Comparing Portrayals of Slavery in Nineteenth-Century Photography and Literature

Materials and Technology

Student Interactives

Printouts

Websites

Preparation

 

MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• Chapter 1 from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave by Frederick Douglass
• PowerPoint Presentation
• “The Face of Slavery & Other Early Images of African Americans” at the American Museum of Photography
• Venn Diagram, 3 Circles
• Comparison and Contrast Guide
• Compare & Contrast Map
• LCD Projector or Interactive Whiteboard
  
• Computers with internet access

 

 

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STUDENT INTERACTIVES

Grades   3 – 12  |  Student Interactive  |  Organizing & Summarizing

Comparison and Contrast Guide

The Comparison and Contrast Guide outlines the characteristics of the genre and provides direct instruction on the methods of organizing, gathering ideas, and writing comparison and contrast essays.

 

Grades   3 – 12  |  Student Interactive  |  Organizing & Summarizing

Compare & Contrast Map

The Compare & Contrast Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to organize and outline their ideas for different kinds of comparison essays.

 

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PRINTOUTS

• Essay Assignment
  
• Essay Rubric

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WEBSITES

• PAL: Perspectives in American Literature - A Research and Reference Guide (Chapter 5: American Realism - A Brief Introduction)
  

  Professor Reuben provides key points about the Local Color Movement and Realism along with study questions.

• Naturalist Photography from 1880-1920
  

  Although this background focuses on photography after 1880, the short essay also offers a discussion of the role of industrialization in photography as well as an overview of how photographers were attempting to reflect the Realist movement of European painting.

• Nineteenth Century Photography: A Timeline
  

  This timeline provides a clear overview of the advancement of photography during the nineteenth century.

• Chapter 1 from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave by Frederick Douglass, Berkeley Digital Library @ SunSITE
  

  The Digital Library provides clean copies of public domain texts produced by Project Gutenberg and other online sources.  Students can access the complete copy of Douglass’ narrative.

• The Face of Slavery & Other Early Images of African Americans
  

  The American Museum of Photography provides online access to historical photographs, including these representations of slave life from the mid-nineteenth century.

• Mark Twain on Photographs
  

  Provides Twain’s unique perspective on the role of photography in his contemporary world.

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PREPARATION

1. Students should have finished reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
2. Preview background material related to nineteenth-century photography and depictions of slavery in the PowerPoint presentation.
3. Arrange access to computers with Internet access for all sessions.  Prepare bookmarks of the online gallery, “The Face of Slavery & Other Early Images of African Americans” at the American Museum of Photography and Chapter 1 from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave by Frederick Douglass.  Also, familiarize yourself with and prepare bookmarks of the Venn Diagram, 3 Circles, the Comparison and Contrast Guide, and the Compare & Contrast Map.
4. Schedule access to the computers for these sessions and arrange access to an LCD projector, if necessary.
5. Photocopy Essay Assignment and Rubric (one copy per student).
   

 

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