Post-Apocalyptic Fiction

All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to
ones heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in
grief and ashes.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy (54)

Course: English 11/12 E

Instructor: Mr. Rollins

Objectives: To immerse ourselves in and learn the conventions of the

genre, to develop active analytic skills while experiencing
media rather than passively absorbing it, to create fun and
attractive web-based content for a modern audience, and
more!

Texts: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Z for Zachariah by Robert C. OBrien
Sundry academic articles

Films: TBA based on parents feedback

Assignments: All assignments will be graded twice, first separately on

paper as a rough draft and second together in an overall
grade for your apocalypse survival blog.

1) Product Review: Write (2) Amazon-style product

review for a fictional post-apocalyptic audience. The
item must be in some way apocalypse related. Good
reviews will have clean prose, show audience
awareness, present a balanced viewpoint, contain a
little humor, not go too far into the macabre, and
contain over 25 [11 E] or 50 [12 E] words.

2) Listicle: Write (1) list article for a fictional post-

apocalyptic audience, e.g. Top 3 Items You Need to
Survive a Robot Uprising. Good listicles will have clean
prose, show audience awareness, present a balanced
viewpoint, contain a little humor, not go too far into the
 macabre, and contain over 100 [11 E] or 150 [12 E]
words.

3) Survivors Log: Imagine yourself in the role of an

apocalypse survivor. Write a fictional journal of your
experiences surviving in the wasteland. Logs should
contain at least (10) short entries, be over 250 [11 E] or
300 [12 E] words, and exhibit clean prose, good
narrative structure (with a beginning, middle and end),
logical development, appropriate stylistic elements to
create a post-apocalyptic atmosphere, and a conclusion
that asks readers to reflect on a humanistic theme.

4) Multi-Media Project: Submit (1) rough draft of a script

for a YouTube video or of researched talking points for a
podcast. After approval, record and edit the project
before uploading it to your website. The final product
must contain multi-media elements, be at least 2 [11 E]
or 3 [12 E] minutes in length, and show a sufficient level
of professionalism in production. The multi-media
project can be an elaboration on another assignment,
like the survivor log or a listicle. This may be done a
group, but no more than four members are allowed.

5) Interpretive Essay: Do a close-reading of The Road to

answer (1) of the following questions: A) What role does
the symbol of fire play in the novel? B) Does the novel
ultimately take a bleak or hopeful view of humanity? C)
What if the novel isnt really about a post-apocalyptic
future; i.e. how does it reflect the values and concerns
of modern American culture? As you read, make sure to
record key passages, symbols, or other details to use in
your essay later. Good interpretative essays will make a
focused claim that offers a clear answer to one of the
questions, will support that claim with textual evidence
from the book, and will connect those details to their
claim with sufficient analysis and commentary in 350
[11 E] or 500 [12 E] word analysis

6) Book Review: After finishing The Road, read another

post-apocalyptic novel, Z for Zachariah, and write a 75
[11 E] or 100 [12 E] word book review comparing the
two. For example, what genre conventions do they
 share? Which do they challenge? How do they differ in
age-level? Themes? Writing quality? Etc. Good reviews
will stay focused on Z for Zachariah, draw on supporting
details to explain their idea, and conclude with a
judgment about the quality of the novel.

7) Movie Analysis: Watch (1) post-apocalyptic film.

Consider how the language of cinema differs from that
of literature. For example, what stylistic elements does
the movie use to create a post-apocalyptic atmosphere?
How does it employ things like sets, costuming, music,
lighting, color, visuals, and dialogue to develop
characters and themes? Then write a 75 [11 E] or 100
[12 E] word analysis of the film. Good analyses will stay
focused on a clear claim about the film, draw on
supporting details from the film to back up that claim,
and connect those details to their claim with sufficient
analysis and commentary.

8) Assessments: There will be occasional short quizzes on

the assigned reading, as well as a final exam on the
content of the novels, class lectures, and discussions.

Finally: All district and school-wide expectations will be followed.

My emphasized rules during work time are outlined below:
1) Does it need to be said?
2) Does it need to be said now?
3) Does it need to be said now by me?
If not it does not pass all three criteria, please dont say it.