Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is an abuse of power? What are some abuses of power you have heard about in the media? Do you think all people are capable of abuses of power?

Teaching Suggestion: A common theme throughout A List of Cages is authority figures abusing power. Ask students to describe situations in which authority figures have abused power, drawing their examples from history or current media stories. Before or during discussion of the above questions, you may want to have students watch the provided videos and discuss the findings of studies done on power.

• In this 2-minute video, a UC Berkeley psychology professor describes ways in which power changes people.
• This 4-minute video summarizes the findings of academic researchers who have studied the corrupting influence of power.

Short Activity

“Support systems” are people around you who help you deal with a variety of issues. Brainstorm different times people need support systems. Consider whom someone might call if their car does not start or if they do not have enough money to purchase something they need.