Parable of the Sower

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Many forms of artistic work, such as films, TV shows, novels, and short stories, are set in a dystopian future. How does a utopian future compare with a dystopian future? What elements are present in a dystopian future? Why would an author set a novel in a dystopian setting?

Teaching Suggestion: Parable of the Sower is set in a dystopian American society, where many of the public infrastructures people depend on are no longer present because of the Effects of Mass Privatization. This question will help students connect the themes in the novel to the real-world issues Butler addresses through this dystopian lens.

• a MasterClass article that discusses and defines dystopian fiction

2. The state of California’s diverse, dry topography lends the region to many natural hazards. What are the major natural hazards the people of California face on a regular basis? What steps, if any, are taken to prevent or be prepared for these hazards? What mechanisms are in place as a response? Conduct some basic research if needed to answer.

Teaching Suggestion: Natural hazards are a major contributor to the increasingly destabilized situation within the novel. Notably, both earthquakes and fires plague the region, and the effects of the hazards themselves as well as the response in both prevention and aftermath directly contribute to some of the major obstacles, such the Effects of Privatization of public entities. Students’ answers will link with the Activity.

• research from the Congressional Research Service about wildfires in California
• information on notable earthquakes in California

Introduction to a Parable

A parable is a story told to teach a moral lesson. Working in small groups, select a famous parable. As a large group, discuss what the intended purpose behind the story may be for each group’s chosen parable.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity will introduce a form of literary writing and help contextualize the title of the novel, which takes its name from the biblical parable of Matthew 13:3-8. Each group of students should select a different parable for their presentation. The links below can be used to guide either the discussion or the initial research of this form of writing.

• Britannica introduces allegories, fables and parables
• YourDictionary provides examples of fables and biblical parables