Transcript Post-Modern/Contemporary Period (1950

Anna Ramos
Brennan Rodriguez
Cassandra Gomez
Jonathan Lee
Juanmiguel Ortiz



Of or relating to art, architecture, or literature that
reacts against earlier modernist principles, as by
reintroducing traditional or classical elements of
style or by carrying modernist styles or practices to
the extremes.
Contemporary literature is not escapist
Contemporary writers focus on describing
people’s emotional states rather than focusing so
much on objects of their culture( as modern writers
did)






(1945)The end of World War II with the U.S.
atomic bombing of Hiroshima
(1947-1953)The Cold War with the U.S.S.R.
begins
(1955-1968)The Civil Rights Movement
(1957)The Final Frontier: Space Travel
(1969)Segregation in public schools is abolished
(1940s- present)Technology advances:
Computers, Internet, Media, Cell phones, Etc.


War Fears:
- many war-torn veterans from WWII tried to
make sense of the madness
- Fear of Nuclear Warfare plague the entire
U.S. to raise the value of their lives
Civil Right’s Movement:
- The certainties of the past were called into
question

- Racial Equality for all citizens in the U.S.
- It amplified the idea of an individual’s
worth in society
- Ethnic and minority writers ,and people,
began to wonder how they might fit into
mainstream culture
Multiculturalism
- The growth in diversity brought many
different ideals to the U.S.
- The differences in culture, religion, and
lifestyles were now accepted


- Respect for other cultures began to emerge
Pop Culture
- The values are often portrayed and placed
in the media, such as movies and television
Post- Modernism
- With the growth of modernism, others
sought alternatives to redefine the norm
- To redefine the norm, people would
question their own consciousness and express
their unconventional mindsets
- The focus was now on how major ideas
were being communicated
- This affected literature, drama, architecture,
journalism and design


Genres
-Novels
-Plays
-Autobiographies
-Narratives
Styles
- Direct characterization: The writer makes
direct statements about a characters personality
and tells what the character is like.
-Indirect Characterization: The writer
reveals information about a
character and his personality through that
character's thoughts, words, and
actions, along with how other characters
respond to that character,
including what they think and say about him
-Pop-Culture Allusions: The writer makes
pop culture references that
include movies, television, music, etc.
- Extended Metaphor: A comparison
between two unlike things that continues
throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph
or lines in a poem.



J.D. Salinger (1919- 2010)
-novels, short stories
“Catcher and the Rye”
“Hapworth 16, 1924”
Arthur Miller(1915-2005)
-plays
“ The Crucible”
“Death of a Salesman”
Amy Tan(1952-)
- novels
“The Joy Luck Club”
“The bonesetter’s Daughter”



Harper Lee(1926- )
-novels, essays
“ To Kill a Mockingbird”
“ When Children Discover America”
Tim O’Brien(1946- )
-memoirs, short stories
“The Things They Carried”
“If I Die in a Combat Zone”
Malcolm X(1925-1965)
-Autobiographies
“The Autobiography of Malcolm X”
“This is not bad -ambling along 44th Street
with Sonny Rollins for company,
his music flowing through the soft calipers
of these earphones,
as if he were right beside me
on this clear day in March,
the pavement sparkling with sunlight,
pigeons fluttering off the curb,
nodding over a profusion of bread crumbs.”
This music is loud yet so confidential.
I cannot help feeling even more
like the center of the universe
than usual as I walk along to a rapid
little version of "The Way You Look Tonight,"
and all I can say to my fellow pedestrians,
to the woman in the white sweater,
the man in the tan raincoat and the heavy glasses,
who mistake themselves for the center of the universe all I can say is watch your step,

After having read Speaking of Courage, how
does the story relate to the post-modern time
era? Find two examples of literary devices that
contribute to the post-modern/contemporary
time period. Analyze how these devices
incorporate the post-modern time era with
Speaking of Courage.