Week 5: Love Letters

Love is in the air…and in war, too.

Jump to…

• Tuesday & Behind the Lines
  • Before Class
  • In Class
• Thursday & My Dear Bessie
  • Before Class
  • In Class
• Weekly Writing
• Commenting / Online Discussions
• REMINDER: Continue work on your WWII writing project and presentation.

Tuesday, September 24

Before Class

• Weekly writing for Week 4 (Last Letters) due by the start of class; submit your post URL in Canvas.
• Commenting / Online Discussions
  • Refer to the list from last week. You will need to comment on 2 other student’s posts, based on the list. Due this week, comment on students that are 1 and 2 below your name.
  • Be sure to use our FYS183 group in Hypothes.is.
  • Once you’ve commented on your three students, post their names in Canvas.
• Things to think about before class:
  • Love and War
  • What do you think about love letters?
  • What role, if any, do love letters have in war?

In Class

• Banned Books Week
  • Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
  • I am very real letter [or PDF] written by Kurt Vonnegut to Charles McCarthy, head of the Drake School Board.
  • Benedict Cumberbatch reads Vonnegut’s letter at Hay Festival.
• Love Letters
  • We will listen to the Behind the Lines podcast on Love (love letters from WWII as well as other wars), based on the book of the same name.
  • Some letters referenced:
    • “My Very Dear Wife” ~ Major Sullivan Ballou
    • “My Dearest” ~ George Washington
    • Goldie and Ed Marcellus from War Letters in our collection and previewed in Google Books
    • “May 1943” ~ Sid Diamond to Estelle Spero
    • The letters between Captain Harry Kipp and Norma Clinton and from HistoryNet
• Sign-up for sessions with Julia for your WWII writing project.

Thursday, September 26

Before Class

• Review the introduction to My Dear Bessie.

In Class

• We will listen to readings from My Dear Bessie.
• Developing your thesis with Julia.
• Sign-up for sessions with Julia for your WWII writing project.

Weekly Writing

1. This weekly writing should focus on any reading/activity/exercise/etc that you found particularly interesting this week.
2. Weekly Writings will be due by the start of class on Tuesday of each week.
3. Submit your post URL in Canvas.