Literature Lesson Plans - Sykalo Eugen 2024
Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Grade Level: This lesson plan is intended for High School English, ideally 10th or 11th grade.
Subject: Literature
Time Allotment: Two class periods (approximately 1.5 hours)
Learning Objectives:
- Students will be able to analyze the narrative structure and identify elements of ambiguity and symbolism.
- Students will be able to interpret the characters and their motivations, particularly Young Goodman Brown's internal conflict.
- Students will be able to discuss the central themes of faith, doubt, and the nature of good and evil.
- Students will be able to consider the story's historical context (Puritan New England) and its exploration of societal anxieties.
Materials:
- Copies of "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Whiteboard or projector
- Markers or pens
- Character analysis worksheet focusing on Young Goodman Brown (optional)
- Historical background information on Puritan beliefs (optional)
Lesson Procedure:
Day 1: Ambiguity, Symbolism, and Character Analysis
- Introduction (10 minutes):
- Briefly introduce Nathaniel Hawthorne and his association with Dark Romanticism and the exploration of sin and guilt.
- Mention the importance of symbolism and allegory in Hawthorne's work.
- Active Reading and Annotation (20 minutes):
- Distribute copies of "Young Goodman Brown."
- Instruct students to read the story actively, paying close attention to:
✵ Unfamiliar words or phrases.
✵ Descriptions that create a sense of mystery and ambiguity (e.g., the dark forest, the strange ceremony).
✵ Symbolic elements (e.g., the pink ribbon, the staff).
- Symbolism Analysis (20 minutes):
- Lead a class discussion focused on the story's symbolic elements:
✵ What is the significance of the dark forest? How does it contribute to the atmosphere?
✵ What might the pink ribbon symbolize? Consider innocence, faith, or societal expectations for women.
✵ How does the staff carried by the figures in the ceremony function as a symbol?
- Character Analysis (20 minutes):
- Distribute a character analysis worksheet focusing on Young Goodman Brown (optional).
- Individually or in small groups, students analyze:
✵ Young Goodman Brown's internal conflict: his faith versus his curiosity and doubts.
✵ How does his behavior towards Faith throughout the story reveal his anxieties?
✵ Is his experience a dream, a hallucination, or something more? Encourage different interpretations.
Day 2: Themes, Historical Context, and Interpretation
- Review (5 minutes):
- Briefly review the previous day's discussion on symbolism and character analysis.
- Theme Discussion (25 minutes):
- Lead a class discussion focused on the story's central themes:
✵ Faith and doubt: How does Hawthorne explore the challenges to maintaining faith in a strictly religious society?
✵ The nature of good and evil: Is the line between good and evil clear-cut, or is it blurred in the story?
✵ The exploration of sin and guilt: How does Young Goodman Brown's experience challenge his understanding of sin and his own potential for evil?
- Historical Context (15 minutes):
- Briefly discuss the historical context of Puritan New England (optional, based on available resources).
- How do the story's themes of religious doubt and societal pressures reflect anxieties of the Puritan era?
- Open-Ended Discussion and Interpretation (15 minutes):
- Encourage an open-ended discussion about the story's ambiguous ending and multiple interpretations:
✵ What is the meaning of the final scene with Faith? Did Young Goodman Brown truly experience the devil's ceremony, or was it a figment of his imagination?
✵ How does the ambiguity contribute to the story's lasting impact?
Differentiation:
- Provide scaffolding for reading comprehension by offering a vocabulary list of unfamiliar words or paraphrasing complex sentences.
- Offer different options for the analysis worksheets (e.g., creating a chart comparing symbolic elements and their potential meanings, drawing a story map to track the plot and Young Goodman Brown's internal conflict).
- Allow students to choose a specific symbol or scene to focus on and analyze its psychological and thematic significance.
Extension Activities:
- Students can research the concept of the devil's bargain in literature and folklore.
- Have students write a diary entry from Faith's perspective, reflecting on her experience waiting for Young Goodman Brown's return.