The Road and Realism:

REALISM A trend towards depictions of contemporary life and society as it is, instead of a romanticized or similarly stylized presentation; the depiction of subjects as they appear in everyday life, without embellishment or interpretation

 Born and grew up in Tennessee and dropped out of the University of Tennessee to join the Air Force.  He began writing in  His novels, known for their natural observation, morbid realism, and violence, are in the Southern gothic tradition.  They include The Orchard Keeper (1965), Outer Dark (1968), Blood Meridian (1985), No Country for Old Men (2005),and the widely read Border Trilogy (All the Pretty Horses, 1992; The Crossing, 1994; Cities of the Plain, 1998).  The post apocalyptic The Road (2006; Pulitzer Prize) centers on a father and son struggling to survive after a disaster has all but destroyed the U.S. Cormac McCarthy

“The searing, post apocalyptic novel destined to become Cormac McCarthy's masterpiece.” “The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, ‘each the other's world entire,’ are sustained by love.” “Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.” (taken from published reviews)

In your notebook: I will show you a series of images. Each image will only be visible for 30 seconds, so you will have to write quickly. As each image appears, write as much as you can think of about it. – What does the image show? – What details do you notice? – When might this have occurred? – How does it make you feel?

The need to choose whether to act altruistically or selfishly is with us as part of the human condition. We must choose every day, every step of the way...along The Road.

Why study this work? -Contemporary look at how the literary style of realism is used -Identify, analyze, and evaluate rhetorical techniques in a variety of genres What do you need to do? Complete the 3 reading assignments for the following dates: Thursday, September 3 rd pages 3-82 Thursday, September 10 th pages Thursday, September 17 th pages Complete 3 corresponding journals regarding each assignment:  React to what you read – what are your thoughts about this part of the book? Be specific. Make it evident that you have read by referencing details.  Craft 5 questions that you want to ask your classmates about this reading – think Rhetorical Analysis, Argument, Literary Period, Thematic Implications, Real World connections, Connections to other literature you’ve read before, etc.

More on Journals Must be neatly handwritten in ink OR typed Must be legible, written in complete sentences, and bear a proper heading in order to receive ANY credit Each entry will have two components: 1.React/respond to what you’ve read. Reference specific plot happenings, how they made you feel, how you feel about the writing, any unanswered questions you have, etc. These responses are individual and unassailable, provided they are clearly rooted in the text (not vague generalizations written in a lazy attempt to make me think you’ve read. Don’t waste everyone’s time trying to fool me. Example: I think it’s odd that McCarthy doesn’t use punctuation, but I don’t think it’s confusing. It’s always clear to me who’s speaking even though he doesn’t use quotes. I think this is because… NOT: The whole book is super dark and depressing. It’s hard to read because he doesn’t use punctuation the usual way. 2.Craft 5 questions– think Rhetorical Analysis, Argument, Literary Period, Thematic Implications, Real World connections, Connections to other literature you’ve read before, etc. Rhetorical Analysis: Why do you think the author wrote this sentence/chapter/paragraph this way? What do you think his point was when he used x literary device? I notice this phrase coming up again and again. Does it mean something more than just what it says? Is it supposed to be symbolic? Argument: Are we supposed to read the boy’s mother as selfish, or does McCarthy want us to see her some other way?

The Journals, cont. Literary period: In what way does x make it clear that this novel borrows heavily from the realistic period? How might this incident have played out differently in a romantic work? Like many realistic heroes, the man is flawed. Does this make him a “better” hero? Worse? Thematic implications: Considering x, what do you think the author is trying to argue about (insert topic here). Remember, theme=thesis. Writer’s argument. Real World or Literary Connection: How is what McCarthy saying about humanity different from what Golding’s said in LOTF? Are there examples in our society of parents sacrificing themselves for their children that bear out the truth of The Road? What can you think of? How do they relate? Each journal contains your personal reaction/response to the entire section of reading AS WELL AS five questions you’ve composed from the options above which will be posed to the entire class. You should answer your own questions in your journal. Annotation?