About This Lesson
The unit The Persistence of Memoriesinvites students to explore how the past shapes identity and influences the future through the lens of surrealist literature and informational texts. Centered on the essential question, How does the past impact the future?, students will examine the interplay between memory, childhood, and personal growth by analyzing Salvador Dalí’s autobiography, Freud’s Dream Psychology, and a range of memoirs and autobiographical excerpts, including By Any Other Name, Rituals of Memory, Rock, Ghost, Willow, Deer, and Persepolis. Complementing these works, poems by Ngo Tu Lap and Edna St. Vincent Millay broaden the conversation across genres, highlighting how past experiences inform human resilience and perspective. As they progress, students will move from critical reading and analysis to creative application, culminating in narrative writing projects that draw on their understanding of memory, identity, and the enduring influence of the past.
