Students will read more for inference in this unit and develop their argument for the theme. At the end of the lesson, students are going to: 
- Make conclusions. 
- Provide proof to back up generalizations. 
- Examine the connection between the theme and other components. 
- Examine how the themes and issues relate to the historical era.

- How does text interaction elicit thought and response?

- Characterization: The method an author uses to reveal characters and their various personalities. 
- Conflict/Problem: A struggle or clash between opposing characters, forces, or emotions. 
- Inference: A judgment based on reasoning rather than on a direct or explicit statement. A conclusion based on facts or circumstances; understandings gained by “reading between the lines.” 
- Theme: A topic of discussion or writing; a major idea broad enough to cover the entire scope of a literary work. 

- “Heart! We will forget him!” Part Three: Love XLVII by Emily Dickenson http://www.bartleby.com/113/3047.html 
- “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner in Stories and Narrative Essays http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/litweb05/workshops/fiction/faulkner1.asp 
- The above texts were selected because they are clear examples of the love and loss theme in two different genre formats. Alternative texts should be of similar genres. Samples include:
+ Nathaniel Hawthorne. “Rappaccini’s Daughter”. Available at http://www.shsu.edu/%7Eeng_wpf/authors/Hawthorne/Rappaccini.htm 
+ T.S. Eliot. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”. http://www.bartleby.com/198/1.html 
+ Edna St. Vincent Millay. “What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, and Where, and Why” Sonnet XLIII. http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15420 
- copies of Miss Emily Evidence and Technique Labeling (L-L-1-2_Miss Emily Evidence and Technique Labeling and KEY)

- This lesson aims to enhance students' comprehension of the process of combining a theme from a poem and a fictional story. Students ought to learn that there are some commonalities among all genres' approaches to conveying themes.
- Students should complete the opening poem exercise as a review to gauge their comprehension of the material. 
- Make a note of students who show signs of uncertainty or confusion during class discussions.
- Move around the room to help groups with the study guide questions and reword them as needed while the main activity is underway. 
- It is possible to assign the questions as an individual assessment or in flexible groupings according to the needs of the students.

Active Participation and Clear Instruction 
W: Go over the goal, the theme, and the methods utilized to convey them. 
H: Encourage participation from every student by having them analyze a poem's theme using a new archetype. 
E: Lead students in identifying ways to communicate the theme in first-period full-class exercises and study-guide activities done in pairs. 
R: Provide feedback between students, teachers, and other students. 
E: Assign students to work in whole class, small groups, or alone to articulate their understanding, point out their weaknesses, and ask for help when they need it. 
T: Use differentiated instruction to meet the multiple intelligences of verbal-linguistic, kinesthetic, visual-spatial, intrapersonal, and interpersonal. Small, adaptable groups could be used. 
O: Arrange the lesson so that it includes a full class review, student-guided practice, and a comprehension and clarification check at the end.

Focus Question: In contrast to poetry, how would a writer convey a theme in a short story?

Part 1

Have students read Emily Dickinson's "Heart! We will forget him!". Ask them to discuss it with their partner about its meaning. Start a class discussion after students have had pair discussions about the poem. Ask, "What is the meaning of the poem?"

Ask further questions in classes that require extra assistance. 

“How could 'he' have provided 'warmth'?" (Love)

"What is the meaning of light? How could 'he' have introduced 'light'?" (companion rather than isolation and gloom)

"What evidence would you point to that the poem is about love and grief?" (Stanza 1 talks about adjusting to loss; stanza 2 talks about the thing the speaker still loves.)

Part 2

Have students read William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily." As students complete the Miss Emily Evidence and Technique Labeling handout (L-L-1-2_Miss Emily Evidence and Technique Labeling and KEY), they should think about how the author's techniques relate to or incorporate the theme of love and loss, either individually or in pairs.

The following debate topics could help develop further understanding:

1. "What is the typical meaning of roses?" (A romantic prelude) "What does the title imply?" (Emily has had a happy romantic experience.)

2. "Judge Stevens refuses to charge Miss Emily with smelling bad. How does this conduct and manner differ from what it is today?" (Manners were the cornerstone of Southern hospitality in the 1800s. Nowadays, obtaining money takes precedence over people's sensibilities.)

3. "What made Miss Emily unmarried when her father passed away?" (Father repelled suitors with a whip.) What could make a father behave in such a domineering manner? (Despairing over his wife's passing and worrying about his daughter leaving him.)

4. "The townsperson narrator recalls seeing Miss Emily start going on Sunday afternoon buggy rides with a Yankee construction worker named Homer in Section III. What message did this convey about their romantic relationship?" (that they were courting) "Were the locals pleased with the pairing? Why or why not?" (No, because, unlike Miss Emily, Homer was a Yankee and not a member of the nobility.) "Is class still a problem in today's relationships?" 

5. "What did the townspeople assume Miss Emily bought at the druggist?" (Death by suicide) "What does this suggest about their perception of her emotional condition despite her rides in a buggy?" (Assumed she wouldn't wed Homer and was depressed about her solitude)

6. "What information about Miss Emily's handling of love, grief, and loneliness can be inferred from the pillowcase?" (A long gray hair indicated she didn't let go of Homer; it was found on the pillow next to the dead body.)

As a class, discuss the solutions and help the students synthesize their understandings:

"In what ways did the story's theme differ from the Dickenson poem that was read aloud at the start of class?" (characterization vs. poet declaration)

"Is it possible to employ some of the story's methods in a poem?" (Yes, a story or a ballad)

Extension:

Once they are prepared for independent theme analysis, students can read another Gothic story and find illustrations of the theme's development.

Give students a copy of a story to mark and highlight different characterization techniques if they need more practice recognizing how the theme is gradually woven in. Additionally, give students a fresh passage from a text that is simpler and ask them to pinpoint the underlying themes of any kind of narrative or characterization strategy that is employed.