Before discussing today's reading, we spent the first segment of the session reviewing Joshua's rewrite of his final essay on "Billy Budd." I demonstrated how to combine sentences and to vary sentence structure and noted how one paragraph within the body of the essay was not relevant to the moral question posed by the prompt. I again suggested that Joshua refer to the text more when drafting a literary essay. During the second half of the session, we located additional examples of the author's laconic detached tone when discussing the war as a mechanized killing machine. Further, we explored the protagonist's discussion with the priest about God and noted how Lt.Henry's physical wound is symbolic of his thwarted emotional state which will heal only when he is able to love another person.
Joshua worked on identifying tone and imagery by examining the author's diction. I first directed attention to two laconic passages wherein Hemingway describes the death of soldiers with detachment .We discussed the author' s implicit condemnation of war not only in tone but by the image of war as a factory where soldiers are the raw materials. I then provided an analytical framework for the novel by outlining on the board the broad conflict in the novel between Lt Henry and society(represented as the War) noting the many references to Lt Henry as an outsider to the Italian cause. We further delved into the implications of Hemingway's philosophy ( directly expressed in other novels) that "Man can be broken but not defeated." We noted that Lt Henry is "broken" or wounded in the War and now must rise against his circumstances . In this regard, I discussed the Hemingway Code of "grace under pressure."
Today's session addressed how Hemingway's style and craftsmanship reflect and reinforce his themes. Focusing on specific terse dialogue , I first provided the underlying but absent emotional tone by supplementing the dialogue with the implied emotional commentary. We then isolated passages of terse descriptions of people and things . I contrasted the descriptions of the visible concrete world with the abstract justifications of war- honor, country, and freedom- noting Hemingways' dislike and distrust of these illusions that distract from the concrete truth of the horror of the war. Last, we reviewed examples of symbolism and addressed the significance and irony of the Lt. Henry losing his St.Anthony's necklace given that St Anthony is the saint of lost items.
I provided instruction on the influence of Darwinism and the Naturalist genre on Hemingway's novel. Noting the dominance of external factors over free will ,Joshua did well in recognizing the War as representative of the controlling environmental factor in the characters' lives. In this regard, we isolated passages wherein the protagonist acknowledge that neither his presence, his individual beliefs, nor his effort makes any impact or difference in the outcome of the war . We further discussed the symbolism of rain, the officer's pistol , and the rattan stick Catherine carries. Next, we focused on Lt . Henry's status as an outsider, an American in the Italian army, and how the immediacy of death in war shapes the relationship between Lt Henry and the nurse, Catherine.
We continue to work on Joshua's essay writing skills. After I provided my comments on his most recent essay on "Billy Budd" , we began working on revisions to improve organization and clarity. I specifically directed his attention to sentences that could be better placed in the introduction and we discussed my deletions where words were superfluous. I next focused on the need to incorporate quotes or better textual support and provided passages that could be incorporated into the body of the essay. During the session, Joshua was able to complete a thought provoking thesis in the introduction and to revise the second paragraph of his essay. He will complete the revision for homework based on class discussion and my comments on the draft.
I continued instruction on Hemingway's style and craftsmanship including an explanation of the "iceberg" theory of Hemingway's prose. I then addressed how to look below the surface of the terse prose and laconic dialogue to discern the emotional content of the passage. I addressed how Hemingway's oft quoted saying (here paraphrased) "Don't talk about it too much ;you will lose it" relates to this style of writing. Joshua offered many other interesting examples of this style. I then addressed the rain motif throughout the novel.Joshua did a good job interpreting the symbolic significance of the rain. We further parsed passages to analyze the anti-war sentiment that drives the novel even in the first chapters. Last, we discussed the role of the priest and religion in the novel's thematic exploration of disillusionment .
For introductory session on our next novel, Hemingway's " A Farewell to Arms", I first provided biographical information which informs so much of this novel. Additionally, I discussed the impact of World War I and Gertrude Stein's pronouncement that the generation of the 1930s was " the lost generation" .After I explained this term ,I provided background on the role Gertrude Stein played in promoting art and literature in her famed Paris salon. Next, I discussed Hemingway's terse writing style and craftsmanship noting the use of the phrase , "the iceberg theory", to describe his prose. During this session, I also reviewed Joshua's quote analyses from the prior novel, and worked with Joshua on paraphrasing difficult passages of text.
In preparation for tomorrow's final essay test on "Billy Budd" today I worked with Joshua on writing the introduction and the conclusion of an essay. I emphasized the distinction between a summary and an analytic thesis and conclusion and provided examples. I further reviewed with Joshua his prior draft and explained where he needed to reorder sentences , correct vague pronoun references ,and, most critically, incorporate a large thematic idea or thesis into the introductory paragraph. After Joshua rewrote his introduction, I again provided suggestions for a thematic focus which could serve as a basis for further examination in the conclusion . I provided some ideas for a conclusion after which Joshua revised his final paragraph by eliminating the summary and instead addressing a thematic aspect of the novel.
As Joshua completed reading the novel over the weekend ,we today examined and summarized three major motifs or themes: Christ imagery associated with Billy Budd, the corrupting influence of "civilization " or society on morality, and fiction as an avenue of truth. We additionally noted and explored the irony and significance of Billy Budd's last words-"Capt Vere"- and Capt Vere's last words -"Billy Budd".As Billy Budd has always been imbued with Christ imagery, we noted how the ship's chaplain finds that Billy Budd is not in need of comfort or last rites before his execution. Last, we examined the various final accounts of Billy's life, one in a weekly naval chronicle that distorts the truth ,and one in a sailor's ballad that recaptures Billy's welkin innocence. In this regard, we again noted the role of rumor and the "jagged edges of truth" that comprise the narrator's tale.
