In this lesson, students will examine Hemingway’s contemporary influences. Hemingway’s writing spanned several decades and visual art movements, and his own work was inspired and informed by artists and writers ranging from Johann Sebastian Bach to Gertrude Stein. Watch the video clips to familiarize yourself with different artists that were Hemingway’s influences and contemporaries. The lesson includes a resource to extend analysis to consider how Hemingway’s writing style in turn influenced more contemporary writers, like Jacqueline Woodson. Consider pairing this lesson with the lesson on Hemingway’s Style.  

Essential Question: 

• Which artists, writers, and personal experiences shaped Hemingways writing and career?
• Who was also writing at the same time (on a global scale or from other racial/ethnic backgrounds) as Hemingway but is not as well-known? 

About the Author:

Julia E. Torres is a veteran language arts teacher and librarian in Denver Public schools. As  teacher/activist committed to education as a practice of freedom, her practice is grounded in the work of empowering students to use Language Arts to fuel resistance and positive social transformation. Julia has been awarded the 2020 NCTE Colorado Affiliate Teacher of Excellence award chosen as a 2020 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, and serves educators as a member of the ALAN (Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE) Board of Directors. Julia facilitates workshops and professional conversations about anti-bias/anti-racist education, social justice, and culturally sustaining pedagogies in Language Arts, as well as digital literacy and librarianship. Her work has been featured in several publications including NCTE’s Council Chronicle, NPR, AlJazeera’s The Stream, PBS Education, KQED’s MindShift, NY Times Learning Network, The Chicago Tribune, ASCD’s Education Update, Rethinking Schools, School Library Journal, and many more.