The poet Emily Dickinson is famous for her cryptic verses, but in the poem “Success is Counted Sweetest“ she tells us specifically that those who appreciate success the most are those that have not had it. I would connect this …
One of the greatest moments in American literature occurs in Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, when Huck makes the decision to help Jim escape slavery, even though it goes against everything he has been taught. The theme …
The short story “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs is a suspense story that pairs perfectly with the Franklin Delano Roosevelt conversation about fear. The theme of fear of the unknown shows that people in scary situations may act rashly, …
The ending of Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery“ is shocking. I would use the conversation with John Adams about Power to lead students in a discussion of the story and how some people in society exert their power over …
Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God is a perfect novel to use to study happiness. The main character spends a great deal of the novel in unhappy situations. After a study of the novel, I would use the …
In the novel Lord of the Flies, the theme of self-discipline is evident when the stranded boys attempt to recreate the disciplined society that they grew up in on the island. Mid-way through a study of the novel I would …
The theme of self-expression is very evident in the Walt Whitman poem “I Hear America Singing.” After a class reading and an analysis of the multiple expressions presented in the poem, I would connect to the Confucius conversation about how …
The young adult novel Hatchet by Gary Paulsen pairs perfectly with the Friedrich Nietzsche conversation on perseverance. This survival story lends itself to a post-reading discussion on not giving up in the face of adversity, and how people of different …
The short story “To Build a Fire” by Jack London is about how the main character’s lack of imagination leads to a tragic failure in the Yukon wilderness in the middle of a brutal winter. After a reading of the …
The Giver, by Lois Lowry, has become a standard in middle school classrooms. I would ask the question “How do we know when we should take risks?” towards the end of the novel to lead students in a discussion about …
One of the main themes in Mary Shelley’s classic novel Frankenstein is responsibility. The main character Dr. Frankenstein is responsible for many people in the story. After a study of the novel I would use the conversation with Dr. Seuss …
Most students will understand the theme of hardship after a study of John Steinbeck’s classic The Grapes of Wrath, set during the Great Depression. During the reading of the novel, there are many points where I would stop and use …
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