Big Question: Is there a difference between reality & truth?
Throughout the ages, the fine line between truth & reality has been drawn and redrawn by countless philosophers, artists, & writers. Even Einstein suggested that reality is merely a “persistent illusion”. So what is the difference between reality & truth?  Does each person’s mind shape its own reality, or are there eternal truths “out there” waiting for the curious mind to grasp? This unit layers fiction and nonfiction texts to give you a broad view of the literary and experiential differences between reality & truth.  Throughout the unit you will be introduced to and expected to use academic and concept based vocabulary that relate to the Big Question.  You will read and respond to a variety of fiction and nonfiction titles, representing classic, contemporary, and current newsworthy titles. 
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Of Mice & Men- John Steinbeck
"A parable about commitment, loneliness, hope, and loss, Of Mice and Men is one of America's most widely read and beloved novels".  

Essential Questions
1.  What is empathy?  Why is it an important human characteristic?
2.  What is an individual's duty to others?  
3.  How can the struggles of others teach us about ourselves?
4.  What does it mean to be powerful and powerless in our society?
5.  Why is society intolerant of those who are different?
6.  What is the writer's obligation to the reader?
7.  How can literature be used as a tool for social change? Should it be?
                                                
                                                

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Photographs by the famous photographer, Dorothea Lange. Background music is "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" by Bing Crosby
Dramatic Monologue Examples of Kafka's The Metamorphosis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQx_z7TsoZ8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7ZkcLrQO2E