2. Great American Authors Ms. Zola’s 11 th grade English class These are just a few of the many great American authors. The writings of these authors will be covered in my class.

3. Meet the Authors F. Scott Fitzgerald Zora Neale Hurston Mark Twain John SteinbeckF. Scott FitzgeraldZora Neale Hurston Mark Twain John Steinbeck Langston Hughes Langston Hughes Sylvia Plath Ernest HemingwayHarper LeeSylvia PlathErnest HemingwayHarper Lee Click on the author’s name or picture to find out more about him/her. Click on the finger in the bottom right corner when you wish to advance to the multiple choice question about this lesson.

4. F. Scott Fitzgerald Author of The Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise Born Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald on September 24, 1896, in St. Paul, Minnesota Married Zelda Sayre, and had one daughter, Frances Scott Fitzgerald Moved to France in 1924, where he wrote The Great Gatsby Died of a heart attack in 1940, at age 44, his final novel only half completed http://www.biography.com/people/f-scott-fitzgerald-9296261#synopsis

5. Zora Neale Hurston Author of Their Eyes Were Watching God and Mules and Men Born on January 7, 1891 in Notasulga, Alabama Studied at various universities, including Howard University and Columbia University Associated with the Harlem Renaissance Also an anthropologist, folklorist, and civil rights activist Died in Florida on January 28, 1960 http://www.biography.com/people/zora-neale-hurston-9347659#writing- careerhttp://www.biography.com/people/zora-neale-hurston-9347659#writing- career

6. Mark Twain Author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri (Florida the village, not the state.) Also a riverboat pilot, journalist, lecturer, entrepreneur, and inventor Married Olivia Langdon and had four children Died on April 21, 1910, in Redding, Connecticut. http://www.biography.com/people/mark-twain-9512564#huck-finn

7. John Steinbeck Author of The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men Born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California Dropped out of college and worked as a manual laborer before becoming a successful writer Served as a war correspondent during World War II Was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962 Died in New York City on December 20, 1968 http://www.biography.com/people/john-steinbeck-9493358#later-life

8. Langston Hughes Author of various poems, including The Negro Speaks of Rivers and I Dream A World, and books like Not Without Laughter Born on February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri Attended Columbia University for a brief time, during which time he quickly became a part of the Harlem Renaissance among the first to use jazz rhythms and dialect to depict the life of urban blacks in his work Died on May 22, 1967 from complications of prostate cancer http://www.biography.com/people/langston-hughes-9346313

9. Sylvia Plath Author of The Bell Jar and a poetry volume entitled The Colossus Born on October 27, 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts Studied at Smith College and Newnham College at the University of Cambridge Married Ted Hughes and had two children, Frieda and Nicholas Struggled with mental illness and depression Committed suicide on February 11, 1963, at the age of 30 http://www.biography.com/people/sylvia-plath-9442550

10. Ernest Hemingway Author of The Old Man and the Sea and A Farewell to Arms Born on July 21, 1899, in Cicero (now in Oak Park), Illinois Served in World War I as an ambulance driver for the Italian Army Worked in journalism before publishing his story collection In Our Time Won the Nobel Prize Committed suicide on July 2, 1961, in Ketchum, Idaho http://www.biography.com/people/ernest-hemingway-9334498

11. Harper Lee Author of To Kill A Mockingbird and Go Set A Watchman Born Nelle Harper Lee on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama Dropped out of Oxford University of England to pursue dreams of becoming a writer and moved to New York City Helped Truman Capote, another great American author and her best friend from childhood, write his nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood Received Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007 Alive and well today at the age of 89 http://www.biography.com/people/harper-lee-9377021

12. Who is the author of Of Mice and Men? A.F. Scott FitzgeraldF. Scott Fitzgerald B. John Steinbeck John Steinbeck C.Mark TwainMark Twain D.Ernest HemingwayErnest Hemingway

13. Good try, but answer A, F. Scott Fitzgerald, is incorrect. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise, but not Of Mice and Men. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the majority of his novels in the 1920s, while Of Mice and Men was written in 1937, just three years before Fitzgerald died.

14. Great Job! Answer B, John Steinbeck, is correct! John Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men in 1937, and later wrote The Grapes of Wrath.

15. Good try, but answer C, Mark Twain is incorrect. Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain died in 1910, 27 years before Of Mice and Men was written.

16. Good try, but answer D, Ernest Hemingway, is incorrect. Ernest Hemingway wrote The Old Man and the Sea and The Sun Also Rises, but not Of Mice and Men. Ernest Hemingway, however, was a writer during the time that Of Mice and Men was written.

17. The End! Great Job! Click on the pointing finger icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to return to the title slide for the next user.