Blog Post One: Faust and Metamorphosis

When teaching or learning English, getting an understanding of theme is very important and useful. When I was thinking of this week’s readings of Faust and Metamorphosis and what themes they had, and if they had any in common, I noticed that they all had themes of either the characters making bad choices or not being able to be able to make choices. I would emphasize this point.
If I were to suggest ways to teach this theme, I would possibly split them into groups of four and have them write and talk about times when they wanted to make a choice but were unable to do so, and then a time when they could a choice. I think I would also possibly bring up different wars and how sometimes people were drafted in, without a choice. I would ask them if they agree or disagree with that. I would bring up that freedom of choice is something that we have here in the US and that it’s an important part of who we are as a nation.

I am sort of unsure what elements of popular culture could be incorporated into the lesson to teach theme. I might ask them to give me instances of choice or lack thereof in popular culture today, whether in books, television or even music and share with the class. I could also ask the students if they see any other themes than the ones I chose and to connect those to the theme of choice and hopelessness. I could also have them contrast the Faust and Metamorphosis for differences. This blog is here to help other teachers, so see attached link for some interesting lesson plan outlines for Faust that might be useful. The particular one I choose (see link) is lessons about Faust and The Devil and Tom Walker (https://betterlesson.com/lesson/524298/the-faust-legend-in-nineteenth-and-twentieth-century-literature). Even though these lesson plans deal with just one of the two stories discussed, it would still be a valuable resource to model another lesson on.
In the end, choices or the lack of choices is something that defines us and the course of our lives, so these stories are valuable to read and contemplate for that reason.




     

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