Looking for help selecting a story for my students

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esp05

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Sep 21, 2014
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I'm Shelley. I'm a high school English teacher, and I am teaching a unit on monsters
( Beowulf, Grendel, Frankenstein, some poetry, etc). I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a Stephen King short story my 12th graders could read that features a monster. Even better if it features the theme of alienation, the idea of people rejecting what they don't understand, or the creation of a monster.
 

Neesy

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May 24, 2012
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I'm Shelley. I'm a high school English teacher, and I am teaching a unit on monsters
( Beowulf, Grendel, Frankenstein, some poetry, etc). I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a Stephen King short story my 12th graders could read that features a monster. Even better if it features the theme of alienation, the idea of people rejecting what they don't understand, or the creation of a monster.
It might be a bit of a stretch but how about "Carrie"? She would fit into the theme of alienation and one could argue that her Mom (or the students who were cruel to her) turned her into a monster in that she went berserk and unleashed her telekinetic powers.

Welcome to the SKMB!

carrie3.jpg


Your grade 12 students might sympathize with someone their own age :umm:
 

FlakeNoir

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Apr 11, 2006
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It might be a bit of a stretch but how about "Carrie"? She would fit into the theme of alienation and one could argue that her Mom (or the students who were cruel to her) turned her into a monster in that she went berserk and unleashed her telekinetic powers.

Welcome to the SKMB!

carrie3.jpg


Your grade 12 students might sympathize with someone their own age :umm:
I'd thought Carrie too, but then Shelley mentioned she would need a Short Story--maybe trying to fit a novel into the time-frame might not work?
 

GNTLGNT

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Jun 15, 2007
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I'm Shelley. I'm a high school English teacher, and I am teaching a unit on monsters
( Beowulf, Grendel, Frankenstein, some poetry, etc). I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a Stephen King short story my 12th graders could read that features a monster. Even better if it features the theme of alienation, the idea of people rejecting what they don't understand, or the creation of a monster.
...then Firestarter would be perfect...(coz Charlie always felt she was monstrous)....
 

Lily Sawyer

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Jun 27, 2009
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Hey, Shelley. Any relation to Mary?

-I'd go with The Mist. It's not exactly a short story, but you get the added optional bonus of being able to screen the movie for your students if you want to.* Both are good, but the novella is better. It certainly addresses monsters, alienation, and people rejecting what they don't understand via "herd mentality".

*Note: the film ending is different from the novella.
 

GNTLGNT

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I can't think of any sympathetic monsters like Frankenstein or Swamp Thing :( Most of SK's non-human monsters have no redeeming features at all lol.

The only one I'm not sure about is the Nightflyer... Have any of y'all read it recently enough to remember if the Nightflyer feels alone and rejected?
...that one revolves more around the poor sap that encounters said flyer....the titular character is peripheral but powerful...
 

OldDarth

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Jul 10, 2006
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While the only monsters in this story are the worst kind - human ones - I'd pick The Body aka Stand By Me.

Second The Mist suggestion as it encompassed both literal and figurative monsters - again the human kind. And it would be a great discussion item for your students to explain which of the two are the scariest.
 

skimom2

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Oct 9, 2013
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To go in a slightly different direction, Apt Pupil might be a good choice. It details the creation of a human monster; parallels and contrasts can be drawn between Frankenstein and Apt Pupil in the relationships of Victor Frankenstein and the Monster and that of Dussander and Todd. Could be interesting!

EDIT: Sorry! I just saw that redman already suggested this. Cry pardon :) Suffice to say that I second his suggestion.
 

DebbieDoo94

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Sep 17, 2014
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I'm Shelley. I'm a high school English teacher, and I am teaching a unit on monsters
( Beowulf, Grendel, Frankenstein, some poetry, etc). I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a Stephen King short story my 12th graders could read that features a monster. Even better if it features the theme of alienation, the idea of people rejecting what they don't understand, or the creation of a monster.
IT is a great monster story. Though quite long, it is very intriguing and sucks you right in.
 
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DebbieDoo94

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Sep 17, 2014
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How about The Green Mile. Although Mr. Coffee is not really a monster, he is definitely perceived as one and treated as such. Some of the other characters are quite monsterous as well. Very quick read.
 
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