American and British Literature

By: Casey Robinson on Nov 17, 2021 | Categories: General, Academic

As the cadets in the American Literature classes taught by Senior Chief Shields wrap up the first semester, they are reflecting upon a variety of morals as taught by authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Washington Irving, and abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth. American Literature provides unique historical perspectives that are easily relatable to many modern day issues. Many of the authors create fantastical tales (such as The Legend of Sleepy Hollow) and it is always great for the cadets to read these often eerie stories about the birth of our nation during the Autumn months.

Cadets in the British Literature class taught by Senior Chief Shields have spent this semester with early tales of courage and heroism. Students read the epic Beowulf, Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, and ended the semester with reading about Shakespeare’s most famous tragic hero in the play Macbeth, a hero influenced by witches to usurp the rightful king. Through these wonderful classics the cadets identify the short-comings of human nature and learn to better improve upon their own character and morality.