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2010-2011 Proposed course of study. Mark Russell and Eric Bulgarelli. Isolation.
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2010-2011 Proposed course of study Mark Russell and Eric Bulgarelli
Isolation • In this unit, students will study various forms of isolation in literature. The works will examine isolation of a religious, psychological, and physical nature, revealing how each uniquely affects the human psyche. Students will explore the duality of isolation, finding that it can provide wisdom and better understanding while also acting as a destructive force.
A River Sutra • “In the silence of the ebbing night I sometimes think I can hear the river’s heartbeat pulsing under the ground” (4-5) • “To me, suffocated by the sheer weight of Calcutta’s inescapable humanity, the solitude of the tea estate was its most attractive prospect.” (114)
Genesis 1-4 • “‘And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength; you shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.’” (Genesis 4:11-12)
“Rime of the Ancient Mariner” • “‘Along, along, all, all alone,/ Alone on a wide wide sea!/ And never a saint took pity on/ My soul in agony.’” (232-235)
Heart of Darkness • “He had taken a high seat amongst the devils of the land – I mean literally. You can’t understand. How could you? – with solid pavement under your feet, surrounded by kind neighbours ready to cheer you or to fall on you, stepping delicately between the butcher and the policeman, in the holy terror of scandal and gallows and lunatic asylums – how can you imagine what particular region of the first ages a man’s untrammelled feet may take him into by the way of solitude – utter solitude without a policeman – by the way of silence – utter silence, where no warning voice of a kind neighbour can be heard whispering of public opinion?” (126)
Frankenstein • “I was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch; I knew, and could distinguish, nothing; but feeling pain invade me on all sides, I sat down and wept.” (87-88)
The Stranger • “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know.” (3) • “As for me, I didn’t want anybody’s help, and I just didn’t have the time to interest myself in what didn’t interest me.” (117)
Fate/ Loss of Control • Can man control his own destiny? Often outside forces have a greater influence on characters’ lives than they have themselves. In this unit, students will first examine classic tragic heroes and the roll fate plays in their lives. They will then explore the magical unknown that can render man helpless. Finally, students will look at a futuristic, totalitarian, dystopian world that destroys the concept of the individual.
Hamlet • “The time is out of joint. O curse’d spite/ that I was ever born to set it right!” (I.v.210-211)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream • “What thou seest when thous dost wake,/ Do it for thy true love take;/ Love and languish for his sake./ Be it ounce, or cat, or bear,/ Pard, or boar with bristled hair,/ In this eye that shall appear/ When thou wak’st, it is thy dear./ Wake when some vile thing is near.” (II.ii.33-40)
1984 • “Never again will you be capable of love, or friendship, or joy of living, or laughter, or curiosity, or courage, or integrity. You will be hollow. We shall squeeze you empty, and then we shall fill you with ourselves.” (256) • “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever” (267)
Pride • The overarching power of pride spans from the earliest English literature to modern works. Pride is a highly motivating force that compels characters to either great success or tragic failure. We will examine its diverse effects, focusing on personal and national pride.
Beowulf • “O flower of warriors, beware of that trap./ Choose, dear Beowulf, the better part,/ eternal rewards. Do not give way to pride” (1758-1760)
Cry the Beloved Country • “Therefore I shall devote myself, my time, my energy, my talents, to the service of South Africa. I shall no longer ask myself if this or that is expedient, but only if it is right… I am lost when I balance this against that, I am lost when I ask if this is safe, I am lost when I ask if men, white men or black men, Englishmen or Afrikaners, Gentiles or Jews, will approve. Therefore I shall try to do what is right, and to speak what is true” (208)
House of the Spirits • “I will repay the people’s loyalty with my life” (368)
Things Fall Apart • We who are here this morning have remained true to our fathers, but our brothers have deserted us and joined a stranger to soil their fatherland. If we fight the stranger we shall hit our brothers and perhaps shed the blood of a clansman. But we must do it.” (203)
