Curriculum  /  ELA  /  8th Grade  /  Unit 7: Seeking Justice: To Kill a Mockingbird (2020)  /  Lesson 4

Seeking Justice: To Kill a Mockingbird (2020)

Lesson 4
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ELA

Unit 7

8th Grade

Lesson 4 of 35

Objective

Explain Ta-Nehisi Coates’s point of view on the use of the N-word and his response to conflicting viewpoints.

Readings and Materials

  • Article: “In Defense of a Loaded Word” by Ta-Nehisi Coates 

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Target Task

Writing Prompt

How does Coates acknowledge the existence of conflicting viewpoints on the use of the N-word?

How does he respond to them?

Provide specific textual evidence from the article to support your answers.

Key Questions

  • What is Coates’s point of view on the use of the N-word by the African-American community? Provide at least two pieces of evidence from the text to support your answer.

  • What arguments have been made against the use of the N-word by anyone—African-Americans included? Provide at least two pieces of evidence from the text that demonstrate these arguments.

  • What is Coates’s point of view on white people using the N-word? Provide at least two pieces of evidence to support your response.

Lesson Guidance

Standard and Literary Concepts

  • An author’s point of view, much like a character’s point of view in fiction, is the way that he or she views a specific topic. Even in nonfiction texts, authors insert their opinion, point of view, or biases into their writing. Within opinion writing, authors will often explicitly state their point of view on the subject. If an author’s point of view is less explicitly stated, strong readers pay close attention to the information an author includes or excludes from a text, the way an author presents information, as well as the literal and connotative meanings of the words an author chooses. Words, phrases or sentences can be used in ways that carry additional connotations in an attempt to influence or persuade an audience or reader.
  • In addition to communicating their own point of view, authors who are putting forward a specific argument will often acknowledge and respond to opposing viewpoints. Sometimes authors simply state opposing viewpoints and the reasoning behind them, but more often they will directly respond to them, explaining why they are wrong or misled.

Notes

  • Explain that author Harper Lee has chosen to include the N-word in To Kill a Mockingbird. We will be thinking and talking about Harper Lee’s decision to use this word in the book (in spite of its painful history) and what impact this word has on our understanding of the time period and place where the book takes place. Additionally, we have to think about the implications of the word in our own classroom. There will be times when we will read aloud from the text or discuss passages that use this word. This is a word that makes many people deeply uncomfortable and about which we may have complicated feelings, no matter what our racial background is. The purpose of class today is to open up honest and respectful discussion about this word and set ground rules around its use.
  • Before reading the article, consider beginning with the following discussion questions:
    • Why is this word considered so offensive/“loaded”?
    • Who is “allowed” to use this word? Who is not allowed?
    • What are the consequences of using this word?
    • Do you think it is possible to “reclaim” a word that has such a painful history?
    • Should we, as we read this text, be able to say this word?
  • We will be reading an article written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, one of the most significant writers of our time period (full stop, but particularly on the issues of race in this country). In it, he presents his opinion around the use of this word, particularly African-Americans. This is a rigorous article, and the argument Coates makes—beyond the surface level that African-Americans should be able to use the word and white people should not because context matters—is quite nuanced. If time is limited, have students focus on the first six paragraphs of the article.
  • There are a number of resources available to assist teachers in teaching texts that include this word. Two that we recommend are:

Homework

  • Read To Kill a Mockingbird, chapters 4 and 5.

Common Core Standards

  • RI.8.6 — Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.

Next

Explain how specific events and lines of text reveal aspects of characters and develop the plot in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Lesson 5
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