The following curriculum design is centered on the theme of the human need to be accepted. I have chosen both fictional and non-fictional works to disabuse students of the erroneous belief that literature is always imaginary, a fantastical creation far removed from their lives. If students are to reap any rewards from the things that they read, it is imperative to connect the themes in the works that they read with contemporary issues. Students will read poetry, short stories, a book (Alex Haley's Roots) and articles pertaining to the struggles that people have establishing solidarity with others, the reasons that they cannot establish connectivity, the repercussions that they suffer because of their isolation, and the measures that they take to survive despite the odds. The works they will read range from Beowulf, which was written in the West Saxon Dialect of Old English between the eighth and tenth centuries, to Death of a Salesman, first performed on Broadway in 1949.…
