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Grade Level:
9 - 12
Literary Form:
Ernest Hemingway
12 Lesson Plans/30 Handouts/65 Pages
ISBN:978-1-56077-853-0
Description:
A Farewell to Arms is a love story, a war story, and a story of a young man’s life-changing experiences of both war and love. It deals with World War I, but its concerns are universal. The relevance of the novel is striking. Unfortunately, war seems to be a perennial of human history; high school seniors, on the brink of entering the “real world,” are often aware that they may find themselves in combat in the future. The novel, with its direct style and thoughts about war, love, life, and death, appeals equally to both male and female readers. The main character, Frederic Henry, is a strong representative of what has come to be known as “the Hemingway hero”—intelligent, terse, stoical, strong, but also hiding a sensitive streak that responds to beauty and love. Frederic experiences the horrors of war to the fullest, yet finds a powerful, life-changing love. Ernest Hemingway carefully weaves together war and love, showing that in both facets of the story, death is universal, unavoidable, and inexorable, as it is in real life.
Activities:
This unit is geared toward a book-by-book study of the novel for advanced students. Introductory lessons focus on Ernest Hemingway and provide information on World War I. The remainder of the lessons examine the characteristics of the novel. Students examine characterization and style. They consider overall plot and structure, symbols, and themes. Opportunities are provided for individual study and cooperative group work. Each lesson includes a study guide to help students review the basics and goes on to increasingly analytical approaches to the novel.
Supplementary materials include a culminating test and a list of topics for essays and projects.
Ethical Values:
Compassion
Courage
Loyalty
Peace
Self-actualization
Truth
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