An Obstacle

Charlotte Perkins GilmanFiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1884

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Introduction

Reading Context Questions

Reading Comprehension Questions

Reading Comprehension Answers

Literary Device Questions

Literary Device Answers

Discussion Starters

Writing Prompts

Activity

In this activity, students speculate on the subject of the poem from the point of view of an abstract idea, Prejudice.

Work in pairs or small groups to rewrite the poem from the point of view of Prejudice.

Consider Prejudice’s motivations.

Why does he feel powerful?
What takes away his power?
Create and maintain a voice for Prejudice throughout your composition.
Be able to point to lines in your poem that show evidence of the personality and traits you envision Prejudice displays.

Share your poem’s opening lines with the class. How does your interpretation of this personified entity compare to those of others? Does Prejudice exemplify common traits class-wide?

Differentiation Suggestion: For kinesthetic learners, suggest that they convert the poem to dialogue between the speaker and Prejudice and then perform it for the class. You might provide students with a sentence starter: “I spied her coming up the path _____.”