American Literature gets reel

Occasionally, the English classroom teacher at Friends Academy uses film and videos in order to illustrate a particular curricular-related concept. On Sept. 27, with much excitement, the FA English department presented an opportunity for the entire 11th Grade to watch Jordan Peele's film, Nope, as a part of the American Literature course opening unit: "Foundations, Origins, and Myths."

On stage after the film, FA faculty members Jozeph Herceg, Brad Wetherell, and Scott Hertrick, engaged in a brief discussion about themes and ideas, which overlap with foundational American texts from the opening unit, including John Ford's The Searchers.

"Students will be asked to do the same in their classes later in the week," noted Mr. Herczeg, as they explore ideas about legitimate/illegitimate American identities (as an extension of Mary Rowlandson, John Ford, and Natalie Diaz); individualism, exceptionalism, self-reliance (extension of Hector St. John Crevecoeur, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and John Winthrop); and captivity narratives (as an extension of Rowlandson, Ford).

In conjunction with the written literary analysis asked of them in class on a daily basis, the department hopes that through the analysis of this exciting visual text, students will have a fun, contemporary conversation that reinforces their literary and historical understanding of the American story and their own place in it.

Photos by Alvin Caal/Friends Academy