In the Penal Colony Lesson Plan

The Unthinkable Machine

Kind of Activity:

Group Discussion

Objective:

Better understand the role of ambiguity, vagueness, and imagination in Kafka's storytelling.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.5, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.1

Structure:

Different storytelling media can achieve different kinds of aesthetic effects: some stories can only be told through the written word, others can only be told through film, and so on. The goal of this activity is to introduce students to the idea that "In the Penal Colony's" form—that is, its status as a written work—is centrally important to the broader themes of the story.

Begin by breaking the class into groups of...