Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Things Left Unsaid”

In this activity, students will analyze moments of silence within dialogue by copying brief sections of dialogue and writing a structured analysis below.

Throughout the story, there are several moments when an “awkward silence” occurs between characters. Often in literature, the moments when a conversation ends in silence reveals a great deal about the characters and their relationships.

• After reading, identify two points in the text when a conversational thread between characters seems to end abruptly.
• On a separate piece of paper, write out the two moments of dialogue, leaving some space between the examples. You can write just the last 2-3 lines of dialogue before the silence occurs.
• Label the character whose words cause the moment of silence “Character A.”
• Label the character who doesn’t continue the dialogue “Character B.”
• Underneath each example, respond to the following prompts:
• Summarize the conversation between the two characters.
• What do the characters do in the moment of silence instead of continuing the dialogue?
• How does the decision not to continue the conversation indirectly characterize Character B?
• Explain how this dialogue develops one of the following themes: Loss and Death, Gender Roles, or Expectations Versus Reality.