1. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=yruRt7mQWgg Mark Twain’s “The War Prayer”

2. Please answer the following in your notebooks: 1.How is the stranger portrayed in the beginning of the video? Think of the very first image of him… 2.What are the church members celebrating and praying for? 3.What “message” does the “stranger” deliver to the congregants in the church? 4.Why does his message make the church members uncomfortable? 5.What message is the director of this video trying to impart?

3. Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight, O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

4. In many places, civilians suffered more than soldiers. Globally, more non- combatants perished than uniformed participants, notably in China and the Soviet Union. And where is that band who so vauntingly swore That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion, A home and a country should leave us no more! Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution. No refuge could save the hireling and slave From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave: And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

5. Part II English Regents – Reading Comprehension After reading Mark Twain’s “The War Prayer”, please answer the following 6 multiple choice questions.

6. Question One According to the story, what became of those who objected to the war? A.They were given stern and angry warnings – and then they disappeared. B.They were convinced to join the army. C.They were hanged in public. D.There weren’t any objectors in the story.

7. Question Two Why were some people envious of those families who were sending sons off to war? A.The families of soldiers were getting all of the attention. B.Those families did NOT have sons or fathers to send off to the war. C.Some people felt the war was wrong. D.Some people were angry that the soldiers were getting paid.

8. Question Three What do you think was meant when the author referred to the minister’s prayer as being filled with “moving” language? A. Emotional B. Passionate C. Patriotic D. All of the above

9. Question Four Who is described as being “clothed in a robe that reached to his feet, and his white hair fell in a frothy waterfall to his shoulders. His rough face was unnaturally pale, almost ghostly”? A.The Minister B.The Stranger C.Citizen Six D.Citizen Four

10. Question Five The stranger tells the citizens that their prayer: A. Has already been answered. B. Cannot be answered. C. Is really two prayers; one said out loud and one said silently. A. Is good and kind.

11. Question Six After the Stranger spoke, the citizens A. Decided he must have been a lunatic. B. Decided he made no sense at all. C. Decided to continue on with their silent prayers. D. All of the above.

12. Rather than assigning blame to any one group, or debating whether or not war is ever justifiable, “The War Prayer” simply ask us to consider the cost of war. Throughout history, man has suffered from a collective short-term memory regarding wars past, only weighing the cost of war in hindsight.

13. Go to Warprayer.org on your chrome book and read the short story.

14. Group One List words/phrases that promote patriotism in a time of war. *devoted love, support, and defense of one's country

15. Group Two List words/phrases that sound religious, “church- like”, or refer to God.

16. Group Three Deduce which character (the stranger or the minister) is God’s messenger. Why did you decide this? Be specific in your reasoning. *To come to a conclusion from something known or assumed

17. Group Four What is the reason behind the stranger’s reflection of the “flip-side” of each prayer? How did you come to determine this reason? Be specific.

18. Group Five Analyze Twain’s ending of the story. Consider the last line carefully. How is irony used in the ending of this story? What effect will this ending have on today’s readers?

19. 1. List words/phrases that promote patriotism in a time of war. 2. List words/phrases that sound religious, “church- like”, or refer to God. 3. Deduce which character (the stranger or the minister) is God’s messenger. Why did you decide this? 4. What is the reason behind the stranger’s reflection of the “flip- side” of each prayer? How did you come to determine this reason? 5. Analyze Twain’s ending of the story. Consider the last line carefully. How is irony used in the ending of this story? What effect will this ending have on today’s readers?