Woody Guthrie and the Archive of American Folk Song: Correspondence, 1940-1950 provides a sequence of letters as well as Special Presentations that foster chronological thinking. Letters reflecting Guthrie's political convictions can be used to learn about American Communism, while a short story by Guthrie can be used to practice analysis and interpretation. The collection's letters provide a starting point for deeper research into Guthrie's life, while aspects of his personal life provoke issue-analysis.
Chronological Thinking: Interpreting Timelines
The collection has three resources that can be used to practice chronological thinking: an index of Correspondence in Sequence, an essay called Rambling Round: The Life and Times of Woody Guthrie and a timeline called Timeline of Woody Guthrie (1912-1967). All three resources provide a ready way to consider the chronology of Guthrie's life and letters.
Readers can gain further insight into Guthrie's life and letters by creating their own timelines tracing the history of pertinent topics. Use a history text book to trace the major historical events that occurred during Guthrie's life. Or research the music industry or labor movement and trace the developments that occurred in these fields in Guthrie's lifetime.
- What does your timeline add to your appreciation of Guthrie's life and letters?
