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Bless the Beasts and Children A novel by Glendon Swarthout

Discover the author, themes, and events of the iconic novel. Learn about Swarthout's life, achievements, and inspirations. Explore the turbulent 1960s setting of the book, alongside significant historical moments. Reflect on the social climate, emotions, and youth perspectives during this period in the U.S. Uncover literary terms like flashback, symbolism, and quest tales. Make weather predictions for Arizona and reminisce on summer camp experiences. Delve into themes of exclusion and identity for further discussion.

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Bless the Beasts and Children A novel by Glendon Swarthout

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  1. Bless the Beasts and ChildrenA novel by Glendon Swarthout A look at the author, the topics covered in the book and a few of the important events and trends of the time era in which the book takes place.

  2. A little information about the author: • Swarthout wrote short stories, westerns, comedies and mysteries, but is best known for Bless the Beasts and Children. • He was born in Michigan, served in the military and retired in Arizona where he took up writing full time.

  3. Swarthout has won much recognition: • O. Henry prize for literature • Four of his books have been made into movies • He and his wife, Kathryn, wrote 3 books together • He died in 1992 from emphysema and was honored in his hometown for bravery while in service as well as for his writing

  4. His most famous book! • This book has been translated into 25 different languages • It has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize • Swarthout said that the idea for the book came while he worked at a boys’ camp • The book takes place in the mid-late 1960s

  5. The Turbulent Sixties, a timeline 1960 John F. Kennedy is elected U.S. president, To Kill a Mockingbird is published, “The Twist” is a hit. • 1963 JFK is assassinated in Texas, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech is broadcast.

  6. The Sixties continue…. 1964 Vietnam War escalates, student protests of the war on college campuses are on the rise, The Civil Rights Act is passed Also in 1964, the Beatles and Diana Ross are on the top of the musical charts

  7. More turbulence continues as the fight for rights wages on. 1965 Civil rights demonstrations begin in Alabama, Watts riots begin and Malcolm X is assassinated 1966 The Vietnam War expands into Cambodia as race riots continue in the U.S. The Lord of the Rings trilogy becomes popular

  8. Violent Acts Plague 1968 Bobby Kennedy (John F. Kennedy’s brother) is assassinated. Richard Nixon is elected President Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee

  9. 1969 - 1970 The first three day musical event called Woodstock takes place in New York as U.S. troops begin withdrawing from Vietnam Bless the Beasts and Children is published in 1970 as National Guardsmen kill four protesting students at Kent State University

  10. 1972 - 1973 The Vietnam War ends with a cease-fire agreement. The Senate begins hearings on Watergate scandal and Nixon resigns the presidency. Gerald Ford succeeds him as President.

  11. Now draw some conclusions. • What was the feeling in the country during the late sixties and seventies? • What would kids have been feeling as the adults around them were worrying and watching the news? • In a paragraph, describe the social climate in the United States. How were people feeling, what was the tone of life during this time period?

  12. Vocabulary • Italics – specific font or shape of typeset to denote importance or significance • Flashback – a scene inserted in a book to show events that have already happened, allows the audience to be “filled in” on background knowledge • Quest tale – a theme in novels where the main characters have a mission or goal that must be completed • Symbolism – the use of pictures or items that represent something else

  13. Make some predictions… • What do you know about the temperature, climate and weather of Arizona?

  14. More predicting…. • What do you know or remember about camp or summer camp? If you haven’t gone, write what you know about camps that you’ve seen or read about.

  15. For homework tonight: • What does it feel like to be left out? What would it feel like to not fit in anywhere?

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