Aristotle's Poetics Lesson Plan

What do you think Aristotle might mean by characters of a "lower" and "higher" type? What does this distinction illustrate about the society in which he lives and writes?

Some students may understand the potential histories behind this distinction—Aristotle might be referring to characters who are of a higher class, characters whose actions are more "noble," characters who are impoverished or enslaved, characters who are uneducated. Aristotle lives in a society that is hierarchical, believes in this hierarchy, and presumably understands himself as associated with the "higher" types.

How is Aristotle defining "poetry"? How is it similar to or different from how we define...