Understanding Sontag: A Critic of Society
This handout investigates Sontag’s role as a “critic of society” through her political writings and public reflections on the social responsibilities of writers.
WAR & ACTIVISM LESSON 1: HANDOUT 2
1 class period (45-60 min)
- History and Social Studies
Place > The Americas
Themes > Culture
Themes > Politics and Citizenship
Themes > War and Foreign Policy
U.S. History
U.S. > Colonization and Settlement
World > The Modern World
- Literature and Language Arts
Genre > Essay
Place > American
Place > Modern World
- Analysis
- Compare and contrast
- Critical thinking
- Cultural analysis
- Discussion
- Evaluating arguments
- Historical analysis
- Interpretation
- Literary analysis
- Making inferences and drawing conclusions
- Summarizing
- Synthesis
- Textual analysis
- ELA Reading: 1, 3, 10
- ELA Speaking & Listening: 1
- HSS Reading: 1-2, 9-10
CONTINUE THIS LESSON
Proceed to Handout 3
OR complete the lesson now with one of our Student Activity Options
- Assign longer selections or the full texts of Sontag’s “What’s Happening in America (1966)” from Styles of
Radical Will and/or “The Conscience of Words” from At the Same Time in advance, in place of handout
excerpts. - Reflection and concluding questions may also be assigned as short essays or response papers.