Victor Hugo – Suffering


“It is by suffering that human beings become angels.”
Victor HugoBig Idea
Suffering is a fact of life. Sometimes the suffering occurs on an individual level; others times it is shared with others. People react to suffering in very different ways. Some become bitter while others use the suffering as a motivating force to help other people. Suffering causes reflection and sets the framework for our ethical choices around what type of person we want to become.
Claim
Suffering brings out the best in us. It makes us generous, kind and understanding.
Counterclaim
Many people who do great things do so out of a sense of obligation, not suffering. They are angels too.
Essential
Question
Do you have to go through suffering to be a good person?
Student Video


“Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” – Suffering
Pieter Brueghel’s painting “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” and William Carlos Williams’ ekphrastic poem of the same name ask students to consider the theme of man’s i ...

Walking for My Life – Suffering
I would use the book Walking for My Life, written by Jennifer Dewey, to teach students about the ways in which suffering can help a person become more knowledgeable and understanding. In this story, t ...