Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

“‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers- (314)” by Emily Dickinson

• Ruthie references this poem when she experiences the rehabilitation clinic.
• Read Emily Dickinson’s biography on the Emily Dickinson Museum site.
• The poem connects to the theme of Controlling and Overcoming Fear.

“Small Prayer” by Weldon Kees

• a short 1947 poem on the healing process
• The poem connects to the theme of Controlling and Overcoming Fear.
• Use this poem in the Paired Text Extension for Activity 1.

I Lived on Butterfly Hill by Marjorie Agosin

• a middle grade work of historical fiction in which the 11-year-old protagonist, Celeste, must flee her beloved Chile for America in the wake of dictator Pinochet’s takeover
• Students can connect the themes of Controlling and Overcoming Fear and Loss of Freedom and Independence in both novels.

“Poems Returned to Cuba” and “Prayer”

• poems by Ruth Behar
• Students can connect the imagery and messages to themes of Controlling and Overcoming Fear and Loss of Freedom and Independence.