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Being There: James Rufus Agee's Life, Times, and Works
By Susan HuettemanOverview Reading Agee's A Death in the Family
is like being in a candy store with unlimited choices. Agee's life and work are filled with topics that excite curiosity and inspire imagination. Agee was first a poet and sought understanding of the
events and people in his life. He was journalist and immersed himself in the culture he was investigating. He was a musician and related his music to his writing. He was a writer of short prose and novels. His heart was
at the movies and he became a famous screenwriter. Agee was also a child in search of who he was and found the answers in his home in East Tennessee and his family heritage in Knoxville. But foremost he was a friend and
it is those friendships that make it possible for us to know Agee today. A selective study of topics in Agee's life and works is appropriate for K-12.
K-12 Appalachian Mountains and Eastern Tennessee
K-12 Home life at the turn of the 20th Century
5-12 How life experience can be told in many ways
5-12 A study of Agee: the boy and the writer
9-12 A study of Agee: the man Objectives Students will:
- Explore Southeastern Appalachians and Eastern Tennessee
- Experience turn of the century life
- Discover how one idea grows and takes many forms
- Form and express ideas and opinions
Skills Attained
- General perusal or scanning
- Selection of study topic
- Selective reading for specific topics
- Information gathering: data and anecdotes
- Expressing the information in new ways
The Lesson Anticipatory Set Pose any or all of these questions to the students:
1. How can a singular event change attitudes and behavior?
2. When his father died, Rufus Agee's life suddenly changed.
3. What was his life like before and after his father died?
4. How did the adults react to the news of Jay Agee's death?
5. Did his family and neighbors treat Rufus and his sister differently?
6. How did Rufus react to the loss of his father?
7. How did he feel about himself and others?
8. Throughout his life how did Agee deal with his loss?
Lesson Outline Prologue: Read and/or view the film, A Death in the Family I. Anticipatory Set
- Select one simple theme or topic from A Death in the Family. Discuss possible topics in class to help define ideas for students.
The Lesson
1. Scan "Being There" Overview; Companions A and B; Timeline 2. Identify a topic of interest to you. Make subheadings. List subjects for later detailed study
3. Divide class into groups. Each group selects one of the following genres to briefly develop in class: non-fiction, prose, fiction, poetry, or play script. 4. Scan the novel, A Death in the Family
for information and anecdotes for your topic and focus.
Homework Agee used several writing genres to tell of his experiences and he read his works-in-progress aloud to his friends. Select a genre Agee used to express your topic: prose
(fiction or non-fiction), poetry, or play or screenplay. For example, if you choose the topic of real versus fictionalized names in Agee's work, you may want to create a couple of poems to show the common names used,
and the differences between the real life people and the characters created in the novel. Keep an accurate record of the sources you used. Share Your Work in Class
1. Share your findings and experiences with your class either in an essay, a timeline, or an oral presentation. Make certain that your topic is not too broad and that the demonstration maintains focus 2. Ask the following questions:
A. How is the topic related to A Death in the Family
B. How does Agee develop the topic?
C. How is Agee's development similar or different?
D. Does expressing the topic in different genres change perceptions of the topic?
3. Discuss the questions in class.
Assessment Completion: Students may be evaluated by teacher or student groups
Participation: Students may develop questions to ask the presenting students
Suggested Resources A Death in the Family, the novel and film
Being There: Introduction
Being There: Companion A to Agee's novel
Being There: Companion B to topics in Agee's novel
Being There: Agee's Life and Knoxville, Tennessee Interdisciplinary linksBiology
- The nature of the Appalachians: rocks and minerals, animal life, and flora
- Water, rivers, and sanitation at the turn of the century
Geography, History, and Social Studies
- The exploration of the Appalachians and East Tennessee.
- The three stars of the Tennessee flag: West, Middle, and East Tennessee and how they differ
History and Social Studies
- The founding of Knoxville and development of the city.
- The changing image of East Tennessee: politics, Civil War, Reconstruction, and industrialization
- The development of transportation: automobile, highways, and rail systems
- The Victorian influence on the turn of the century: home life, manners, and clothing
- What was happening in the rest of the world and how it compared to Knoxville Summer 1915
Literature
- Agee's literary friends
- Agee's contemporaries (other early 20th century authors)
- Agee's influences
- The genres of Agee's work
Music
- Agee's interest in musical forms: sonata form and theme and variations
- Agee's interest in classical piano music
Extension Activity
- Students may display or present representative works of Agee
- Students may choose to follow a day in the life of Agee at home and at school
This lesson was submitted by Sue Huetteman, a retired teacher in Rhode Island |
