High School Literature: Author Study on Kurt Vonnegut (GUIDED

"Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward." -Kurt Vonnegut

Vonnegut was imprisoned in a slaughterhouse in WWII and survived the Allied bombing of Dresden during his internment. This experience is one he returns to again and again in his works — both fiction and nonfiction.

Vonnegut's worldview is one that explores the depths of human's capacity for kindness and cruelty while often landing on an absurdist conclusion about the meaning of life.

In this class, we'll read four short stories and two novels (and likely some other excerpts) from Vonnegut.

Along the way, we'll explore how his worldview appears in his works and analyze literary themes while writing papers and giving student-led class lectures.

Read Several Texts

In this class, we’re going to read four of Kurt Vonnegut's short stories from the collection Welcome to the Monkey House, two novels (Mother Night and Slaughter-House Five), and some selections from his nonfiction essays in Armageddon in Retrospect.

Throughout the class, we'll be exploring the writing techniques Vonnegut uses as well as larger literary themes.

Dig Deep and Gain Analysis Skills

This class serves as practice for the type of deep dive students might take into a particular author in a college-level setting.

Ages: 14-18

Class Size: 3-10 Learners

Time Commitment

Most learners can expect to spend 5-7 hours per week working on class materials.

(This class will meet or exceed 60 hours of coursework to count as 0.5 credits of high school ELA).

Guided Class Flexibility

This is a guided class, which means there are no live meetings, but there are student-teacher interactions and weekly due dates for assignments. This format works well for students who don’t enjoy live, on-camera sessions or who have unpredictable weekly schedules.

Students can interact with the instructor and each other via our class discussion board.

Assignments Open Each Week

In order to allow for learners and their families to have the flexibility they need, assignments open by Monday of each week and are due by the following Sunday. Learners can complete work at whatever time works best for them throughout the week.

Schedule

Class is weekly from February 3-May 11, 2025 with a spring break from March 24-30. This is a Guided class with no live meetings. There are weekly due dates, peer interactions through message boards, and instructor feedback.

Supplies

To participate successfully in class, learners will need the following:

Copies of the following books (all by Kurt Vonnegut):
Armageddon in Retrospect (ISBN 978-0-425-22689-6)
Welcome to the Monkey House (ISBN 0-385-33350-1)
Slaughterhouse-Five (ISBN: 978-0-385-33384-9)
Mother Night (ISBN: 978-0-385-33414-3)

(Note: There are multiple editions of some of these. Any should work.)

Microphone and camera for in-class participation
PDF Reader
Zoom (free account)
Learners will submit work through Google Drive (a Google (Gmail) account can be acquired for free)

Select a pricing plan and sign up

$406

Market Rate +25%

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience. This option allows us to build a more accessible and equitable community of learners by offering discounted pricing options.

$358

Market Rate +10%

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience. This option allows us to build a more accessible and equitable community of learners by offering discounted pricing options.

$325

Market Rate

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience.

$260

Market Rate -20%

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience.

$162

Market Rate -50%

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience.

Meet Dr. Michelle Parrinello-Cason

Dr. Michelle Parrinello-Cason is the founder of Dayla Learning. She has a PhD in rhetoric and composition, a passion for helping students find their writing voice, and two homeschooling children of her own.

Michelle has taught in a wide variety of settings including six years as a full-time college professor. She has been teaching virtual and in-person homeschool writing and humanities classes for more than five years.

Michelle believes in meeting students where they are and — as any of her previous students will tell you — believes deeply that there is no such thing as a bad rough draft!

Is this the right fit for your learner?

This is an advanced high school class. Learners will do best if they have the following skills:

Can write about 1500 words (6 pages) on a single topic confidently
Can integrate direct quotes and paraphrases smoothly into writing
Can locate and evaluate sources for credibility and relevance
Confidently reads texts at or above ~1100L on the Lexile rating

This class is a good fit for high schoolers who are confident in constructing essays over multiple drafts and have a solid writing process.

Finding the Right Challenge

Writers who have not had much experience writing academic essays would likely benefit from a High School Writing class before taking this one.

Skills Gained

We will practice in-depth research and critical thinking skills as well as constructing a range of written and multimodal projects.

Students will gain the following skills:

Analyzing pieces of canonical literature for meaning, theme, motif, symbolism, and other literary devices
Drawing comparisons across media, time periods, and perspectives
Crafting projects (written and multimodal) in response to readings
Discussing topics respectfully and meaningfully with peers

Content Note

Vonnegut's works (especially Mother Night and Slaughterhouse-Five) contain direct reference to war, murder, death, and political corruption.

Our discussion of context for these books will include Nazi propaganda, dehumanization as it relates to the Holocaust, the bombing of Dresden during World War II, and other historically relevant events that participants may find difficult and disturbing.

Families are encouraged to pre-screen texts to make sure they're an appropriate fit for their learners.

Select a pricing plan and sign up

$406

Market Rate +25%

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience. This option allows us to build a more accessible and equitable community of learners by offering discounted pricing options.

$358

Market Rate +10%

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience. This option allows us to build a more accessible and equitable community of learners by offering discounted pricing options.

$325

Market Rate

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience.

$260

Market Rate -20%

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience.

$162

Market Rate -50%

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience.