Should identifying a tragic hero be based on a universal definition or a definition based on the morals and values of a specific culture? As part of a study of Things Fall Apart, class members read Sylvia Plath's "Colossus" and then compose an argumentative essay in which they take and support a stance on this question.

Concepts

multiculturalism, racism, prejudice, things fall apart, archetypes, tragic heroes

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Provide class members the list of suggested instructional activities and have them chose one as an individual or group project

Classroom Considerations

• The fifth in a 13-lesson unit, designed specifically for identified gifted and talented learners, that uses a variety of texts to explore the concept of diversity and the challenges of communicating across diverse cultures
• Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart serves as the anchor text for the unit

Pros

• The 11-page packet includes the plan, reference worksheets, links to related materials on tragic heroes, biographical material on Plath, and close reading questions on her poem

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.9-10.9 W.9-10.1.a W.9-10.1.b W.9-10.1.c W.9-10.1.d W.9-10.1.e SL.9-10.1.a SL.9-10.1.b SL.9-10.1.c SL.9-10.1.d