Tragicomic Truths: Exploring Identity, Family, and Grief in Alison Bechdel's Fun Home

Analyze the poem "Someday I'll Love Ocean Vuong" for tone, imagery, symbolism, and theme.

“Someday I'll Love Ocean Vuong”

Standards

L.11-12.5RL.11-12.2RL.11-12.4

Analyze the impact of telling one's story in an interview with Alison Bechdel.

“On Personal Expression and Comics with Alison Bechdel”

Standards

RI.11-12.2RI.11-12.6

Analyze how Bechdel portrays her father and their childhood relationship.

Fun Home pp. 3–12
Fun Home Allusions Cheat Sheet (G12, U5)
Graphic Novel Terminology Handout (G12, U5)

Standards

L.11-12.6RL.11-12.3RL.11-12.4RL.11-12.6

Analyze the theme of artifice in Chapter 1 of Fun Home.

Fun Home pp. 13–23 — Chapter 1 (cont.)

Standards

L.11-12.6RL.11-12.2RL.11-12.3RL.11-12.4

Analyze Bechdel's tone toward tragedy and death.

Fun Home pp. 27–54 — Chapter 2: "A Happy Death"

Standards

RL.11-12.4RL.11-12.6

Analyze the tone, structure, and theme of Elizabeth Bishop's poem "One Art."

“One Art”
Language Sensitivity Analysis Handout (G12, U5, L6)

Standards

RL.11-12.2RL.11-12.4RL.11-12.5RL.11-12.6

Analyze the role of literature in Chapter 3 of Fun Home.

Fun Home pp. 57–86 — "That Old Catastrophe"
Fun Home Allusions Cheat Sheet (G12, U5)

Standards

L.11-12.6RL.11-12.2RL.11-12.3

Writing

Make written connections between an allusion and characters and/or themes.

Fun Home Allusion Research Assignment (G12, U5, L8)
Allusion Research Assignment Note-Taking Graphic Organizer (G12, U5, L8)

Standards

W.11-12.2W.11-12.7W.11-12.9

Analyze how Bechdel uses structure, allusions, and symbolism to convey ideas about gender.

Fun Home pp. 89–120 — Chapter 4: "In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower"

Standards

RL.11-12.4RL.11-12.5

Understand the consequences of heteronormativity and make connections to Fun Home.

“Heteronormative Meaning: What Does Heteronormative Mean? Plus, 8 Examples to Know”

Standards

RI.11-12.2RL.11-12.2

Analyze themes about creative expression in Fun Home.

Fun Home pp. 123–150 — Chapter 5: "The Canary-Colored Caravan of Death"

Standards

RL.11-12.2RL.11-12.4RL.11-12.5RL.11-12.6

Analyze how Bechdel uses structure, allusions, and symbolism to develop her coming-of-age story.

Fun Home pp. 153–186 — Chapter 6: "The Ideal Husband"
Fun Home Allusions Cheat Sheet (G12, U5)

Standards

RL.11-12.2RL.11-12.3RL.11-12.4RL.11-12.5

Analyze Bechdel's characterization of her relationship with her father in the final chapter of Fun Home.

Fun Home pp. 189–232 — Chapter 7: "The Antihero's Journey"
Fun Home Allusions Cheat Sheet (G12, U5)

Standards

RL.11-12.2RL.11-12.3RL.11-12.5RL.11-12.6

Socratic Seminar

Engage in a Socratic Seminar about Fun Home by supporting arguments with strong textual evidence.

Fun Home
Sentence Stems for Academic Discourse

Standards

SL.11-12.1.aSL.11-12.1.bSL.11-12.1.cSL.11-12.1.dSL.11-12.4

Performance Task

Brainstorm ideas for a personal coming-of-age story and complete a pre-writing exercise.

Fun Home pp. 117–119
“Cyrus & the Snakes”
“Nothing Extraordinary”
Coming-of-Age Moment Prewriting Graphic Organizer (G12, U5)

Standards

RL.11-12.3RL.11-12.4SL.11-12.1SL.11-12.6W.11-12.5

Performance Task

Complete a draft of your coming-of-age story.

Fun Home
“Cyrus & the Snakes”
“Nothing Extraordinary”

Standards

W.11-12.3.aW.11-12.3.bW.11-12.3.cW.11-12.3.dW.11-12.3.e

Performance Task

Provide feedback on a classmate's coming-of-age comic, poem, or memoir and revise one's own coming-of-age story using suggestions from a peer review.