사랑, 전쟁, 그리고 성장 - 고등학생 고전 문학 수업

We discuss the books at length so make sure your child has read and has copies of the books so we don't give away any plot lines or spoilers.

This will be a repeating literature class where we will discuss a new book every two to three weeks.  I will gently guide the discussion on different book topics such as: plot, character attributes and development, themes, symbolism, genre types, literary devices, and others. 

We will leave most time open for discussion and learn different book elements around that discussion. I mainly use Socratic discussion when discussing the books and themes of the novels.  I try to get students to think about what they are reading. Both students that love to read and those that are more hesitant will enjoy reading classical literature of different periods, places, and writers.  I will also use google slides in my classroom presentations. Some weeks we may have handouts related to the different literary elements we will be discussing. This class can also be used as a literature credit for the semester.  

The week before we study each novel I will send out discussion questions from each novel.  I will also send out a reference sheet that will give examples and definitions of any literary elements we will be learning in class. 

Each class will begin with a 5 minute welcome and introduction. At the beginning of each new author/novel/poem, I will give a brief outline of the life and works of the author. We will end the class with Socratic discussion of the work of literature following study questions that I send out to students the week before we begin the study.   

Please make sure that students have copies of the books in their possession as we read and discuss each book.  I don't require that students turn on their cameras but I prefer that students have their cameras on during my class.  

This class will rely heavily on student discussion.  We will need to cancel class if there are not at least 5 learners. 

Fall 2025

Weeks of August 24th, 31st, and September 14th-- Lord of the Flies by William Golding. In this fictional allegory we will discuss symbolism, plot, character development, micro and macrocosm, personification, and metaphor. 

Week of September 7th-- I will be taking my daughter out to school. 

Weeks of September 21st and 28th-- We discuss the Tell-Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe. In these classic mix of horror and mystery short stories, we will study genre, point of view, narrator, plot, and language that makes Poe still a master of writing a great scary story.

Weeks of October 12th and 19th-- Our poetry unit will include:  Still I Rise by Maya Angelou, Oh Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman, Ode to the Large Tuna in the Market by Pablo Neruda, Annabel Lee by Edgar Allen Poe. 

Weeks of October 26th and November 2nd-- Anthem by Ayn Rand.  We will discuss 
metaphors, irony, imagery, characters, use of "I" in the novel, and dystopian fiction. 

Weeks of November 9th, 16th, and 30th-- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. In this classic drama we will discuss Romeo and Juliet in popular culture, the origins of the story, puns, metaphors, similes, oxymorons, foreshadowing, and imagery. 

Spring 2026 selections

Weeks of January 5th, 12th, and 19th-- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  In this classic American novel we will discuss themes, character development, plot, and setting. We will talk about how dialogue and setting are a very important aspects of this novel.   

Weeks of January 26th, February 2nd, and February 9th-- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  In this novel we will discuss the American Dream and wealth along with other themes of the novel.  We will also talk about Fitzgerald's unique literary style, character development, setting, irony, allusion, symbolism, and foreshadowing. 

Weeks of February 15th and March 2nd-- The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemingway. In this novella we will discuss the theme of success and failure among other themes, antagonist versus protagonist, point of view, allegory, and setting.  

Weeks of March 9th and 16th-- This will be our week of poetry study.  Our poetry selections will be I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman, A bird came down the walk by Emily Dickinson, The Lake Isle of Innisfree by William Butler Yeats, Of the Lady Pietra Degli Scrovigni by Dante Alighieri, and Bury Me in a Free Land by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.  We will discuss rhyme, meter, rhythm, stanzas, and more depending on time.  We may not be able to discuss all poems in-depth due to time constraints.  

March 23rd and 30th-- Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang.  In this book we will study setting, character development,  foreshadowing, mood, and point of view.  

March April 6th, 13th, and 20th-- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.  We will study themes of the novel, setting, personification, symbolism, and characterization.  (Please be aware that this book takes place in World War II and some students my find the images of war difficult.  There is also some mild language in this book.) 

April 27th and May 4th—- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.  We will discuss characterization, plot, setting, the American Dream, symbolism, and the Great Depression in this well-known novella.

May 11th and 19th—Rip Van Wrinkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.  In these classic short stories we will discuss tradition, myth, legend, character development, setting, narrator, irony, symbolism, and the beginning of the Americana genre.  
  

This class is my High School Literature class part 2.  You will have to subscribe to this course separately.