On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous Lesson Plan

Discuss the symbolism of the monarch butterflies Little Dog discusses in Part One.

The monarch butterflies appear within the first few pages of the novel when Little Dog describes a colony of monarchs in Michigan preparing for their yearly migration south. Little Dog considers this migration and reflects on the shifting nature of life. He says that the butterflies, while beautiful and vibrant, are also fragile and easily threatened; "it only takes a single night of frost to kill off a generation." He also discusses how the butterflies speak to memory and how information is passed down generationally. As the butterflies head south, they lay eggs. While these...