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 causes division in society? How does the media impact these divisions? Do you believe media’s impact is positive or negative?

Teaching Suggestion: The slowing fuels divisions between characters and groups in the novel. Reflecting on these resources and current events before reading can make the symbolic nature of the novel more accessible. The class could generate a list of different causes of division. It could also be helpful to focus the discussion on a major division that is more recent, such as the pandemic. Then—if the discussion is productive—broaden it to other divisions. The class might revisit this discussion during some points of the novel and discuss connections between texts.  

• Time’s piece, “The U.S. Capitol Riot Was Years in the Making. Here’s Why America Is So Divided,” provides written and video background about America’s divisions.
• “‘Us vs. Them’ In A Pandemic: Researchers Warn Divisions Could Get Dangerous” from NPR in May 2020 analyzes ways divisions impacted a national health crisis.