View a FREE sample

Lesson 1 (from Chapter 1)

Objective

When AMERICAN GODS begins, Shadow Moon, the protagonist, has a clear objective: to get out of prison and see his wife. By the middle of the first chapter, this objective has been denied him, and he is left in a state of objective-free limbo.

The purpose of this lesson is to examine Shadow as a protagonist without an objective.

Lesson

1. For class discussion: As a class, examine Shadow moons intentions going to Illinois after his wife's death. What does he know about the circumstances surrounding Laura's death? What does he intend to after the funeral? What possible major objective does he have now that his wife is dead?

2. Many works - and the protagonists that inhabit them - are known for inaction, but they still have clearly defined objectives. Divide the class into several groups and assign each a famous literary meditation on inaction: HAMLET, THREE...

(read more Daily Lessons)

This section contains 8,038 words (approx. 27 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample