The Sun Also Rises

Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

ACTIVITY 1: Travel Log

Imagine that Jake and his group of friends are staying in your neighborhood (or a place that you know very well). Create a “travel log” in which Jake narrates his impressions of what they eat and drink, who they meet, what they talk about, and what they see. Aim to mimic Jake’s voice as closely as possible. It might be particularly helpful to reread chapter 10 before writing.

• Jake and his friends should visit the following places and write an entry of 250-400 words in the travel log for each:

o a restaurant

o a park

o a school

o a store

o a library

Teaching Suggestion: Have the class read aloud some of the descriptive passages from chapter 10 and talk about what they notice: sentence patterns, diction, punctuation, etc. Make a list of these things for the students to refer to as they write.

ACTIVITY 2: Dialogue Acting

Reread the following extended dialogues in the book:

1. “Have any fun last night?” I asked – “Let’s get something else to eat” (chapter 4, between Cohn and Jake)
2. “Oh yes, he told me all about it last night” – “Let’s go over to the Iruña and start” (chapter 5, between Bill and Jake)
3. “What’s all this irony and pity?” – “Tell you some more at lunch” (chapter 7, between Bill and Jake)
4. “That’s an extraordinary business” – “I must bathe before dinner” (chapter 8, between Brett, Cohn, Bill, Mike, and Jake)
5. “Here come the gentry” – “Just imagine it” (chapter 15, between Bill, Jake, Brett, Mike, and Cohn)
6. “You might introduce your friends” – “You can’t hit him here in the hotel” (chapter 16, between Romero, Jake, Mike, Bill, Brett, and Cohn)
7. “Was I rude enough to him?” – “I do feel such a bitch” (chapter 16, between Brett and Jake)
8. “I feel sorry about Cohn” – “Get some sleep, old Jake” (chapter 18, between Bill, Jake, and Mike)
9. “‘Hello,’ said Brett.