Download Johnny Got His Gun, Dalton Trumbo Reading Guide AP Literature

Johnny Got His Gun, Dalton Trumbo
Reading Guide
AP Literature: Buckley
Literary Information: dark satire—be able to explain what Trumbo is mocking, why and how; style:
flashbacks: use of past reflections—how does it enhance the book?
Themes: meaning of life/Existentialism; sanity; war; fear v. courage; freedom; death; Absurdism/Absurd
Hero; relationships
Core Questions:
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What are the reasons and purposes of war?
When should we save a soldier vs. letting him/her die? Is there a question of when?
What does this book teach us about war and the effects of war?
What can we learn about America from this book?
What is patriotism?
Annotation Requirements:
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Read all of the “Prefaces” and note the important pre-reading information given.
At the end of the chapters, bulletpoint the purposes of that particular chapter. Make sure your bullet
points have the “so what?”
Title the chapters after you have read the chapter.
Annotate based on your essay topic—flag and analyze text that will help you to write your essay.
Annotate based on the Core Questions.
Essay Possibilities (you can always choose your own topic to create an argument):
1. What is the purpose of living? How does Trumbo challenge our meaning of life and present us with the
answer to the purpose of life? Weave in Existentialism and Absurdism philosophical ideas into your essay.
2. Prove that Joe is a dynamic character and what Trumbo’s message is in creating a dynamic character
trapped in this situation.
3. Analyze Trumbo’s message regarding war in Johnny Got His Gun.
4. Trumbo wrote this novel during the Vietnam War era, yet he set it in WWI. Analyze why Trumbo would
choose such a setting for his novel and why it would still be so fully embraced by the counterculture of the
1960’s. Then, consider how this book relates to today’s war movement and war culture. Does this book
have applications/messages for us today?
5. Analyze this book through a Psychological Criticism lens. Create a thesis and prove it.