Module 1 – Case
STEPHEN CRANE
Assignment Overview
Stephen Crane was a master of the novel and the short story. He had a bleak view of life, as we know from his famous work, The Red Badge of Courage. For Crane, man is more a victim of his fate than a decider. Fate is rarely kind and frequently cruel. The short story we will be looking at is a powerful study of male association under extreme pressure vs an alternative to the image of American society he often invokes as growing hyper-civilized (effeminate). While this rather outdated and sexist dichotomy of a masculine and a feminine society seems a bit off in today’s world, his insights into fundamental social change makes sense.
Read the short story “The Open Boat” linked below.
THE OPEN BOAT by Stephen Crane https://tlc.trident.edu/content/enforced/136867-ENG201-2020FEB10FT-1/Modules/Module1/The%20Open%20Boat.html?ou=136867
In what ways are the men dependent upon the “modern technology” of their era?
How does that dependency change while they are on the boat?
Pay particular attention to the kind of technology the characters use (or hope to use) in their struggle with the natural world. Keep it simple! Technology defines much of our relationship with the world, and this is a common theme throughout American literature. Pick one or two types of technology the characters depend upon at the start of the story, and explain how these technologies change the men’s roles. The changes may not be the same for all characters.
Assignment Expectations
Write a 3-page paper responding to the prompt above.
