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Literary Analysis | Socratic Discussion Preparation

Instructions:

 Answer the following questions in whatever format you wish.

 Be sure to CITE text evidence.
 If you do not have text evidence, you will not be given points for speaking.
 Your discussion is Monday, November 20th!
 It is a 100 point summative!
 This preparation worksheet is worth 25% of your summative grade, if you do not bring it on your
summative day, you lose those points! 

General Questions
1. What makes a good narrative or fictional story?

2. What is your favorite piece of literature that we have read in class this year? Why?

3. How have gender roles played a key part in our literary analysis this quarter? Think about the different
readings that we have read together thus far.

4. Which author’s style do you prefer? Glaspell, Jackson or Kafka? Why?

5. Which society that we have read about is the worst society? Why?

6. Is there something that links the society’s together? Do they all have a similar aspect?

7. Think about the main characters that we’ve read about, the ladies in “Trifles”, Tessie Hutchinson and Gregor
Samsa. What character stood out to you the most? Why?
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8. Which narrative has the most allegory (hidden meaning) underneath the surface of the plot?

Questions related to Susan Glasspell’s “Trifles”

9. What specific symbols represent the power struggle between the social roles?

10. Was it a “crime” for Minnie to strangle her husband or simple “justice?”

11. Why do the men miss all the real evidence, and why do the women cover it up?

12. Why is the quilt and the “knot it” mentioned so many times throughout the play?

13. Who is the most important character in the play? Why?

Questions Related to Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”

14. Do you think that Gregor was really a cockroach or could this all be a metaphor for something else?

15. Discuss Gregor’s family dynamics. How does his family affect his character?
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16. What is the point of making Gregor turn into a cockroach? What could it possibly represent? (Think about the
title, the characters and your allegory chart.)

17. How does isolation play a key role in the novella?

18. What do you think is the main message or theme in the novella? Why?

Questions related to “The Lottery” page 25

19. Is ethics (understanding “right” and “wrong”) a universal concept? How do we decide what is moral?

20. Is the lottery a collective act of murder? Is it morally justified? Is tradition sufficient justification for such
actions?

21. Do you think that something like this could actually happen in our society today? Why or why not?

Make up three of your own questions about any text or any ideas that we’ve
discussed this quarter.
1.

2.

3.