Introduction

The United States emerged from the Great War as the world's leading economic and military power. But with this prosperity and military power came disillusionment. Even though many American soldiers entered World War I with ceremony, they exited cynically disheartened,  recognizing that American ideals had been compromised by a pervasive philosophy of materialism. Between the disillusionment and the materialism, the moral climate in America began to change.

The writers of the postwar period agreed with Gertrude Stein that they were "all a lost generation," confronted with futility and the loss of idealism and searching desperately for a new source of hope.

In the novel A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway expressed his sense of war's immorality as he became the leading spokesman for the lost generation who expressed their lose of faith and hope. A Farewell to Arms avoids the glory of war and concentrates on one man's evaluation of self, duty, and courage. Even though Lt.Henry finds his separate peace, he still is faced with the futility and hardship of war.

As Americans searched for their new source of hope, F. Scott Fitzgerald set the scene for the changing moral climate in America. Through his short stories and novels, he embraced a new, carefree generation characterized by irresponsible actions and self-indulgent tendencies. His novel The Great Gatsby examined how the decadence of the Jazz Age led to the crippling of America's moral structure.

The Task

The assignments in this unit will set the stage for the novels that you will read. Your  will  read and research, present, discuss, and write. The objectives of this lesson are as follows: 

The Process

You will be completing Numbers 1-4.

1.  Pack you bag as you are going on a trip back to 1915, starting with World War I and continuing on through the Jazz Age.  As you move through the listed Websites, you will collect data on the American and Italian involvement in the war, as well as other perspectives of World War I. Each Website will have its own purpose. Choose any one Website as part of the assignment of this project.
 

Photos of the Great War http://www.ukans.edu/~kansite/ww_one/photos/greatwar.htm#TOP Relate parallel these pictures to some aspect of A Farewell to Arms.  Save the picture on a piece of paper, leaving a space to write in a 3-5 sentence parallel.  The following photos relate to A Farewell to Arms:  Hospital room scene; Italian troops entrenched along the Isonzo River;  Italian Bersaglieri medics tending wounded soldier;  Italian troops hauling heavy artillery up Mt. Grappa; Shell-torn forest at the peak of Mt. Grappa; Battle of the Somme; King Vittorio Emmanuel of Italy ;  Franz Josef, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary; Drivers of the Ambulance Field Service	Great War Series at The War Times Journal. http://www.wtj.com/pl/pages/greatwar.htm   Through some type of a timeline, summarize the major events of the Eastern Front and of the Western Front. Add photos or maps to your timeline
World War One http://www.ibiscom.com/w1frm.htm  Read about Lawrence of Arabia and the Archduke Franz Ferdinand.  View the movie Lawrence of Arabia and be prepared to give an oral and visual presentation on Lawrence's involvement in the war.	The World War I document Archive http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/ Friends of France:  http://raven.cc.ukans.edu/~libsite/wwi-www/FriendsFrance/ffTC.htm American Students in Europe http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jmpicquart/gbusamb.htm Literary Ambulance Drivers http://members.aol.com/sruediger/litamb.htm     Investigate the details of Catherine's position as a VAD during the war and Lt. Henry's position as an ambulance driver. Link into the following cites from The World War I document Archive:  a  list of equipment required for British VAD nurses; regulations governing the VAD volunteers; read some of the letters from volunteer nurses; ambulances services.  What was the American Field Service and why did it send so many ambulances drivers from America to Europe during WWI?  Make a visual and oral presentation on this topic.
Hemingway Resource Page http://www.lostgeneration.com/hrc.htm Add to this cite and put together some project that parallels Hemingway's life with Lt. Henry's. Read other cites on Ernest Hemingway and parallel his involvement with that of Lt. Henry in A Farewell to Arms.	Gatsby's Jazz Age Echoes http://www.geocities.com/broadway/orchestra/1923/ Give a visual and oral presentation on this Website.
F. Scott Fitzgerald Centenary http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald Add to this cite and put together some project that parallels Fitzgerald's life with characters from the novel The Great Gatsby. Read other cites on F. Scott Fitzgerald and parallel his involvement with that of Lt. Henry in The Great Gatsby.	The 1920's http://www.louisville.edu/~kprayb01/1920s-6subjects-page.html Read three of the six categories and relate these to The Great Gatsby in an oral and visual presentation.
Accessible only from American Journey On-line at Lake Zur5ich High School. World War I and the Jazz Age http://www.americanjurney.psmedia.com/ After reading this site, comment on the changing moral climate in America.

2.  Read both A Farewell to Arms and The Great Gatsby.  Complete the assignments attached.

A Farewell to Arms 

Study Guide Book One

Study Guide Book Two

Study Guide Book Three

Study Guide Book Four

Study Guide Book Five

Vocabulary guide

Literal, interpretive, and critical questions

Essays #1--A Farewell and Gatsby

The Great Gatsby