leave
out?
Quiz (15 mins): Quiz questions will be resubmitted to students. Students will evaluate the question (rating
it 1-5, with 5 being outstanding), answer the quiz question, then bring it to our circle
discussion.

Discussion (15 mins): Students will present their questions/answers to the class.

Emergency Prompts: What is Lt. Henrys life like at this point in the novel? What purpose does this set of
conditions have on our consideration of the conditions that we have seen thus far?

Rain is mentioned several times in Lt. Henrys interactions with Catherine. What is the
significance of this repetition? What predictions do you have based on this?

1/31 Warm-Up (15 mins): Journal Prompt

Evaluate Lt. Henrys observation that that train was always crowded. What is he
implying in making this observation? Consider the conditions that he experiences on his
actual train ride. What is Hemingways purpose in setting this scene?
Collect Dialectical Journals to Date (5 mins)

Discussion (25 mins) Evaluate Hemingways use of foreshadowing

Identify the symbolism that seems to come up (Rain, in particular)
Focus on the Back to basics style choices in Hemingway
Revisit poems consider the observation of who the sick hearts might be

2/1 Warm-Up (10 mins): Free Write: Pick a point in the reading to focus on, and express your thoughts about the
meaning, purpose and significance of your focal point.

Introduction (5-10): Recollect the materials that weve collected so far for Synthesis Essay:
 A Farewell to Arms 2 Poems Vietnam Letter
Today were adding a visual.

Video: Joyeux Noel (20 mins): Items to identify ardent children, praising country, etc. (intro)
conditions

2/6 Collect Dialectical Journals & Other outstanding material

Introduction: Tie in of previous Synthesis materials
Escape leads to greater fears; what is the right thing to do?
Discussion: Development of moral dilemma in military situations.
Film: Breakdown of humanity leads to a universal connection.
Handout: Black Hearts w/ introduction and overview. Send home to be previewed.

2/7 Reading Day

Class Read with discussion about conclusion of novel.
Handout: Draw connections (literally) between synthesis materials.

2/8 Discuss: Timing & Planning on timed writing exams. Practice: 7 minute plan.
1. Brainstorm: What connections are being made?
2. Plot: Determine pros & cons (outlining potential counterpoints)
3. Decide: Choose a side to argue based on strength of support
4. Outline: Select which supporting arguments are strongest and order them from weakest to
strongest for your essay. (The process up to now should take 7 minutes)
5. Write: For 30 minutes, write your essay.
6. Review: Take 3 minutes to review your writing for serious errors.
Partners: Wrap up partner project.

2/9 7 Minute Plan Practice (provide ACT prompt)

Group Work: In small groups, partners will present their projects.

2/10 Synthesis Essay