The Sun Also Rises
The Shmoop Also Teaches
- Course Length: 3 weeks
- Course Type: Short Course
- Category:
- English
- Literature
- High School
Schools and Districts: We offer customized programs that won't break the bank. Get a quote.
You ever feel like the only people who understand you are people your own age?
Well, Ernest Hemingway would like to prove you wrong. We know this Santa-looking beardo probably doesn't seem like he can appreciate anything besides a nice glass of milk and some cookies; but as it turns out, this very dead author knew what it was like to be young.
The Sun Also Rises is one of the major books of The Lost Generation, which was, by all accounts, way more disillusioned and bewildered and angry than even our own generation. You don't get to be called The Lost Generation if you were a happy-go-lucky bunch.
In this unit, you'll find Common Core-aligned activities, lessons, and readings that will
- guide you through all the drinking, fighting, and flirting that surrounded the post-World War I Lost Generation.
- fill you in on what events in Hemingway's life inspired this novel and what exactly went down in WWI.
- dig deep into the themes and symbols of the book.
And much more.
Basically the only two things we won't do are (a) suggest a career as a matador and (b) encourage you to act like the characters in the novel.
Please don't.
Unit Breakdown
1 The Sun Also Rises - The Sun Also Rises
In this unit, you'll read The Sun Also Rises in all its disillusioned glory. You'll tackle everything from themes, symbols, and characters to setting, tone, and writing style, all while relating this post-World War I novel to the world you live in today.
Sample Lesson - Introduction
Lesson 1.01: PopCohn
Meet Robert Cohn.
Now forget about him.
(Source)
Okay, not entirely—but as you start reading, remember, Cohn is not the story's protagonist. Dude is like a third-tier character...and not even a third-tier character that people like very much. He's kind of a dweeb and kind of a doormat.
But it would be super easy to read the first two chapters of The Sun Also Rises and think "This book is clearly about a dude named Robert Cohn, as described by his buddy Jake Barnes." We get Bob's biography, Bob's romantic history, Bob's plans and dreams.
And then the Cohn-fest shuts down abruptly—the rest of the book mentions Robert Cohn in the same way it mentions a bunch of other characters...supporting characters.
It would be like opening Harry Potter with two entire chapters devoted to Neville Longbottom. What could be the point?
In this lesson, we'll read these Cohn-centric chapters and see if we can figure it out.
Sample Lesson - Reading
Reading 1.1.01a: Chapters 1-2
Get to it. Read Chapters 1-2 of The Sun Also Rises, and if you get dizzy from the Robert Cohn info-dump, we'll set you straight over at our chapter summary.
Sample Lesson - Reading
Reading 1.1.01b: Ice Cream Cohn
You know that saying, "the opposite of love isn't hate, it's apathy"? It makes sense. If you have strong feelings about someone, you talk about them all the time. You detail what they're like. They're in your head.
And with this strength of feeling, you start noticing things about them and making judgments, either good or bad. Sounds like Jake Barnes discussing Robert Cohn for two chapters, yeah?
It's no secret that Jake has strong feelings about Robert, and that these feelings are not feelings of love. In fact, Jake thinks Robert is kind of a doofus.
But let's not stop there in our analysis of Jake and Robert. Let's get next-level.
On the surface, Jake is ranting about how Robert is a doofus; but because we're hearing it from a first-person narrator (Jake), the rant also reflects Jake himself, right? After all, when's the last time you passed judgment on someone (good or bad) without reflecting your own values or personality?
Sample Lesson - Activity
Activity 1.01a: Cohn On The Cob
Look through the first two chapters of The Sun Also Rises and find statements that Jake says about Robert. Then, using your crafty literary analysis skills, take a stab at what that assumption says about Jake.
- You'll need 5 examples.
- Each example must include a quote: something that Jakes says or thinks about Robert.
- After each quote, you should express (as concisely as possible) what this quote tells us about Jake. Not Robert...Jake.
Comprehension Check Rubric - 300 Points
Sample Lesson - Activity
- Course Length: 3 weeks
- Course Type: Short Course
- Category:
- English
- Literature
- High School
Schools and Districts: We offer customized programs that won't break the bank. Get a quote.