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

In many stories, characters have a sense of duty or responsibility that guides their actions. Considering the common elements of the fantasy genre, how might this theme be portrayed in a fantasy novel’s characterization, plot structure, conflict, setting, and themes?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt will help to introduce the novel’s theme of Duty as a Governing Moral and a Guiding Force. To begin, students might brainstorm common elements, images, titles, or tropes associated with the fantasy genre. A more specific brainstormed list might include hero/heroines of epic (and small-scale) quests. Working with a partner, readers can then name the duty or responsibility associated with each of those protagonists and label the ways in which fantasy elements work to highlight that guiding force. For an extended discussion, students might rate the importance of each protagonist’s duty and responsibility; at what point does a sense of duty turn from a helpful guide to an obligatory force that drives forward progress?

Information from these or similar resources can help students develop additional context on the topic.